Utility Pole In Front Yard

[CPJ]

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Completing a refinance conventional appraisal. Not FHA. Well established neighborhood with a utility pole on the lawn directly in front of the subject. Cant be power/electric as the climbing rungs can be reached without a ladder. So I believe it to be telephone and/or cable. Obviously close enough for fall zone but again this is not FHA. Either way, not sure how to address this since it is aesthetically a negative and no other comps have a pole on lawns.

Any suggestions?

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Mention and go on. Likely common in the community. Looks to be phone or cable. Not electrical.

 

[BRCJR]

Better than this.......

 

[Deleted member 130081]

Better than this.......

OMG, just when I thought your profile pic was the bomb you produce this one!!!

So to the OP, your pic is typical, the BRCJR pic would be an issue. The utility in your pic is the phone line (cant see the top of the pole to determine if the electric is hung on it). I know this because I used to be a lineman and climbed up and down those things before I appraised homes. Usually, the electric company installs and owns the poles, and the phone and cable rent space on them. Occasionally, the electric and phone are not in the same easement/plant and you get what you have, where the utilities come from different paths (are those more poles I see in the backyard?). Unless this is the only pole in the neighborhood I would not give it a second thought, or even mention it. If it is, I might not mention it then either!!!!!!!!!! BECAUSE, utilities are typical and everyone wants/needs them. Alas, if you think its an issue, dig in and figure it out. LOL - neighborhoods with underground vs neighborhoods without - LOL LOL LOL LOL - good luck extracting that one.

 

[Overimprovement]

I would look up and down that street--where are the other poles? I think something is an issue only if not typical, and even then it still may not be a value issue. If there is no impact to value IYO, then I wouldn't mention. No sense opening up a can of worms for something you, in your professional opinion, do not think is a value issue. If you think it is an issue (to the extent an adjustment is used), you would need to be ready to provide some backup if ever called on it.

 

[glenn walker]

That is a low voltage telephone-utility pole. I have no idea where you are located in California because I am looking out my front window and there is a pole in the front of every 5th or 6th house. Most of California has these unless you are working new communities that have underground utilities. As far as being an-issue NO and there is no negative effect on future sale or marketability and please don't try to extract some adjustment because it cannot be done.

We used to have this one appraiser in the bank and she would say those poles are ugly and we all laughed and one day one of our senior female reviewers looked at her and said what is all this gibberish about a telephone pole it's not a high tension tower so take the stupid commentary out of your report it's giving us a headache. So then the appraiser says but it's ugly and maybe it would have a negative effect on future sale or marketability ? The reviewer look back at her and says well your certainly no beauty queen and you had no marketability issue and there are two X-husbands to prove that point. Man today that appraiser would be at minimum placed on leave and most likely fired by HR.

 

[Overimprovement]

To echo Glenn, this 'marketability' stuff is getting out of hand. Every house is marketable. What they really want to say is will there be any impact on market value? Marketability does not mean market value. Simply means can it be marketed. An IRS lien is a marketability issue, or an active condemnation proceeding.

Everyone is so concerned about petty little things like septic vs sewer, some commercial building 2 blocks away. Their main issue should be how awful is this thing gonna be IF we ever do have to take it back? Nothing we can put on a comp grid can compare with the decrease in value caused by some ticked off former homeowner. Used to handle REOs for a bank. Oh the stories...

 

[glenn walker]

Actually no body is talking about it but in my area a lot of solar panels have been installed on the front of roofs and there is one house listed for sale and our inventory is so tight some are only on the market for 3 to 5 days. This one particular house is in very good shape and seemed price to sell but has been lingering for about 3 -4 months so on Sunday I stopped by the brokers open-house and walked through it and it was very nice-I know the agent and we spoke for a few minutes about the market and appraisals and I asked why has this home not sold ? to which she replied well those solar panels on the front of the roof ruined the appearance of the home and the men don't seem to care but the wife's immediately ask if the homeowner will have the system removed. The seller won't because he financed $35,000 for the system and so I guess in this situation the solar has really effected sale and marketability. I am fairly sure at some point a buyer will not care BUT in this case what value does the solar system have ? Maybe nothing or even a negative but I would hate to try to extract that adjustment and prove it.