Registered Sex Offenders

[Ed Woodruff SRA]

I was in a USPSP update class a while back, and the instructor said we should list the number of registered sex offenders in the neighborhood in the report, and it could be dangerous for us if we don't. I have never done this. He says people want to know these things when they buy a house. I say they rarely even see the appraisal until after the closing, when they've already bought the house, but moreso, whatever influence the sex offender has on the subject, it has on all the compared sales.

This lead to heated debate in the classroom. What will it do here?

 

[Wendy]

Item #3 from my scope of work:

"3) Observe neighborhood for typical land use and/or positive or negative influences. Note: report does not consider nor identify either school zoning or the proximity of potential criminal persons. These are changeable external factors and as such, cannot be considered in this valuation."

As for the impact of local sex offenders on compared sales... How do you confirm that the buyer knew about the offender?

 

[Bobby Bucks]

Here is how I address it.

The federal government enacted legislation referred to as Megan’s Law, which encourages states to disclose to the public the whereabouts of convicted child molesters within the community. These individuals, and other convicted criminals who may be in the area, may be transient and therefore the situation changes periodically. While the appraiser has no knowledge of any offenders residing nearby the subject property, the scope of this assignment did not include any investigation into this matter. The client and borrower are advised to consult with local law enforcement officials about this issue. The appraiser assumes no responsibility for any issues related to Megan’s Law or other issues surrounding convicted criminals that may reside in the area.

 

[Proactive]

From my site comments...

No apparent adverse site conditions or external factors including easements, encroachments, environmental conditions or land uses negatively affecting the subject's market value are readily observable. The appraiser has not researched public records for recorded easements and has made no attempt to make discovery of adverse neighborhood influences such as, but not limited to, criminal activity, methamphetamine labs, registered sex offenders, and the like.

 

[Randy Beigh]

I have said this before. It is best if appraiser's do not go in this direction. It will only open the door to lawsuits.

An example from my own neighborhood that I posted on another thread.

The sites that list these people are not always right. When I went to the site, it showed no sex offenders withing a 1/2 mile radius of my home. The problem was the next day after going to that site, somebody distributed posters throughout my neighborhood of a guy that lives less than 2 blocks from me. To have put in the appraisal that there none would have been misleading with a potential lawsuit.

The other reason to avoid this is reality. There are 500,000 registered sex offenders in this country and they have lost track of 100,000 of them. The authorities only the show last known address which could be in the neighborhood that you are appraising. To state that there are known sex offenders in the neighborhood when they may have moved on, will only open the appraiser up to another lawsuit.

There is the real possibility that there is to much disclosure taking place. There are some areas we should avoid at all costs. Wendy's wording above is reasonable.

 

[Willie]

Originally posted by Ed Woodruff, MSA@Dec 2 2005, 09:48 AM

""""I was in a USPSP update class a while back, and the instructor said we should list the number of registered sex offenders in the neighborhood in the report, and it could be dangerous for us if we don't."""

There is an idiot teacher.

"""I have never done this. He says people want to know these things when they buy a house. """

Then their inept *** ought to look it up themselves.

"""I say they rarely even see the appraisal until after the closing, when they've already bought the house, but moreso, whatever influence the sex offender has on the subject, it has on all the compared sales.

This lead to heated debate in the classroom. What will it do here?""""


Your instructor is an idiot. The comps, if in the neighborhood all have the same issue, of being proximate to the offender, sex, drug, whatever.

Did you ask him if women sex offenders improve the neighborhood values? The would in my neighborhood.

Good grief.

 

[Mountain Man]

the scope of this assignment did not include any investigation into this matter. The client and borrower are advised to consult with local law enforcement officials about this issue.

Ditto to Bucks here... the registry is public information. Being public information, it's the buyers responsibility to exercise due diligence. Due diligence cases have been brought before GA courts many times, and always have been shot down.

 

[The Warrior Monk]

I look at it this way. Does the typical buyer do this type of research? I'd say close to never. If the buyer is unaware of it then it's not going to impact value.

One exception I could see is if a high-profile criminal is located next door. Everyone's would them know about it, and it will likely affect marketability.

 

[Mike Seward]

Here's what I do:

"It is outside the scope of this assignment to search for potentially adverse influences such as registered sex offenders, intermediate rehab facilities, aka halfway houses, meth. labs or criminal activity. Therefore, I did not research them."

 

[Annemieke Roell]

Seems to me that the buyers need to do their own research. Next thing you know they would want us to rate the schools for them