Dockins Valuation Company celebrates 50 years

William P. Dockins, a former regional claims representative for Aetna Casualty Insurance Company, was seeking other endeavors when he was invited to a meeting of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers (now The Appraisal Institute).

He affiliated with the organization and began taking appraisal courses. In November 1973, he formed Dockins Valuation Company in the Kings Row Building on South Kingshighway in Cape Girardeau.

By 1980, he had obtained the RM (now SRA) designation, the highest designation available to residential appraisers. In 1989, he earned the MAI designation, the highest designation offered to commercial real estate appraisers.

Throughout the years, numerous individuals were under Dockins' tutelage, many of whom went on to successfully start their own appraisal firms. The present owner, John Karnes, had been appraising real estate since 1993 when he came to work for Dockins in February 2005.

He earned the MAI and SRA designations himself as well as the AI-GRS designation, which is awarded to those who have passed a specialized curriculum in general appraisal review.

Karnes and his wife, Heather, purchased the company from Dockins in October 2013 and have added several employees, including Cara Allen, who is training to become a certified general appraiser and plans to work toward the MAI designation.

John Karnes is certified in 18 states and, besides local and regional work throughout the years, has appraised commercial, industrial and agricultural real estate in 31 states. A private anniversary celebration will be held Thursday, Oct. 26, at Celebrations Down Town.

Dockins passed away in October 2017, but his legacy lives on in Dockins Valuation Company.