square feet - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/tag/square-feet/ Appraisal News and Tips for Real Estate Appraisers Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:00:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://i0.wp.com/appraisersblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ABfavicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 square feet - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/tag/square-feet/ 32 32 52046035 Fannie Mae Filed a Complaint Against Me https://appraisersblogs.com/fannie-mae-filed-a-complaint-against-me/ https://appraisersblogs.com/fannie-mae-filed-a-complaint-against-me/#comments Wed, 18 Oct 2023 12:30:39 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=30011 An appraiser shared the following with us which was posted on one of the appraisers’ groups. Fannie Mae filed a complaint against me with my state appraisal board. Here’s what happened. The Report In June of 2021, I completed an appraisal for a conventional purchase. The appraisal was ordered by an AMC on behalf of a lender. At that time, the real estate market was still being wildly affected by the COVID pandemic. Remote work was in full swing, and consumers were desperately seeking to get out of the cities. Prices for all types of residential properties were rising rapidly,...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/fannie-mae-filed-a-complaint-against-me/feed/ 39 30011 GLA Adjustment: Adjusting Full Difference vs a Threshold Amount https://appraisersblogs.com/gla-adjustment-process-adjusting-the-full-difference-vs-a-threshold-amount https://appraisersblogs.com/gla-adjustment-process-adjusting-the-full-difference-vs-a-threshold-amount#comments Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:30:02 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=29602 Appraisers, on Thursday, before the Memorial Day holiday, I circulated across the US an email asking for response to a simple two question survey about how you “adjust” the GLA square footage between the Subject and Comparables. The questions: adjust 100% of the square foot difference, or adjust the difference after a ‘threshold’ square foot amount (meaning not the full 100% difference). I received a respectable number of responses compared to emails sent out, and also posted to 3 different web forums, nearly 200 replies. So that’s enough to validate the percentage of both responses, and report the trends. As...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/gla-adjustment-process-adjusting-the-full-difference-vs-a-threshold-amount/feed/ 79 29602 AVMs… Garbage In, Garbage Out https://appraisersblogs.com/avms-garbage-data-in-means-garbage-results-out-every-time https://appraisersblogs.com/avms-garbage-data-in-means-garbage-results-out-every-time#comments Wed, 15 Mar 2023 12:30:07 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=28989 Garbage data in means garbage results out every time!  It’s no secret that AVMs have been a thorn in the side of real estate appraisers since they first came out. Despite all their bells and whistles, these automated valuation models still rely on inaccurate public records and often come up with wildly inaccurate home values. Unfortunately, some consumers don’t realize this until it’s too late – when reality comes crashing down from a local real estate professional after they’ve already gotten their hopes up about their home value thanks to an AVM. Yesterday, a Virginia assessor emailed us with an...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/avms-garbage-data-in-means-garbage-results-out-every-time/feed/ 24 28989 House Measurement by Property Data Collector Gone Wrong https://appraisersblogs.com/house-measurement-by-property-data-collector-gone-wrong https://appraisersblogs.com/house-measurement-by-property-data-collector-gone-wrong#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2023 13:30:12 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=28317 The lender allowed an unlicensed property data collector give bad data to the appraiser… I work for this lender and they will not let my trainee inspect. The owners are now underwater by more than $100,000…  I’m sad and I’m mad! I recently took on a measure job for a client who was questioning the square footage of their home. The couple bought the house at the height of the market last year. They paid 12% over list price to get the house. They put an appraisal waiver in the contract which meant they could not walk away if the...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/house-measurement-by-property-data-collector-gone-wrong/feed/ 145 28317 Building Codes https://appraisersblogs.com/electrical-plumbing-building-codes-in-each-state-4-appraisers https://appraisersblogs.com/electrical-plumbing-building-codes-in-each-state-4-appraisers#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2020 13:30:59 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=24703 Appraisers should have a basic understanding of residential electrical, plumbing and building codes. Or at least have a way to research them… While reading the National Appraisers Forum on Friday December 4, 2020, I found a post contributed by California appraiser Craig Gilbert, who provided this link to building codes in each state. Over the years, I’ve seen numerous appraiser comments in various places stating that I don’t need to know anything about building, electrical or plumbing codes. Well, I hate to be the Grinch who stole Christmas, but I disagree with that perspective. Appraisers should have a basic understanding...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/electrical-plumbing-building-codes-in-each-state-4-appraisers/feed/ 6 24703 Failure to Communicate https://appraisersblogs.com/language-barrier-failure-2-communicate https://appraisersblogs.com/language-barrier-failure-2-communicate#comments Mon, 12 Aug 2019 12:30:11 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=22523 Realtor’s language is “local” whereas an appraiser’s language is universal… What we got here is … failure to communicate. It’s a line from Cool Hand Luke … a great old movie with Paul Newman. Newman played a prisoner in a jail in the Deep South. The story was all about Luke Jackson, played by Newman, who was sentenced to two years in a Florida prison farm. Well, Luke was a free spirit who didn’t play by the rules and this angered the prison’s sadistic warden. In one memorable scene, the warden said, “What we’ve got here is … failure to communicate“. That line was...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/language-barrier-failure-2-communicate/feed/ 9 22523 USPAP & Questions on Confidentiality https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-confidentiality-contractor-service https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-confidentiality-contractor-service#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2019 13:30:11 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=20694 How can using such a contractor not be a violation? In the context of a real estate appraisal, especially a residential real estate appraisal for a lender thru an AMC, what is confidential? First, look at USPAP’s definition of confidential information (lines 105 – 108 in the 2018-2019 edition). It says “confidential information [is] information that is either…identified by the client as confidential when providing it to an appraiser and that is not available from any other source; or…classified as confidential or private by applicable law or regulation” (ibid; emphasis added). Notice confidentiality flows to the client, not to any...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/uspap-confidentiality-contractor-service/feed/ 7 20694 How Big, Really… Size Matters… Suggestions https://appraisersblogs.com/public-records-dead-wrong-size-matters https://appraisersblogs.com/public-records-dead-wrong-size-matters#comments Wed, 15 Mar 2017 12:30:55 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=13958 Very often the public records are dead wrong… Appraisers, We all know Fannie Mae (FNMA) has their Collateral Underwriting (CU) report scoring system after the .xml file of the report is submitted through the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP) portal used by both GSE’s. This system of theirs is used to ‘score’ an appraisal for a loan quality rating, and it’s also used to provide a lender with a guarantee of relief from a FNMA loan buy-back demand, if the report ‘scores’ a number of 2.5 or lower. We’ve previously discussed how that can be manipulated by a lender or an...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/public-records-dead-wrong-size-matters/feed/ 20 13958 Seeing the Forest Through the Trees https://appraisersblogs.com/individual-adjustments-appraised-value https://appraisersblogs.com/individual-adjustments-appraised-value#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2016 13:30:02 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=12884 Focusing on individual adjustments to the detriment of the bigger picture… Growing up, my parents used to refer to my inability to see the forest through the trees. This simply meant not being able to see the bigger picture because focus was so narrow that I only saw what was right in front of my eyes. Fortunately, I am older now, and (usually) better at seeing the bigger picture. I suspect this is a common phenomenon in all walks of life, and particularly in our work. This can happen in many aspects of the appraisal puzzle. One of the most...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/individual-adjustments-appraised-value/feed/ 10 12884 Condo Density Primer https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/condo-density-primer/ https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/condo-density-primer/#comments Thu, 18 Jun 2015 12:30:35 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=8055 Many appraisers still seem confused as to what the form means by density. In the project section of Fannie Mae form 1073 the first line addresses topography, size, density and view. Many appraisers still seem confused as to what the form means by density. Appraisers enter and AMCs approve phrases like: average or typical or even a calculation such as 50 units / 12,975 square feet. Appendix D regarding UAD reporting offers no guidance. What are they asking for and what does it mean? Fannie is looking to see if the existing density can be rebuilt following a catastrophic loss....

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/condo-density-primer/feed/ 3 8055 How Big is My House? https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/how-big-is-my-house/ https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/how-big-is-my-house/#comments Tue, 18 Mar 2014 12:30:55 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=5830 As a house gets older the wood begins to shrink… Do you ever get those questions? “Well ABC appraised my house last year and my house was 3,726 square feet. Why do you say it only contains 3,698 square feet?”. I have always wanted to say, well as your house gets older, the wood begins to shrink… Everyone knows of course that houses come in different sizes, shapes and that walls can be built at angles other than 90, 60 or 45 degrees, thus accurate measuring can be a challenge. When you factor in roof pitch for upstairs rooms, or...

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