Why All Caps?

[Kevin Mc]

The use of all caps by some appraisers predates computers and (IMO) may be based on habits learned in military service. Back when typewriters were the norm, military personnel were trained to trained to handwrite using all-caps because it resulted in more legible handriting and eliminated capitalization errors from most people.

My guess it the licence number of the person who types in all caps is very low for your state. George is dead on. Caps means nothing. If the font size is obnoxious that is another story.

 

[Tim The Enchanter]

My employer said they want all caps.
I said OK, what do I care?

I hate small fonts though.

 

[Tom Woolford]

I plead guilty to all caps. It started back when I first started using computers. In my case it was a TRS 80, and an impact printer that did not handle pre printed forms very well. Changing printers did not help very much but I found that using all caps resulted in a report that was a lot more readable than a mixed case form. That was of course many years ago (24 +), but the habit is still there. It is obvious that it is possible for me to use upper and lower case, but when working in the form, to me it just seems more natural. My narrative is in mixed case, but the form itself is still upper case. I can live with it.

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Typing in all caps is, at best, very poor technique. When was the last time you received a business letter typed in all caps? When was the last time you read a book or even a tech manual typed in all caps? When was the last time you even saw a posting on this forum in all caps?

It means you don't know how to type! Typing in all caps is possibly only topped by not using a spell checker as a sign you are not a professional.

 

[Lloyd Bonafide]

I recently completed an FHA appraisal for a client that required 2 full appraisals for any of their FHA loans. In addition to the many mistakes in the report, as well as the fact that they used all MLS photos....they wrote the report in all capital letters.

That's weird - I did an FHA 2nd appraisal today, too. The first appraiser also typed all caps, and also used MLS pictures for comps, (a no-no for FHA), and the report was pretty mediocre. Just minor things like missing a recent sale of a model match directly across the street, missing two other excellent recent comps in the tract, and using two sales from about 1.5 miles away when there are 8 perfectly good recent comps right in the subject tract.

A lot of appraisers do type in all caps. I don't like it, and I don't like to read the report that way, but it's not a big deal.

 

[TC]

Like a lot of the "old guys", for the first 13 years in this business I had "the girl" type my reports. My guess is was just easier using the IBM Selectric to keep everything in CAPS. It wasn't until I typed my own reports that I stopped that practice. Some guys still do it out of habit, no doubt.

TC

 

[Jan Roseberry]

I typed in all caps because the reports I read when I sold real estate were in caps.

My first trip to an appraisal forum quickly corrected that habit! It's amazing what we learn on a forum, if we're honest with ourselves.

 

[Al Location]

I thought it was an "old guy dragged kicking and screaming into new technology" thing.

 

[Tom Woolford]

The funny thing is that the only ones I hear / read bit***ng about typing in caps is pompous appraisers. No one else cares.

 

[Al Location]

As opposed to humble, self-deprecating appraisers? The devil you say!