Can anyone provide a sample/example of narrative report?

[George Hatch]

Here is my basic Set-Up - AKA Skeleton

Caution: You have to add the Prior services in the Certification Page - Thats easy to do, its just not on this skeleton

Also if you omit an approach to value all you have to do is not print that page.

I probably need to clean this up, but I will wait for the Nit Pickers to point it out...believe me they will LMAO

I think that's a good layout. You might have a couple extra pages you don't actually need but they're not hurting anything.

What's interesting about these forms is that they're not laden with some of the appraiser-hostile things that Fannie loaded into their forms, so you don't have holes and booby traps to "clarify". These start out as the utilitarian pickup truck, as opposed to the Fannie forms which remind me of a VW Beetle with half of the chrome accessory aisle at Pep Boys bolted onto it.

 

[Carnivore]

I think that's a good layout. You might have a couple extra pages you don't actually need but they're not hurting anything.

What's interesting about these forms is that they're not laden with some of the appraiser-hostile things that Fannie loaded into their forms, so you don't have holes and booby traps to "clarify". These start out as the utilitarian pickup truck, as opposed to the Fannie forms which remind me of a VW Beetle with half of the chrome accessory aisle at Pep Boys bolted onto it.

I follow you now on the extra pages. Somewhat redundant. I read back through Standard 2, specifically 2-2 and I see what you mean - You can't get more prominently displayed when its at the top of Page 2 of your report. It immediately follows the Certifications and Limitations. FTR, I really like the Cert & Limitations upfront, not buried within or at the end of the Report; FNMA series

The 2nd extra page was more for the benefit of the Client AKA 'Civilian'. My thoughts went to this day and age of everyone seems to know more about you than you do yourself. This was to let them know that I respect their Privacy. Simply I won't be a part of the Google Cookie Eating Monster Practices of Corporate America. Redundant, Overly Cautious, yes I am guilty.

Thanks for your Input. as usual your spot on with your comments at this forum.

 

[Joe Flacco]

Rather than full blown narrative (self contained) reports for non-lender users probably better to tailor a product to their needs. Understand what is required by USPAP and then you can offer a range of products from 1 page appraisal reports to self-contained if that is what they want.

You don't need to write self contained reports to up your report writing game. You can take lender appraisals and write up a good narrative section. I think the hardest part about upping the report writing game is just getting in the habit of doing it on a regular basis. Once you get in the habit of trying to write detailed commentary it just becomes natural after time. Doesn't really take too much additional time to write up detailed commentary.

 

[Joe Flacco]

Need to up the analysis game too. Goes hand in hand with upping the report writing game since what you analyze and observe is what you report.

 

[Joe Flacco]

Appraisers like to say appraisal is part science and part art. I think there have been some debates about that. I remember some on here saying it is art and DeSaix saying that his opinion is that it is science. I didn't have much of a opinion on it at the time but after 13 year involved in appraisal I think the analysis, development is science while the reporting, communication is art.

 

[George Hatch]

One reason I don't actually hand out templates or boilerplate is because some appraisers just copy/paste them on the fire-n-forget basis instead of using them as a foundation that is always subject to modification to fit the situation at hand.

You learn more thoroughly what you're saying by writing your own, or at least typing it in with your own hand so that you're familiar with the areas that might need to be changed depending on circumstances.

I've had the unpleasant experience of reviewing appraisal reports where the appraiser just mindlessly copy/paste the boilerplate I had handed out for appraisers to use and then proceeded to do something different than they were saying. That's why I don't do that anymore.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I've had the unpleasant experience of reviewing appraisal reports where the appraiser just mindlessly copy/paste the boilerplate

I remember a narrative of a poultry farm where there was a comment that a convenience store was located across the street... we were about 10 miles from the nearest town. The same appraiser liked to boast how badass he was when reviewing for Fannie Mae. But he got sanctioned for doing a final that wasn't done but he said it was. Then he screwed up a commercial and the state limited him to residential work. He didn't renew his license. Good riddence.

 

[RCA]

One reason I don't actually hand out templates or boilerplate is because some appraisers just copy/paste them on the fire-n-forget basis instead of using them as a foundation that is always subject to modification to fit the situation at hand.

You learn more thoroughly what you're saying by writing your own, or at least typing it in with your own hand so that you're familiar with the areas that might need to be changed depending on circumstances.

I've had the unpleasant experience of reviewing appraisal reports where the appraiser just mindlessly copy/paste the boilerplate I had handed out for appraisers to use and then proceeded to do something different than they were saying. That's why I don't do that anymore.

The worst for plagiarism and copying are AMCs - you know the anonymous ones that have offices in 3+ cities and yet don't seem to be run by anybody by name. They create a big web presence by spinning out posts and webpages gleaned from AppraisersForum.com and who knows what other sources. I like this one, at least my name is in the URL:

Comment on Persistent Appraisal Failures: Part 1 by William Bert Craytor | Equity Solutions

The GSEs have never gotten any of this right. Neither their previous relative nor the current fixed Q1-Q6 quality or C1-C6 condition standards work. You need RELATIVE percentage 00%-99% property ratings for the subject and all market area sales transactions. You can develop these ratings quite...

www.esusa.net

- But apparently written by some cute looking gal "Lindsay" and sourced to Working RE Magazine. - Thanks to Google, -- but no thanks --

 

[George Hatch]

Don't get me wrong - I wasn't referring to plagarism. I openly shared the material on the forum in order to help people out. I just expected them to use the material more effectively by fitting it to each assignment as necessary and was disappointed to discover some of them weren't doing that. That miscalculation is on me.

I don't care about attribution. If I post it online anywhere then I encourage people to use all or part as they see fit. I usually try to keep my name off of things I write for other people. I tried to do that with the article Working RE just sent out on blast a few days back but they insisted. They wanted me to give them a bio, which I declined to do so that's why there no additional info besides name, rank and serial number. And no pics. There are no pics of me on the internet.

 

[tagboEkwueme]

...
I don't care about attribution. If I post it online anywhere then I encourage people to use all or part as they see fit. I usually try to keep my name off of things I write for other people. I tried to do that with the article Working RE just sent out on blast a few days back but they insisted. They wanted me to give them a bio, which I declined to do so that's why there no additional info besides name, rank and serial number. And no pics. There are no pics of me on the internet.

No pics at all?
That's some impressive dedication in this day and age!