Tagged: value

Schizophrenic Adjustments - Down to Exact Dollar Amount 35

Schizophrenic Adjustments

Appraisers, I’ve written in the past about what I believe are strange ways to report adjustments in appraisals, and suggested ‘rounding’ is a perfectly acceptable way to report them. This is largely due to buyers and listing agents thinking and listing in $100 increments – not down to exact dollar amounts. During the past couple of weeks, I ‘came in contact with’ two separate appraisals done by different appraisers on totally different properties, in different market areas. What struck me was the incredibly precise adjustments made for only certain items in these reports, while the rest of adjustments were ‘rounded’ to...

Is the Property Inspection by an Unlicensed Person Considered Assistance? 77

Is that not Significant Assistance?

Is the property inspection by an unlicensed person considered assistance? We came across an article written by fellow appraiser, George Dell. Some of you may have heard of him, read his blog, or taken one of his classes. This article “What is a Hybrid?” hits home to many of us and thought it was worthy of sharing. Those promoting hybrid appraisals have been claiming USPAP compliance. Well anyone who has ever taken a USPAP class knows no form or product is USPAP compliant. The appraiser’s actions are what make a report USPAP compliant. In George’s article he points out the discrepancies...

Reconciliation, Painting a Picture of the Problem & the Solution with Words 9

Paint a Picture with Words

The reconciliation is precisely the place we want to avoid any boilerplate… A common complaint among couples is a lack of communication. “He should have known I wanted that bracelet for my birthday” “She should have known I wanted to have sushi for dinner” “She should be more considerate of my feelings”, etc. How are we supposed to know these things? Are we mind-readers? It would be much easier if we would somehow communicate our wishes with our partners, without having to come right out and say something, but at the same time, it takes away from the spontaneity of...

A Rebuttal to Real Estate Agent's Article Slamming the Appraisal Industry 46

Slamming the Appraisal Industry

A Rebuttal to Real Estate Agent Slamming the Appraisal Industry… Forbes recently published an opinion article that attacked the appraisal industry and placed all the blame on appraisers for real estate transactions falling through due to a “low” opinion of value. The article was written by a real estate agent out of Arizona. While he raises some good points, he is conflating a lot of issues together. 1) He does point out that there are bad appraisals. We all know that. There are bad appraisers just like there are bad agents who have clients list a property far above any...

Difference Between Price, Cost and Value... What It's Worth 5

Price vs Value

The buyer never actually pays what something is worth… Nobody can deny that there are a lot of issues plaguing the appraisal industry at the moment. I want to talk about one issue that I sometimes see: the incorrect usage of extremely important terms. Many real estate professionals use certain terms interchangeably, even when they have significantly different definitions. Appraisers, unfortunately, are not immune in this crime against clarity. Today, I want to get back to basics and look at the actual definitions of three absolutely crucial terms in our industry: price, cost and value. I think you’ll agree these...

Let’s just use the Tax Assessments...Tax Values just as Accurate as AVMs? 22

Tax Values Just as Accurate as AVMs?

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...

No Control Over the Way YOUR Business Prices Its Products! 55

Appraisals, Fees, Lenders and Lies…

Can you think of a single business where an individual has less control over their own financial future than the appraisal business? In most professions, your level of success is dependent on your personal work ethic, dedication to education, promptness of service, and overall level of quality. But, no, not in the appraisal industry. The HVCC took all that away. In the vast majority of circumstances, appraisers in any general market are paid the same fee. An average appraisal in Moore County, NC is worth $450.00. A VA appraisal $500.00. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been licensed six months or...

Pressure: My Story... This Is What Value Pressure Looks Like 21

Pressure: My Story

Appraiser pressures aren’t normal everyday life pressures…THIS IS WHAT PRESSURE is like for appraisers. Hit value, get paid. Don’t hit value, get fired or quit. In just 16 years as an appraiser, I’ve seen and heard many things. Some, I just want to forget and some I wish I never heard. Appraiser pressures aren’t normal everyday life pressures, they’re different. Typically, when business is good, it’s for reasons like doing a great job and providing a great service. Or, it could be because one aims to keep the client happy by hitting value, which is not exactly a good thing....

Clarocity Multi Million Dollar Garbage Technology vs. Appraisers 81

Garbage Replacing Appraisers?

If appraisers were to embrace such garbage, would the demise of this technology be sooner? …14.53 million dollar loss in 2017… Hey Clarocity, Give it up. It is time to face the facts! From Clarocity Public Financial Statements: 14.53 million dollar loss in 2017 9.49 million dollar loss in 2016 13.00 million dollar loss in 2015 5.43 million dollar loss in 2014 6.82 Million dollar loss 2013 4.95 million dollar loss in 2012 0.36 million dollar loss in 2011 1.19 million dollar loss in 2010 0.86 million dollar loss in 2009 44.8 million dollar loss in 2008 The 2017 Clarocity’s...

Importance of Including Sales Price Trend Graph in Appraisal Reports 2

Importance of Graphing Sales

Scatter graph can help you “visualize” the trend of sale prices over a time period… Appraisers, I’ve been including ‘comparable’ price trend graphs in my reports (using Excel) since 2008. The graphs are based on a chart of MLS sales in the subject’s neighborhood, and can be from 1 to 5 years prior to the report Effective Date – based on housing density and number of sales. (I work in urban, suburban and rural areas.) A Scatter Graph can help you “visualize” the trend of sale prices over a time period. It can also show questionable outlier sales that you...

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