Street photo

[Atlanta CG]

What is the purpose of taking a street photo except to clearly depict the neighboring homes so the underwriter can understand the compatability of the subject to the others? Now, I have to drive 30 miles to take a street shot OF THE STREET to satisfy the underwriter. I told her that since the homes were set well back from the road, taking a street shot showing part of the asphalt would eliminate the homes from being viewed in the photo. Didn't care, the requirements were to show a street. If I were bold, I'd take a shot of my own street and put it in the report, but I know that that is unethical. Of courese, the real reason is that I fear getting caught. Everyone, take a shot of a street, so when this same underwriter asks for one you have it in your file. Just identify it as a "street shot" - never say "subject street shot".
madder than heck
John from Atlanta
go h...(our next VP?)

 

[Dale Smalley]

They are to see how many for sales signs on the street.

 

[Farm Gal]

Yup those street shots on big lots are right on up there with the pictures of vancant land....

Hubby did a review of one where he was standing there shooting the steet and got an odd feeling of deja vu...

Flipped to the original appraisals comps shots and conclusively 'proved' that the original appriaser turned 90 degrees 3 times and got all 4 compass directions (corner lot) :roll:

Didn't make a bit of difference to the otherwise well written and supported report, and had they not pulled a field review no one would have been the wiser... 8O

Yeah, I'm chicken too, I'd get 'caught' every time, even if it didn't make 'any difference'. :wink:

I'm sleeping well, even if running always late to get the REAL pictures

 

[slacker]

The purpose is to show that The Nuke Plant and Toxic Waste dump are not visible from at least one angle of the property.

http://www.appraiseillinois.com

 

[Dan Leggett]

In the days of yore, and even before yore, the purpose of the Street Scene photo was to show the subject with the properties on each side (worked real good in textbook neighborhoods!).

Somewhere along the line photos of the street asphalt started showing up and now most underwriters demand a shot of the asphalt, not the neighboring properties.

 

[airphoto]

Just take a picture of any paved road .. looking down, so that nuttin' shows but the asphalt and send it off to 'em ..

 

[John "Corky" Harry]

Couple of years ago, I had an assignment to do a 5 acre wooded lot with frontage on a lake. Middle of the summer, about 100 degrees and 100% humidity. Know the lake and surrounding land very well, well enough to know I wasn't going hiking that day. Sure enough, the underwriter's investor wanted a picture of the lake. The underwriter and I have a good relationship so I said "sure, no problem". My parents live on a lake. Ha! Ha! Ha!. Good reason to hang out with dad, drink a few ice cold beverages and take a beautiful picture of a lake. 8)

 

[Ben Vukicevich SRA]

Hey John,

I'm being bad here of course and not USPAP proper, but since there's nothing for her to see in the street scene, why not use the internet, save yourself a 30 mile trip, go to one of the free satellite sites and give her a street scene from "space." Zoom in on that block. That would show the homes set back from the street, right? And probably be more indicative of the neighborhood composition. Can underwriters comprehend aerial views????

I tried it on my house and I can see the pitcher's mound on the ballfield down the street-pretty good shot from space.

Anyone remember when FHA never required a street scene??

Ben

 

[Farm Gal]

OK Ben, I LIKE that idea: 8)

So, what's your favorite easy to use site?

(preferably one which won't get me sued for pasting the pretty picture off of it...)

 

[Ben Vukicevich SRA]

Lee Ann,

There's a couple of them. The one I use is www.yahoo.com Go to the maps section and plot your address. If there is an aerial photo a "tab" will come up behind the map. Click on the tab and the aerial photo will come up. Someone also posted on the tech forum awhile ago about another free site but I don't remember it because I use yahoo. Microsoft's terraserver rings a bell also.

Ben