Driveway Too Steep

[CANative]

I did a proposed MH construction appraisal for an FHA loan about a year ago. It took them a long time to build but the finally just finished. They built a detached garage which was not in the P&S. The idiot client wanted me to just change the report to include that garage. I told them no, but I'd do another appraisal. They relented.

I just got back from there. They did not finish the driveway per plans. The grade is way too steep and they only put a concrete apron at the street. The rest is gravel. I couldn't get my car up there. There's cars were all up at the top but they are 4x4 trucks, jeeps and SUV's.

I don't know that this consitutes a VC and there's not enough sales data to determine if there would be a market rreaction to make an adjustment for. But it's seems to be common sense that if a buyer wanted that property he'd have to get a special vehicle.

I was thinking of describing the situation and making a WAG downward adjsutment for cost of finishing the driveway. The cost is not a WAG because I can figure that out, just the market reaction is a guess.

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Appraisal fee to equal the cost of a 4 X 4 for appraiser to get to property?

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Did you try driving further up the hill/mountain and coming down from above?


Do they have a winch installed for pulling vehicles up the drive?

Just think of the gasoline savings. They could roll out of the garage and not have to start the vehicle for a couple of miles until they lost momentum. How would you adjust for that?

Am I helping any?

 

[CANative]

Originally posted by Tim Hicks (Texas)@May 22 2005, 12:21 AM
Am I helping any?

No less than usual.

 

[Randolph Kinney]

How about calling it deferred maintenance since you don't have a market reaction for it and then giving a cost to cure?

On the WAG side, take 50% of the cost to cure for the adjustment on the grid and call it inferior condition.

 

[David S. Roberson]

An adjustment for curable Functional Depreciation based on the cost to cure.

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

It's FHA.

 

[Nancy Wyatt]

Greg-

I'm not saying that it isn't, but the driveway does not look as if there is an access problem the photo. (?????)

Am I missing something? I've had some trouble getting up some here in the CO mountains.

Did you forget to hook the car up to the winch at the top of the drive?

 

[CANative]

Look at the skid marks where the concrete ends and the gravel begins. The photo may not show how steep it is.

One of the problems is that there is a somewhat severe culvert where the concrete meets the asphalt street and then rises sharply. You have to approach slowly and can't get any speed when entering so when you hit the gravel the tires just spin (this car has front wheel drive and isn't a particularly good "rural appraiser" car. I'm shopping for a late model jeep or pathfinder.)

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Call the HOC, they should have an answer for you in 2-3 months. Or, you can call them once this week and then every week after until you get the person with the answer you want.

The drive does not look that steep. What are you driving a 1975 Toyota Celica with 12 Hp?