Using The Assessor Sketch Instead

[Mike Garrett RAA]

I get the assessor's sketch and copy it on to my inspection sheet. Then I verify the measurements during my field inspection. 9 out of 10 times it's correct. On many assignments I have the builder's marketing brochure floor plan and include that along with the assessor's sketch which also includes how the GLA is determined. IN MY COUNTY the builder's provide the plans to the assessor so, most of the time...it's correct.

One other point to consider...if you do get reviewed the reviewer will almost always check the public record and consider it correct when it comes to determining the square footage. Just remember, regardless who does the sketch, you are responsible for what you put in your appraisal report.

Who can do a sketch in 3 minutes? Not me! It takes me, on average, at least 30 minutes to sketch a typical 2 story with basement level. Ranchers are a little quicker. Then there are those really complicated sketches. Could be an hour or even more not to mention the time it takes to measure those properties. In years past I hired someone to take my notes with field measurements and do a final sketch that appears in the appraisal. Paid him $10 a sketch and those were hand drawn. That was back when I was doing 5 to 10 assignments a week. These days I do 3 a week and those are all VA appraisals.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

I think if an appraiser is doing an on-site inspection, they should provide their own sketch.

If the client doesn't care I just measure and confirm...only if different would I do change the dimensions. But I do my own sketch.

 

[Rick Stillman]

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?

More and better. I always put in four sold comps and two under contract, or one or two active if I can't find under contract. I put in more maps, more photos, more commentary, solid support, and more analysis, such as a 12 month market trend graph of *comparable* sales - not just sales. Detailed analysis of days on market range, with the average stated - seller concessions range, with the mean stated. Floor plan that is actually a floor plan - not an empty box.

So you see - like I said - a lot more, and a lot better.

Now who would pay for that? Denver is an upscale market, as I imagine your market (California) is as well. I sell my *service* and *skill* to upscale clients. The ones dealing with the very nice properties. There ARE people that DO want the best talent they can find - not just the cheapest. For many jobs I name my price, and I also explain that they might be able to find someone to do the job for a lot less than I charge, but they won't be getting the first class complete package. I tell them the truth, and they decide. Most go with higher quality, but some do go for the cheaper alternative save a couple hundred bucks choice instead.

At the end of the day, there are more than 5,000 sales a month in Denver, every month. Talk about opportunity! I focus on the high end properties that pay well.

Let's take selling (instead of appraising) as a perfect example. The broker that sells a $900,000 property is going to make triple the fee of a broker that sells a $300,000 property, if they work on a percentage commission. So why do brokers choose to sell the low end properties. Well, they don't. The SELLER refuses to work with them, because they just don't have the expertise to work in the high end market - for the sake of this discussion, at least. The Lexus sales guy is going to make more than the sales guy selling for "Duke's Drive Em Today Used Car Lot." Why doesn't Luke at Duke's work for Lexus then? Because he can't. He doesn't have the sales skills.

Choose your market. I only have a certain amount that I can sell - my time. I can only do so much in a week or month. I choose to associate with the high end of the market. The benefits are many times more, for almost the same amount of time, more or less.

There will always be a demand for quality. McDonalds will never take over the food business. Duke's will never put the Lexus dealership out of business.

Ready for the twist on this story? I don't appraise to appraise. I appraise to have an in to the market so I know what's going on and who is doing what. I am aligning myself with custom builders to analyze the market AND find them sites to build their custom homes. And this is paying a lot more than appraising. But appraising opens, or I should say "identifies" the opportunities. Somebody is going to do this work - and since I'm very qualified to do it, it might as well be me! Right? Hmmmmmmm.

I asked myself a long time ago what it was I loved about appraising. It was everything about the business, minus the appraising part. This is a great business to be in. Learn how to work things like that and you will be in the drivers seat loving life. That's the plan anyway.

 

[Mr Rex]

Go for it. Why not just use the tax assessors value as well just imagine all the time it would save.

 

[Evincere]

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.

You measured the comps?

 

[chad hampton]

I do my own sketches, it's part of my job, but when working for AMC at AMC fees, I understand the business aspect of having to cut time out of the process.

I usually do take the sketch to the property and check everything. They are usually fairly close, but most aren't 100% correct.

 

[Bob Ipock]

I do my own sketches, it's part of my job, but when working for AMC at AMC fees, I understand the business aspect of having to cut time out of the process.

I usually do take the sketch to the property and check everything. They are usually fairly close, but most aren't 100% correct.

Chad, I realize that a personally drawn sketch is not a USPAP nor FannieMae requirement. I also know that if any issue comes up before the NCAB...a "low fee" or required "rush" is not a defense.

 

[chad hampton]

I agree that the NCAB doesn't have to concern itself with the actual real world business aspects of this profession. I would not advise just cutting and pasting a county sketch into a report. It is part of our job.

On large 5,000-7,000 sf homes that are impossible to accurately measure, I do put disclaimers in my reports that the sketch is a general representation and the appraiser was not provided with detailed construction plans. I went to 1 last week that must have spent 30 minutes trying to figure out the 2nd floor. Agent didn't even include the house sketch in the attachements (how did they figure out GLA?) I always up my fee $50 when the home has large areas of non-right angles, lol.

 

[Michigan CG]

You measured the comps?

No, I looked at one of the sketches and it was wrong and the other one I appraised.

 

[BNICK]

I get the assessor's sketch and copy it on to my inspection sheet. Then I verify the measurements during my field inspection. 9 out of 10 times it's correct. On many assignments I have the builder's marketing brochure floor plan and include that along with the assessor's sketch which also includes how the GLA is determined. IN MY COUNTY the builder's provide the plans to the assessor so, most of the time...it's correct.

One other point to consider...if you do get reviewed the reviewer will almost always check the public record and consider it correct when it comes to determining the square footage. Just remember, regardless who does the sketch, you are responsible for what you put in your appraisal report.

Who can do a sketch in 3 minutes? Not me! It takes me, on average, at least 30 minutes to sketch a typical 2 story with basement level. Ranchers are a little quicker. Then there are those really complicated sketches. Could be an hour or even more not to mention the time it takes to measure those properties. In years past I hired someone to take my notes with field measurements and do a final sketch that appears in the appraisal. Paid him $10 a sketch and those were hand drawn. That was back when I was doing 5 to 10 assignments a week. These days I do 3 a week and those are all VA appraisals.