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Is a GPS device usefull in Appraising?

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Joined
Jan 15, 2002
Professional Status
Certified Residential Appraiser
State
Florida
A recent Appraisal Buzz has an interview with John Cirincione, who, among other things, is on the AI's Real Estate Information Committee.

His thesis is that with DeLorme's Earthamate, a LapTop Computer, and a GPS, an appraiser can drive to the comps quicker and easier. To have all this equipment in the car sounds awkard and impractical.

Has anyone tried this? Has it proven to be practical?

We all know that a GPS can tell you where you are, but how could it possibly show you how to get to an address (unless you had the the USGS Coordinates for that address) There must be another element involved that he did not mention: perhaps a street finder program such as Microsofts's Streets and Trips.



Thomas N. Morgan
State-Certified Residential Appraiser 000052
Ocala, FL
 
I would not find it particularly helpful as I usually know where I am going in the first place. On the other hand....I have a sub who can't remember to tie his shoes. Sent him to Cherokee Co., OK and he remarked he had never been there. I said, "yes, you and I went there last year." He denied it but came back, saying, 'yeah, I remember now. We did go there." Geez, how much weed did you smoke in college??

ter
 
I am with Terrell. I wouldn't use it for work, play... yes (gotta remember the best fishing holes). Our MLS gives maps and great directions; some of the counties have online tax records. So much for the old excuse of checking out demographics. :mrgreen:

Rode around with my brother-in-law last weekend. He has a nice new Chevy with OnStar. Really neat, it can tell you where you are, how to get there, but the only thing he has done with it so far is just log on to hear the sexy voice. :lol:
 
Terrel

perhaps this young fellow is a resmblance of a twice baked potatoe :lol: or rhode in the back of wet willie's truck :wink: one to many times :lol: :lol: floatin around the open lands with nature at your feet, did you keep an eye on him the last time you were out there 8O

8)
 
How can you claim to be familiar with the neighborhood if you need GPS to find it?
 
How can you claim to be familiar with the neighborhood if you need GPS to find it?


Good one !

Being cynical and sarcastic I bit my tongue trying not to response
as you did...........competency provision of USPAP comes to mind.

Thanks for the chuckle.

On serious note, I often wonder how appraisers in rural areas deal with
finding properties with only a rural route box # on the side of the road, and a half-mile drive down the driveway to front door, not to mention comps being 20 miles apart. Thank God I work in high density urban area, where I still have problems finding properties.
 
As a rural appraiser in an area without addresses, you find all the maps possible--like USGA maps, assessor's maps, aerial photos, county road maps, flood maps, hand drawn maps, notes to myself, etc, etc, etc. Lots of conversations and knocking doors with neighbors and strangers walking down the road. My smaller county assigned addresses to everything for future 911 purposes, however after they got done, the property owners and cities decided they didn't like the county's assigments, so they created their own. But previous numbers remain on houses that don't match anything of record. And the mail boxes are in groups out on the main highway. The terrain is very mountainous, twisting roads, roads cross and follow gullies, washes, etc. There is one home I have needed to take a photo of for two years because it has been an active listing. Its one mile west of a paved highway, however to get there I have to drive 15 miles south on the paved highway, 5 miles west on another paved highway and then 18 miles north on a primitive dirt road (not graded or graveled) across state and federal land. Have thought of waiting for the river to become almost dry and just wade across but haven't gotten that desparrate for the photo yet. Most important maps are the USGS and flood maps since they are based on aerial photos (however they are 20-40 years old). And appraisal management companies can't figure out why I don't have a 24 hour turn around time or willing to do an appraisal cheap. Last years photos and five year old records are essential!
 
My husband and I own a business that sells and installs various bells and whistles for vehicles, including different types of GPS systems.
Our observation has been that most people who have them don't use them as often as they think they will in their private vehicles. They're little more than an expensive toy that rarely pays for itself in real life, particularly when it comes to giving directions.
GPS systems are great for fleet management or keeping a leash on your teenagers. There are systems other than On Star that allow you to use your PC to monitor where your vehicles are at any given time, as well as start times, stop times and vehicle speeds.
 
Thomas it’s good to see you again. Let me share a GPS incident that happened to a buddy of mine in Lake Okeechobee several years ago. They were duck hunting in one of those swamp buggies....you know the kind with a snorkel for the carburetor etc. that look like Road Warrior vehicles?....... one of the group had a GPS instrument back when they first were available to the public....mucho dollars back then. Long story short, they started out on the east side of the lake and ended up close to Port Saint Lucie.....before the day was over their Miami hunting guests were a miserable lot to say the least......and like a true Floridian, he admitted nothing and backtracked his way to civilization. :-) BTW, have you ever run across any appraisal data for a reptile farm? I’ve
always been curious about how profitable those are.
 
Jo Ann:

Thanks for the vivid description, I tried to imagine myself taking your
place, that's some journey. Arizona is a beautiful state, but I'll take my chances in this urban jungle of concrete and asphalt. We have +125,000 properties jammed into a 64 square mile Island (not without it's own set of problems), but nothing like you described. I couldn't do it.

Joe
 
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