My comment: Very interesting article with good photos plus some info on castles in Europe for comparison. FYI – article is in the New York Times, which only allows a few free articles before requiring a subscription.
My comments: Lots of good ideas. Very well written with good analysis and excellent use of graphs and annotated maps. I regularly go back in the past for comps and analysis. Making market conditions adjustments is very easy. I also use percent adjustments, which tend to be stable over time.
My comment: Percent of value varies widely. Of course, the total dollar amounts vary even more! I love data!!
HUD Fraud Alert: Appraiser Identity Theft
My comment: Read the bulletin for more info. There was a lot of this reported when trainees were used in the last boom. All the appraisers were sentenced to 3-5 years in prison.
11 Secret Spaces Hiding in Famous Places
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.
Why It’s Impossible to Know a Coastline’s True Length
Measuring around bodies of water is a mathematically impossible
Excerpt:
Imagine, for a moment, that you and your friend have been given a seemingly straightforward task: to measure the coastline of Puget Sound, in Washington State. Resources are tight, so you’ve got a yardstick, while your friend has a foot-long ruler. You each walk along, laying your measuring stick along the edge of the water, following the the ins and outs of the shore as best you can. When you’re finished, you compare notes-and you’re shocked. While you ended up with a respectable 3,000 miles, your friend and his foot-long got a way higher number, somewhere around 4,500 miles.
You guys aren’t crazy. You’re victims of the coastline paradox, a tricky mathematical principle that messes with cartographers, stymies government bureaus, and makes it impossible to know exactly how big our world truly is.
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-its-impossible-to-know-a-coastlines-true-length
My comment: Fascinating article!! Looking at the Big Picture. All appraisers take measurements. It seems so easy… most of the time…
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Webinar Title: NEW
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FHA Appraisal Essentials – An In-Depth Look
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Date/Time:
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Pre-recorded: September 14, 2016 / Duration: 115 minutes
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Registration Link:
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Description:
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This pre-recorded webinar provides an in-depth look at a variety of property appraisal topics such as: property acceptability criteria; minimum property requirements; property defects; appraiser responsibilities and requirements; and, much more. The webinar is targeted primarily to FHA roster appraisers, underwriters, processors, and other appropriate mortgagee staff involved with the appraisal review and mortgage approval process.
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Special Instructions:
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This webinar is now available 24/7 for viewing.
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NOTE ON LINK: it looks like you are registering for the September live session. Just fill it out and a link to the webinar will appear.
Donation Fundraising for Louisiana Appraisers
Thanks (again) to Dave Towne for this info!!
Excerpt:
The Louisiana Real Estate Appraisers Coalition (LAREAC) has started a fund raising campaign using PayPal, which will be used to equally provide donated funds to affected appraisers who are suffering as a result of the massive flooding last weekend. PayPal is being used because its administrative fee is less than another more-well-known crowd funding web site.
There are approximately 8-10 presently known appraisers who have had their homes nearly destroyed in the flood.
http://appraisersblogs.com/donation-disaster-louisiana-appraisers
My comment: last week I wrote about donations to Bill Cobb, whose house was flooded. It is great that this donation method is done also.
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8 Colorful Cities that Look Like They Were Designed by Crayola
See the world in a whole new light through these vibrant locales.
Just for Fun!!!
Excerpt:
Many cities are known for their distinctive profiles and unique landmarks, but all across the globe there are regions that are landmarks in and of themselves thanks to their insane colorations. From a all-blue town in Spain that is a leftover from a Smurf marketing stunt, to a Venetian island that looks as though it was born of an intense acid trip, some of the most colorful locations in the world aren’t the biggest, just the most eye-popping. Check out eight cities and towns that offer vibrantly colorful views which are just as unforgettable as any big city skyline.
My comment: None are in the U.S. Too conservative I guess…
Great article with lots of photos and comments!!
http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/8-colorful-cities-that-look-like-they-were-designed-by-crayola
8 Spooky New York Places That Should Be in the New Ghostbusters Movie
There’s something strange in these neighborhoods.
Excerpt: Here is one, but you gotta see the photos and the other 7!!
The Morris-Jumel Mansion
On a hill overlooking the Harlem River, the stately Morris-Jumel mansion is not only Manhattan’s oldest home but supposedly one of its most haunted. Its macabre history started after owner Stephen Jumel died in 1832. His wife Eliza was rumored to have had a hand in the death-there was some suspicion afoot that she orchestrated the carriage accident that killed him….
Take a break from typing appraisal reports and check it out!!
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The Shrinking of the American Lawn
As houses have gotten bigger, yard sizes have receded. What gives?
Excerpts:
The American house is growing. These days, the average new home encompasses 2,500 square feet, about 50 percent more area than the average house in the late 1970s, according to Census data. Compared to the typical house of 40 years ago, today’s likely has another bathroom and an extra bedroom, making it about the same size as the Brady Bunch house, which famously fit two families.
This expansion has come at a cost: the American lawn.
As homes have grown larger, the lots they’re built on have actually gotten smaller-average area is down 13 percent since 1978, to 0.19 acres. That might not seem like a lot, but after adjusting for houses’ bigger footprints, it appears the median yard has shrunk by more than 26 percent, and now stands at just 0.14 acres. The actual value lies somewhere between those two numbers, since a house’s square footage could include a second (or third) floor. Either way, it’s a substantial reduction.
Read the full story at: Very interesting!!
http://www.citylab.com/navigator/2016/07/the-shrinking-of-the-american-lawn/490157/
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There Go My Brackets
From the Illinois Appraiser June 2016
Excerpt:
Is it a USPAP violation to fail to bracket or end up with a tight bracket?
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There Go My Brackets
