Jeff Vale started appraising in 1989 with Milo F. Vale & Company. Debbie Morris and Jeff Vale were successful in holding down the fort when Milo Jr. (Jeff's dad) began having health problems in 1997. Debbie retired in 2020. In 1989, Jeff joined the Society of Real Estate Appraisers as a candidate member, and the Society subsequently merged with the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers in 1990 to become the Appraisal Institute (www.appraisalinstitute.org). In 1992, Jeff received the Certified General Appraiser License from the State of Indiana. In 2002, Jeff received the MAI designation from the Appraisal Institute. The MAI designation requires an education beyond the minimum needed for licensing as well as submission of a Demonstration Appraisal Report, passing a 2 day comprehensive exam, and passing various levels of experience credit where work samples are scrutinized by other appraisers who hold the MAI designation. In 2014, Jeff received the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute which recognizes proficiency in residential property types. Officially, our company is now known as Vale Appraisal Group of Milo F. Vale & Company, Inc. Jeff served as the 2009 President of the Hoosier State Chapter of the Appraisal Institute. In 2014, Jeff was recognized with the Edward L. White Achievement Award for service to the Hoosier State Chapter. In 2025, Jeff received the Richard E. Nichols, MAI, SRA
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hoosier State Chapter as well.
Miles Vale
Miles Vale started in the appraisal business as a data and research assistant in 2024 with Vale Appraisal Group, and became a licensed Trainee Appraiser in 2025. Prior to Vale Appraisal Group, he spent 1.5 years in the geospatial and information systems data and utilities industries as a mapping and data analyst. Since Miles became an appraiser, he has chosen to focus primarily on commercial appraisal practice similar to his father and supervisory appraiser, Jeff Vale, while still learning how to perform other appraisal specialties such as residential and right-of-way appraisals. Miles became a member of the Appraisal Institute (www.appraisalinstitute.org) in 2025 as an Associate Member.
Jeffrey R. Vale, MAI, SRA
Isaac H. Vale is an Appraiser Trainee with Vale Appraisal Group in Merrillville, Indiana, and a lifelong resident of Lake
County. He joined the firm in January 2025 as a research and data assistant supporting valuations through property
research, data analysis, and report preparation. He advanced to Appraiser Trainee in August 2026. Isaac holds an
Associate of Applied Science in Business Administration from Purdue University Global and graduated from Crown Point
High School in 2021. Before entering the appraisal field, he spent two years in warehouse operations at Harbor Freight
Tools in Elwood, Illinois, where he was promoted from Forklift Operator to Receiver to Sorter Operator. He is focused on
developing his expertise in real estate valuation and delivering high quality appraisal reports.
Isaac H. Vale
Jim started appraising in February 1979 at a local bank after graduating in 1978 from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. After about four years at the bank, he began appraising at a local appraisal office with a short interval of almost two years at a mortgage company. During the 1990's, Jim started learning the nuances of commercial appraising and became affiliated with Vale Appraisal Group in 1998. Over the years, he has completed several thousands of appraisals of residential, commercial and industrial properties as a staff or fee appraiser for numerous banks, savings and loan institutions, relocation companies, INDOT, various cities and towns, attorneys, corporations and private individuals.