will FHA accept an MLS photo?

[Stone]

Since people seem to listen to George Hatch, I'll post something he wrote yesterday on page four of this thread: http://appraisersforum.com/showthread.php?t=137140

If an appraiser signs that cert they better have personally done everything they say they're doing or it is misleading, and nothing in USPAP allows that.

That applies here just as well.

 

[George Ellerman]

This includes all that is in the certification you sign as well as your own comments in the report. If you don't want to be faced with a long drive for a single picture, don't take orders a long way from home. :new_smile-l:

Couch Potato is right !
Quit moaning and groaning about taking pictures and simply refuse these assignments so far away !! You gotta take the subject and comp pictures so quit trying to find ways around it. I don't do appraisals 50 to 100 miles away because I don't like driving all over hell's half acre trying to get pictures. The price of gas and declining fee structures just don't make it worth it .

 

[Michigan CG]

You forgot to mention Northern California.

Sorry Greg...hope I didn't hurt your feelings.

A couple years ago for an eminent domain assignment in northern Iowa (2 1/2 hours from my home) a municipality was acquiring a corn field for a new city park.

This city required inspection and photographs of comparable properties in the contract. I had 8, 9 or 10 comps...don't remember. I could have just walked out of my front door and taken a couple different pictures of the corn field across the street and then a couple pictures down the road of soybean fields.

Instead I drove to that county, took pictures of the comps, made a few notes about the streets they were located on and labeled them Cornfield 1, or Soybean field 3.....8 hours of taking pictures of corn and soybeans including drive time.

 

[Greg Bell]

Man that's a lot on beans....Don't forget the ammo..

 

[Mr Rex]

Maybe Boyd should buy his Zones, then he'd have his comp photos:icon_idea:

 

[CANative]

I know what the drill is for FHA and any other intended user I accept an assignment for.

I was merely pointing out how ridiculous it is to disregard or disqualify sales just because you don't spend a few seconds looking at the driveway and taking a crappy picture.

The OP's report is probably just as good with or without the dated sale but he continues to get grief from a lot of posters on this thread. The sale still exists but everyone seems to think it can't be mentioned at all without a freaking picture.:Eyecrazy:

 

[Mr Rex]

Nah, not that serious:Eyecrazy: , but he agreed to do an FHA appraisal. FHA has requirements (as do the pre-printed certifications:icon_idea: ). I chose to try to follow the rules before I sign my name. YMMV.

Since when is Hopland a supporter of Skippyland?

 

[CANative]

Three comparable sales within 12 months of the effective date is the minimum. The job was done on Page 2 of the report.

So if I'm about ready to pull the trigger and send the report and decide to take one last peak at MLS and I find something I missed that looks good, just not as good as the first 3, should I:

Hold the presses and go back out on a special trip to get a picture in order to grid the sale on Page 4;

Just say screw it, they've already got their minimum;

Add a couple of lines in the sales comparison narrative describing this sale and stating it wasn't inspected from the street;

 

[Stone]

Three comparable sales within 12 months of the effective date is the minimum. The job was done on Page 2 of the report.

So if I'm about ready to pull the trigger and send the report and decide to take one last peak at MLS and I find something I missed that looks good, just not as good as the first 3, should I:

Hold the presses and go back out on a special trip to get a picture in order to grid the sale on Page 4;

Just say screw it, they've already got their minimum;

Add a couple of lines in the sales comparison narrative describing this sale and stating it wasn't inspected from the street;

Nothing wrong with the third option. I use "additional market evidence" all the time. Typically that involves properties I've been to but due to age or some other factor they aren't included in the sales grid.

But, if you put it in the grid, go see it because you are signing the report saying you did just that.

 

[CANative]

You seem to be missing Rex's point. Your certification says you personally inspected the comparables from the street. If you use an MLS photo, that doesn't mean it is ok to skip driving to the property.

FWIW - this is why so many are against using MLS photos at all. I don't agree with that, but I also don't agree with signing a certification that says I did something while not actually doing it.

Really read your pre-printed certs.

My ranting on the last few posts was inspired by the above post. You didn't seem to like my idea of removing the offending comp sale with no appraiser taken photo from the grid and commenting on it in a narrative section.