Joe Flacco
Elite Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2013
- Professional Status
- Certified Residential Appraiser
- State
- Maryland
The buyers..seller's and often two Realtors all agree the purchase price is fair. That's multiple parties. The lone appraiser stands alone and unless he can provide hard data to prove otherwise he may just have a personal biases and doesn't like the property.
There are a lot of reasons why a property might be under contract for more or less than other sales. It goes both ways. Sometimes there is something not so obvious why a property is under contract for 10-20% more than similar sales on paper and sometimes there is something not so obvious why a property is under contract for 10-20% less than similar sales on paper. Understanding why doesn't make the appraiser a number hitter.
One assignment I got finished with has a back yard with a 45 degree slope down to the house and to the street. I'm sure he thinks he got a great deal for it when he bought it a few years back for no reason at all when in fact he bought it for a lower price than similar sales because the lot is a 45 degree slope from the back to the front.
There are a lot of things like that resulting in prices higher or lower than other sales. Knowing these things comes from experience.