We asked about comp selection in a “big data” world. Why do we still use three comps on a form, or six comps on a spreadsheet? What is the right data? It has been claimed that three comparables was used because they fit on an 8 ½” by 11” sheet of paper. For commercial work, […]
It’s not. Not for the Average Appraiser Bear. In elementary school and high school level, what is taught are “the two types of statistics.” One is descriptive statistics, the other is inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics are used to describe, to summarize, or characterize a data set, so the human mind can understand rows of numbers. […]
Because the Appraisal profession is in trouble. I have heard these words from many people. From inside the AI, and from those outside. From members of the ASA, and other national organizations and from the many growing local organizations (mostly residentially oriented). Yet there is a need, a real need — for appraiser competence — […]
When I first decided appraisal might be a great career, a couple of things felt good. First, appraisers were respected, even admired. Respected for their special knowledge and professional impartiality. Second, there appeared to be a real need for impartial service. Service which wasn’t provided anywhere else. There was no licensing. It was based on […]
R² or r² is a number which has been squared. Or is it? It’s popular and feels sophisticated. Especially if it’s ‘high’. Higher is better. Or is it? There are actually a number of ‘fallacies’ around the use of R2 or r2. First let’s distinguish between the big letter R and the little letter r. […]
Every profession I know that deals with numbers also provides some estimate of the reliability of the result. An engineer would not say “the most probable life of this bridge is 87 years.” The engineer might provide a minimum, or a range, or some indication of how reliable the estimated life is. My new journal […]
We’re pleased to have my friend and long-time student assistant, Joseph Lynch from Sacramento, CA, write this week’s blog. He’s certified in residential appraisal, working in Northern California, and is President of the Sacramento Chapter of the Real Estate Appraisers Association. Check out Joe’s blog here. Thank you, George, for inviting me to pinch hit this […]
Why should they trust me? Trust me. I am an appraiser. I am trained. I have experience. I have high ethical standards – and a government-issued license which says so! What more could you ask? What more could you ask? To answer this question, let’s look at what the client needs and what is the […]
We read articles and advertisements on how to prove an adjustment. Is this possible? How wonderful it would be. To prove an adjustment, just push a button and bam! Out comes the correct answer. How could we have we missed this? Of course, if such a simplistic and exact answer was possible – anyone could […]
We have been taught that appraisal solved one problem: the opinion of value. We were taught an “appraisal process” (now a “Valuation Process”). The process is called a procedure. It goes like this:[1] Identify the problem Decide on your scope of work Collect the data and describe the property Analyze the data (include market analysis) […]
An opinion of value is just that. Everyone has one. Asset value is wanted for one of three reasons: to measure risk, forecast profit, or to achieve fairness. Mostly the clients are collateral lenders, investors, and regulators/litigators. An appraisal is an opinion of value by an appraiser acting in appraisal practice. There are other opinions […]
Credible— USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) says an appraisal must be credible. The word ‘credible’ is used some 82 times in the Standards themselves (although used repetitively in the same context using identical words most of those times). Then an additional some 103 times in the Advisory Opinions, mostly re-quoting the first 82 […]
Graphs serve several purposes. There are two main mindsets in building graphs. One of them seems completely ignored in traditional appraisal ‘procedures.’ The old way of appraisal is to gather 4 or 5 comparables. They are “competitive” and “similar”. We are told that if they are competitive and similar, they make ‘ok’ comps. Ok comps […]
Consumer home loan valuations serve those who pay the bill – the lender. This cost is passed on to the buyer, and the buyer usually has a right to get a ‘copy’ of the report. However, the valuation is not there to help the buyer decide whether the price is fair or a good investment. […]