What is the White House Worth? Nearly $400 Million, Says Zillow
Bob Hope’s UFO Home Sells for $13 Million
Excerpt: At long last, Bob Hope’s UFO house has sold for $13 million, after first being listed in early 2013 with a price tag of $50 million. Having gone through a couple of price cuts over the last three years, the most recent cut lowered the ask to $25 million. But with no comps available, how does one actually price a concrete space ship? Seems that when $25 million was thrown at the wall, $13 million stuck.
My comment: Tough appraisal including measuring and the listing history ;>
Excerpt:
My comment: Wow!! I had no ideas these cities had high winds, especially those not in hurricane areas.
Haunting Photos of Europe’s Abandoned Buildings, From Steel Plants to Castles
FHA handbook 4000.1 quarterly update
Popular (and sometimes strange) real estate listings
Take a break and check out these listings!!
The 4 Most Interesting Home Listings of 2016 – Fun Video
Video is 2 minutes and 40 seconds long and very entertaining!!
Can’t describe it. You just gotta see it!!
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2016’s top 10 most popular (and sometime strange) homes for sale
Here are 3 of them
No. 1 is the country’s biggest fixer-upper – over 60,000 sq.ft. in Texas. Price: Listed for $3.6 million
5. The cave dwelling, Undisclosed address, Festus, Missouri. Price: Listed for $314,900
10. The ‘Amityville Horror’ house, 108 Ocean Ave, Amityville, New York. Price: Listed for $850,000, entered into contract in November
http://www.housingwire.com/articles/38783-here-are-2016s-top-10-most-popular-homes-for-sale
Beautiful and unusual places
What are the most popular links in these newsletters? Weird properties, very expensive homes, etc. Plus Appraiser goes to jail (not many of these today), Freddie and Fannie no-appraisal loans. LIA’s Claudia Says ads are also very popular. Sorry, USPAP, ASB, AQB, ASC etc. are not very popular but I put them in just to let you know what is happening, even if you don’t care much ;> Here are two:
10 of the Most Beautiful Libraries on Earth
Take a break and a look at these beautiful and unusual libraries!!
From all over the world, including the Chicago Public Library
Excerpt:
Chicago Public Library, by SOM
Chicago’s new Chinatown library branch has no sharp edges. The pebble-shaped building is wrapped in glass and marked by solar-shading fins that are meant to reduce heat and glare. The library’s curvy, three-sided shape is built around feng shui principles and designed to align with the avenues outside the building. Inside, the two-story structure is centered around a light-filled atrium.
No links for more info, but you can google the names.
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/settle-10-beautiful-libraries-earth
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Carmel, Indiana, America’s King of Roundabouts
Are Granny Flats Undervalued?
by Kathy Price-Robinson, The Appraisers Research Foundation
Excerpt:
Whether you call them granny flats, in-law units, or something else, residential accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on residential properties excite municipal planners, homeowners, and others for social and environmental reasons. They are “green” by nature because of their small size and can provide great benefits to the owner.
But they can also perplex appraisers and other real estate professionals because of erroneous perceptions and various institutional policies that complicate lending on properties featuring ADUs.
To help clarify the estimation of value of residential properties with accessory units, researchers Martin J. Brown and Taylor Watkins conducted a study to test an income-based approach to valuation of properties with ADUs.
http://www.workingre.com/granny-flats-undervalued/
My comment: I appraise these types of units often in my city. Typically they are not legal. I consider them similar to detached bonus rooms, offices, guest quarters. If legal, the income approach would work to determine the added value of the ADU. Of course, income from airbnb, etc. vs. “regular” rentals is another big issue. The article does not address non-legal ADUs, the vast majority of them. FYI, The Appraisers Research Foundation has been around for a long time and regularly publishes (and gives grants for) research papers. For more info, go to http://www.appraiserresearch.org/ To see their other research, click on Research Results in the top menu bar.
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Poll: On average, how long does it take you to complete a 1004 interior inspection appraisal report, including inspection and drive time?
How Man Caves Took Over America’s Basements
Excerpts:
A man cave usually develops in spare rooms, such as bedrooms, offices, finished basements, or recreation rooms. The garage, another traditionally masculine space, is more often a workshop or place to make repairs. Its connotation with work (often frustrating and unsavory as any viewer of Home Improvement can attest) as well as its thermal issues (it’s rarely cooled or heated like the rest of the house) demarcate it from the man cave, an interior space.
While men have always had their sacred spaces in the home such as the garage or study, the domesticity of the 19th and early 20th century overall implied that the home was, of course, the woman’s place. In the previous centuries, men sought refuge outside the home in establishments such as gentlemen’s clubs (think more country club than strip club), and male-only social clubs and establishments such as the Freemasons.
Very interesting, especially the history!!
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-the-man-cave-took-over-americas-basements
My comment: I live in California, where there are few basements. I do see garage “man caves”. But, they are not as fixed up as basements, mostly with a tv, beer fridge and some tools. Sometimes I see bedrooms set up as computer rooms.
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Collection and Verification of Residential Data in the Sales Comparison Approach APB Valuation Advisory #8
Voluntary Guidance on Recognized Valuation Methods and Techniques:
My comments: This is advisory and not part of USPAP. Finally the Appraisal Practices Board has 48 pages of practical advice for practicing residential appraisers, the vast majority of appraisers. It discusses what different types of clients want, such as Fannie, VA, Rels, relocation, data, data collection, CU, etc. Scope of work examples are included. The last 17 pages are about verification. Worth reading.
2016’s Best Small Cities in America
Excerpt:
Small-city dwellers enjoy tighter networks, shorter commutes and an abundance of land, just to name a few advantages. Granted, there are tradeoffs such as perhaps fewer restaurant options or shorter business hours. But one of the best perks of living in a city with a relatively smaller population is cheaper cost of living – generally speaking, that is. According to the Economic Policy Institute, a two-parent, two-child family would need to earn $49,114 a year “to secure an adequate but modest living standard” in Morristown, Tenn., compared with $106,493 in Washington.
So which small cities outshine the rest? WalletHub’s analysts compared 1,268 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 based on 30 key indicators of livability. They range from “housing costs” to “school-system quality” to “number of restaurants per capita.” Continue reading below for the winners of the top spots, expert commentary and a full description of our methodology.
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-small-cities-to-live-in/16581/
My comment: Check your city – mine was listed!! But, did not rate high on cost of living with a median home price of around $800,000… But, you can see the mayor at the grocery store to complain about potholes ;>
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Wells Fargo agrees to $50 million settlement over homeowner appraisal fees
Excerpt:
Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a racketeering lawsuit accusing it of overcharging hundreds of thousands of homeowners for appraisals ordered after they defaulted on their mortgage loans.
The proposed settlement, which requires court approval, was disclosed in a filing on Friday in an Oakland, California federal court. If approved, it will resolve nationwide claims that Wells Fargo charged much more than it paid for third-party appraisals, exploiting borrowers who could least afford it and driving them further into default.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-wellsfargo-settlement-idUSKBN12V27F