Tax records - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/tag/tax-records/ Appraisal News and Tips for Real Estate Appraisers Mon, 17 Aug 2026 04:01:52 +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 Tax records - Appraisers Blogs https://appraisersblogs.com/tag/tax-records/ 32 32 52046035 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 Desktop Appraisals: Has The Devil Infiltrated The Public Trust? https://appraisersblogs.com/desktop-appraisals-has-the-devil-infiltrated-the-public-trust https://appraisersblogs.com/desktop-appraisals-has-the-devil-infiltrated-the-public-trust#comments Thu, 10 Feb 2022 13:30:41 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=26264 Are desktop appraisals with third-party inspectors protecting the public, or are these products about to destroy the very profession I love so much. The Uniform Standards Professional of Appraisal Practice (USPAP) are the key to maintaining public trust in real estate transactions. USPAP is pretty much the equivalent to the Bible, but it MUST be followed for appraisers. Created by the Appraisal Foundation, USPAP set forth the guidelines for how appraisers should perform their work. By following these standards, appraisers ensure that they act in a professional and unbiased manner. To expand, even more, USPAP states, “While USPAP does not...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/desktop-appraisals-has-the-devil-infiltrated-the-public-trust/feed/ 56 26264 Train Us and Trust Us https://appraisersblogs.com/train-us-n-trust-us-automated-valuation-programs-use-formula-based-on-inaccurate-square-footage-data https://appraisersblogs.com/train-us-n-trust-us-automated-valuation-programs-use-formula-based-on-inaccurate-square-footage-data#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2021 13:30:38 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=25025 The most weighted technique in most automated valuation programs comes down to one over-simplified formula, based on a guesstimation from an outside source that has no interest in the real estate system… Dear FHFA: Please accept the following comments in regard to Question A1.4. The response also includes comments on several additional questions. Thank you for taking the time to review these thoughts. Technology has made so many improvements in the last decade and we now have the chance to truly improve our home valuation system. With that being said, the last piece of the quality puzzle starts at the...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/train-us-n-trust-us-automated-valuation-programs-use-formula-based-on-inaccurate-square-footage-data/feed/ 9 25025 Data and Verification Sources Are Critical https://appraisersblogs.com/data-n-verification-sources-are-critical https://appraisersblogs.com/data-n-verification-sources-are-critical#comments Fri, 15 Nov 2019 13:30:13 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=23123 The genesis for this essay began when I heard from another appraiser that a VA report reviewer rejected the comparables “DOC Number” on the Verification Source(s) line. The reviewer said the “DOC Number” was not acceptable as a Verification Source. In fact, VA has said in a newsletter to appraisers that “… Assessor’s File Number may never be used as a Verification Source.” I disagree with that position, and this essay explains why. It also explains what appraisers should do to provide credible Data and Verification Source(s) in reports. Caveat: I don’t do VA assignments. I decided that a deeper dive...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/data-n-verification-sources-are-critical/feed/ 11 23123 The Missing Standard https://appraisersblogs.com/time-2-make-measurement-standard-mandatory https://appraisersblogs.com/time-2-make-measurement-standard-mandatory#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2018 12:30:33 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=19159 What can we do to establish a national measurement standard for appraisers? Every week I talk to appraisers in different parts of the country and the conversations are almost always the same. Square footage errors are a problem everywhere, some places worse than others. Every appraiser seems to understand the problem and many of them complain about the real estate agents, home-owners, and even underwriters who challenge them about their square footage totals. They rely on the “Official Record” they believe is listed by the local tax department. Who teaches them this stuff? How is it possible the general public...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/time-2-make-measurement-standard-mandatory/feed/ 34 19159 Tax Values Just as Accurate as AVMs? https://appraisersblogs.com/tax-assessments-vs-avms-accuracy https://appraisersblogs.com/tax-assessments-vs-avms-accuracy#comments Thu, 24 May 2018 12:30:53 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=18079 In a head to head contest between tax values and AVMs for use in mortgage lending, I’ll take tax assessments every time… The battles rage on to decide who will take over the automated valuation process. There are big companies lining up to take over this massive profit arena. And, make no mistake, it’s all about the money. At the end of every discussion about AVMs verses traditional appraisals, it has less to do with faster or cheaper, or better, and sadly little to do with consumer protection. It has to do with who gets the profits that will be...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/tax-assessments-vs-avms-accuracy/feed/ 22 18079 Weird Science https://appraisersblogs.com/weird-science-appraisal-technology https://appraisersblogs.com/weird-science-appraisal-technology#comments Tue, 17 Apr 2018 12:30:50 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=17722 …technology to make a doll real? Remember the movie Weird Science where the two guys develop technology to make a doll real? If you’re my age, I’m sure you do. If not get to googling Kelly LeBrock. She did some amazing things. She looked great, was sexy and had odd powers that turned the older brother into a pile of emoji poop. Weird huh? Everything about her was amazing on the outside, but something was weird. That’s how I feel about new technologies that AMCS, Zillow and others have offered the public. On the outside, it looks great but what’s really happening...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/weird-science-appraisal-technology/feed/ 7 17722 The Price of Big Data Valuation Fiasco https://appraisersblogs.com/big-data-valuation-revolution-price-fiasco https://appraisersblogs.com/big-data-valuation-revolution-price-fiasco#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2018 13:30:52 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=17280 "Price" of this Fiasco may be the Downfall of the American Real Estate Market… I Choose Not to Be Part of the Big Data Valuation Revolution The big data and automated valuation explosion will ultimately destroy the real estate industry and it will take decades for it to recover. The facts are, we live and work in a price-per-square-foot industry. The square footage data used in the so-called “official record” in local tax records is in error enough to alter home values and it’s an equal opportunity offender – values can be too low or too high. And, it’s wrong...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/big-data-valuation-revolution-price-fiasco/feed/ 16 17280 AMCs Have Failed https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-management-companies-amcs-failures https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-management-companies-amcs-failures#comments Mon, 19 Feb 2018 13:30:57 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=17059 …it will be the appraisal management companies that are going to be held to the fire, not the appraiser… In the spring of 2002 my wife and I bought our third house; an older cape cod in a great school system where our son would start kindergarten in the fall and his sister the year after. This house literally was 1970 inside. It had deep red shag carpet in the family room and sculptured avocado green carpet upstairs. Not to worry, it blended well with the sunshine yellow stove, bright orange counter top and turquoise and pink bathrooms. After 3...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal-management-companies-amcs-failures/feed/ 63 17059 Realtors® Giving Too Much Power to RPR® https://appraisersblogs.com/automated-listing-price-bad-4-consumers https://appraisersblogs.com/automated-listing-price-bad-4-consumers#comments Mon, 04 Dec 2017 13:30:32 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=15878 ….getting a suggested listing price based on a computer and not a licensed professional’s skill, is the new trend and it is very bad for consumers…. “Since then, we’ve become RPR’s biggest fans. It has helped grow our business because it has given us more credibility.” A recent article talks about the benefits of using the Realtor® edition of online home valuations. This growing trend is frightening for home owners as more and more agents rely on computers to price real estate instead of using their time, skill, and research to calculate home values the right way. When it comes to...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/automated-listing-price-bad-4-consumers/feed/ 10 15878 No I Won’t Work With This Appraiser https://appraisersblogs.com/agents-blacklisting-appraisers https://appraisersblogs.com/agents-blacklisting-appraisers#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2016 12:30:12 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=12469 How much power do agents have over the appraisal process? The lender gets a call. Agent tells them that appraiser “X” just called to set up an appointment to do the appraisal for 123 Main St. That darn appraiser killed my last deal and if he is appraising this house, I will have my clients find another lender. I flat-out refuse to work with this appraiser. Whether it’s the listing or buyer’s agent, who put this person in charge of the appraisal process? Does the banker have to listen to them and risk losing the loan? It depends. What’s his...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/agents-blacklisting-appraisers/feed/ 47 12469 Appraiser’s Response to LRES Order Blast https://appraisersblogs.com/appraiser-response-lres-order-blast https://appraisersblogs.com/appraiser-response-lres-order-blast#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2016 12:30:17 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=12213 LRES Standard Interior Appraisal Request? Your special requirements and micromanagement of the appraisal process dictate that I charge a fee commensurate with the additional, but typically unnecessary work needed to produce credible results. You are the potential client (agent), so that that is your prerogative and it would be my pleasure to accommodate you as long as appropriate compensation is provided. Respectfully, there is little about your appraisal request that is “standard”. Please explain briefly what you consider to be a ‘standard interior appraisal’. That definition does not appear in The Appraisal Institute’s Dictionary of Real Estate Appraisal. To be...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraiser-response-lres-order-blast/feed/ 80 12213 Basement Homes and Appraised Values Gone Wrong https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/basement-homes-and-appraised-values-gone-wrong/ https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/basement-homes-and-appraised-values-gone-wrong/#comments Mon, 12 May 2014 12:30:25 +0000 https://appraisersblogs.com/?p=6161 95% of Appraisals on Homes with Basement or Lower Levels Have Errors, Errors that Affect the Home’s Value… In the majority of markets all across the country, it is virtually impossible to get an accurate appraisal on homes that have a basement or lower levels. That’s a pretty big claim. Can it possibly be true? Absolutely it can! And, it happens every day. No one in the real estate industry wants to bring this topic out in the open for fear the public would be outraged. Well, it’s time somebody gets mad. And for all the Realtor’s® big talk about...

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]]> https://appraisersblogs.com/appraisal/basement-homes-and-appraised-values-gone-wrong/feed/ 2 6161