some of you must not be familiar with converting residential to commercial, or commercial to residential. most cities have the same type zoning codes. if they got permits, and you better check that, then the property is going to lose it's commercial usage, because they now got new permit to change the unit zoning to residential. i know, it may not show up in 'public' records. our big city, it don't show up ever. but once changed to residential use, they would have to get it rezoned back to commercial usage if they wanted that again. this is based on actually getting the permits to change it to residential usage. so your residential appraisal is subject to having the 'city permits' to make it a residential unit.
if no permit was gotten, then the zoning is still commercial, being used as residential.
how many big city corner properties are now residential, or multi family, when they were first built to have neighborhood stores. mostly all of them, and the zoning is now residential, not mixed use.
yes, people can play any games they want with their properties. but that is why you have to see the l&i permits as to what they are doing to it, and what l&i is calling it now.