Using The Assessor Sketch Instead

[Michigan CG]

What happens when the other person who measured had a bad day and fudged the sketch.

Or doesn't know how to sketch.

In one of the townships I often work in the sketches were always very good and spot on. This spring I did a new construction property and all my comps were new construction. Two of the sketches were very wrong. The township hired a pastor to sketch part time and didn't teach him correctly. He was off by 900 SF on one of them.

If we come to the point we are too lazy to sketch a house it is most likely time to find a new job.

 

[gregb]

The sketch is an administrative chore that means little in the overall creation of an appraisal in the majority. That is not to say the inspection of the subject is a mere sideline that should be offloaded to a third party untrained tape reader of the dumb end.

 

[Doug Wegener]

Or doesn't know how to sketch.

In one of the townships I often work in the sketches were always very good and spot on. This spring I did a new construction property and all my comps were new construction. Two of the sketches were very wrong. The township hired a pastor to sketch part time and didn't teach him correctly. He was off by 900 SF on one of them.

If we come to the point we are too lazy to sketch a house it is most likely time to find a new job.

I am telling God.

 

[Renee Healion]

Most often I just use blank paper and draw it. Cannot quite get on the sketch on phone or tablet plan. When I started out we had just had a huge drop in values. People were in equity shock, and so anxious during inspections. They would watch my eyes to see what I looked at, and try to read what I was writing. So my sketch and notes (I sometimes rotate the clipboard to add a special note) was originally designed to be cryptic without being rude but it long since stuck as a habit. Occasionally, I will look at a place by myself and just adjust/notate over an assessor sketch, like FC said. Not if anyone is looking.

People pay attention. I include in my boilerplate that I measured using a laser device. The reason is when some people do not see a tape, they think the appraiser did not measure. It happened as recently as last month. At an inspection for a relo assignment, the wife and I were talking about measuring as she watched me use the Disto, when the husband appeared and asked if I was going to measure.

 

[Bob Ipock]

Commercial appraisals often have the broker's GBA and sketch. No big deal that the appraiser did not measure improvements, its disclosed by the appraiser what the GBA is based on.

No big deal for you....fine with me. BIG deal for me, just part of doing a through job. Seen too many bad sketches. My name is on the line and likely many appraisers and brokers will depend on my measurements when they use it as a comp.

 

[Rick Stillman]

Three minutes of doing your own sketch is worth it should someday you have to defend a report involved in a buy-back; using the assessor records in that report, should they be wrong would sink your ship.

Three minutes?

That doesn't cut it for me.

 

[miktay]

In my large county, if the assessors sketch is correct, or anywhere near correct, I go buy a lottery ticket.
It is SO rare for a sketch to be close to accurate, in my market.

 

[gregb]

No big deal for you....fine with me. BIG deal for me, just part of doing a through job. Seen too many bad sketches. My name is on the line and likely many appraisers and brokers will depend on my measurements when they use it as a comp.

Last time i was reviewed my michelango rated sketch was overlooked with the focus on comp selection, analysis and attention to details. Forget about the carsinthegarage sketch attributes, fooling no one.

 

[Rick Stillman]

Last time i was reviewed my michelango rated sketch was overlooked with the focus on comp selection, analysis and attention to details. Forget about the carsinthegarage sketch attributes, fooling no one.

Wrong. You fooled me!

 

[gregb]

Wrong. You fooled me!

Rickey, your point is good, but can you tell me, not from your superb marketing perspective, but what is it in your appraisals that a client is willing to pay above market for in your product?