Drawing floorplan

[Debra]

Hello again!

When drawing the floorplan do you always draw the doors, walls, bathtubs, sinks and everything in detail or is it o.k. just to do the outline to scale and then write BR(Bedroom) or whatever where the room is? I'm asking because I did see it done that way by another appraiser one time and hope that it is acceptable. I may want to do it that way on the property that I'm going to tomorrow. It is suppose to be the biggest home in the county that it is in...Thanks for all the help! This property is also the reason that I asked the basement question earlier. Thanks! :wink: Debra

 

[Dee Dee]

Debra,
I don't mean to sound as if I'm questioning your abilities, but it seems odd that a person who would be considered capable enough to appraise the largest home in the county wouldn't have a mentor to advise how to draw it for the report. Is your mentor going to be there?
I'm very concerned for you...the questions that you have been asking are all good ones, but if you're being cut loose to do such big jobs without supervision then something is terribly wrong.

Dee Dee

 

[David S. Roberson]

I agree with Dee Dee. These do seem to be pretty basic questions. Are you a trainee? If so, your supervisory appraiser needs to be more involved in these things. If not, wow.

 

[rtubbs]

Debra, don't sweat the small stuff. There is no requirement to draw doors, windows, bath fixtures, etc. You're only waisting valuable time that could more wisely be spent on the larger stuff. Just label the rooms. Ocassionally, it might be necessary to draw interior walls if there is a functional problem. All the interior features makes for a pretty sketch but doesn't amount to a hill of beans as far as the appraisal goes.

 

[Oregon Doug]

Debra - as a matter of course, I always include an approximate schematic of the floor plan although it's not a requirement. It takes only a short amount of time and I believe that it helps your client visualize the property. I do not include the sinks, appliances or even closets for that matter.

Keep asking questions and you will get answers but I have to agree with Dee Dee on this.

Oregon Doug

 

[Debra]

Hello

I read these replies earlier and it threw me...but...it just it just hit me that maybe I should explain a little instead of just throwing questions out. Maybe it sounded as if I had never drawn a floorplan. I have drawn hundreds of floorplans, sketches, whatever you want to call them. It's just that I always drew them like my sponser taught me in great detail and just wanted to know if that was required or not. Maybe I should just do things the way that I was taught and not question anything...thanks.

 

[rtubbs]

Debra, you did the right thing in asking the question. You never know how other folks do things without asking. Don't worry about how someone might respond. Hey, it's late and everyone should be crabby by this hour of the night. Keep it up.

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Debra,

I have to say that I agree with ALL the previous posts here. DO NOT stop asking questions!!!!! But, I am concerned about about how long you've been an appraiser and what your supervisor did or is doing about your training. I had a pretty bad first supervisor and did most of my learning from the books. Wish I'd had this forum back then!

Regarding this question, we had this one on the old forum and found that experienced appraisers across the country do it different ways. Personally, I do the footprint of the building with the different areas of space broken down to GLA, garage, porches, patios, non GLA or garage storage, detached building that would be considered in the value (sheds not attached to a foundation are not counted). I then sometimes put in the exterior doors and always show the names of the individual rooms where they are located. The main rooms are never abbreviated and the small stuff is abbreviated when necessary; such as: Laundry Room is Lndry Rm, Fireplace is FP when it fits inside the box I make for it, CL for a closet when I do put it in which is not very often, etc.

Don't get ruffled here.... keep on asking!!!!

 

[Ken in Arkansas]

I was very fortunate to have an MAI as one of my early mentors. One thing he taught me was to provide a detailed floor plan sketch with every appraisal.

Yeah - that takes time, but there are benefits. Remember that one of the purposes of an appraisal report is to lead the reader to understand and accept the reasoning that went into development of the appraisal. What better way than to provide the reader (and also the reviewer!) with the dwelling layout, even inlcuding windows and doors.

But more importantly, in order to provide that reader with a floor plan sketch I have to take time inspecting the property in order to do a complete field sketch. I have thanked my lucky stars many times that in standing in a room long enough to complete my field sketch that I have noted something significant on second glance that I did not notice when I first entered the room. For instance I entered a bedroom once, observed, and started to measure and sketch the room noting the location of doors and windows. Only by taking time to do this did I happen to notice that the "wall to wall" carpeting only extended slightly under the edge of the bed and the the edge of the dresser (decking-grade plywood underneath)!

Sure, a perimeter sketch with dimensions is generally all that FNMA requires. It does require additional time and effort on my part, but I believe that the reader tends to place a higher level of confidence in a report that has a detailed sketch versus one that merely has a box with numbers on it.

 

[Ken in Arkansas]

I was very fortunate to have an MAI as one of my early mentors. One thing he taught me was to provide a detailed floor plan sketch with every appraisal.

Yeah - that takes time, but there are benefits. Remember that one of the purposes of an appraisal report is to lead the reader to understand and accept the reasoning that went into development of the appraisal. What better way than to provide the reader (and also the reviewer!) with the dwelling layout, even inlcuding windows and doors.

But more importantly, in order to provide that reader with a floor plan sketch I have to take time inspecting the property in order to do a complete field sketch. I have thanked my lucky stars many times that in standing in a room long enough to complete my field sketch that I have noted something significant on second glance that I did not notice when I first entered the room. For instance I entered a bedroom once, observed, and started to measure and sketch the room noting the location of doors and windows. Only by taking time to do this did I happen to notice that the "wall to wall" carpeting only extended slightly under the edge of the bed and the the edge of the dresser (decking-grade plywood underneath)!

Sure, a perimeter sketch with dimensions is generally all that FNMA requires. It does require additional time and effort on my part, but I believe that the reader tends to place a higher level of confidence in a report that has a detailed sketch versus one that merely has a box with numbers on it.