Which is better for market conditon adjustments, data master or spark?

[J Grant]

Any opinions from anyone who has used or tried both?

 

[Tom D]

J Grant, i have had no question asked with the spark chart the i put into my reports. The original version does a quarterly. Now you can put a monthly % time adjustment +/- imput where the numbers automatically go into the report comps. Much easier that using your calculator on each comp. I think in the new spark it will do a monthly up/down time adjustment if you like. I like the straight line time adjustment, but have to see how the monthly will work and will it become the standard.

This is from the original spark program that i managed to work with uad update.

 

[Digger88]

I've used both a lot but prefer Spark plus it's cheaper

 

[Joe Flacco]

J Grant, i have had no question asked with the spark chart the i put into my reports. The original version does a quarterly. Now you can put a monthly % time adjustment +/- imput where the numbers automatically go into the report comps. Much easier that using your calculator on each comp. I think in the new spark it will do a monthly up/down time adjustment if you like. I like the straight line time adjustment, but have to see how the monthly will work and will it become the standard.

This is from the original spark program that i managed to work with uad update.
View attachment 95848

Why do they draw the line from 10-12 months to 0-3 months?

Do you consider at all that the properties in the 0-3 month period may be inferior to the properties in the 4-6 month period?

It's crazy to me that anybody is basing adjustments on that.

 

[Joe Flacco]

Why do you base it on avg price per SF rather than median price per SF or median sale price or average sale price? How much thought is put into what the different stats are saying?

 

[J Grant]

I personally am interested in the market trend adjustments since the Feb 4 deadline is must show a chart or graph-type evidence (if a time/market condition adjustment is made)

There is no guideline or requirement that other adjustments be made by software/data-driven vs. market driven by the smaller set of relevant comps - not yet, anyway. The results are not always the same. In an ideal world they would be similar.
Of course if most peers start using that, even if the results are questionable,e than an appraiser not using ti becomes the outlier

 

[TerryRohrer]

I personally am interested in the market trend adjustments since the Feb 4 deadline is must show a chart or graph-type evidence (if a time/market condition adjustment is made)

There is no guideline or requirement that other adjustments be made by software/data-driven vs. market driven by the smaller set of relevant comps - not yet, anyway. The results are not always the same. In an ideal world they would be similar.
Of course if most peers start using that, even if the results are questionable,e than an appraiser not using ti becomes the outlier

You should start with reading the actual requirements. I have not seen any that include the requirement you state.

 

[Sid Holderly]

No pre-made program can parse the data in low volume areas that have a wildly divergent mix of sale types all called residential and give viable useful information.
Info parsed from the local MLS to match the type you are appraising can give time based MLS CMA data for support. The results will be more to the point.

 

[J Grant]

No pre-made program can parse the data in low volume areas that have a wildly divergent mix of sale types all called residential and give viable useful information.
Info parsed from the local MLS to match the type you are appraising can give time based MLS CMA data for support. The results will be more to the point.

From what I understand, both programs can manually by appraiser, select the data or modify it from MLS, however i am not certain about that and trying to find out.

The data master promised a call back, and after 2 hours still has not called. I will explore more about Spark on Monday - they seem more established with ALamode my software provider. If I get one of them in the meantime I can explore an excel chart from MLS but there would be a learning curve for me.

 

[Tawfik Ahdab]

In my market area, the median sale price at year end 2023 was $415,000. At year end 2024 it was $420,000. That would represent an annual appreciation rate of 1.2%, which is actually lower than the current inflation rate of 2.7%

So the nominal appreciation rate is virtually nill, while the real rate is actually declining slightly since it is below the inflation level.

Monthly market conditions adjustments in small markets are often a fools errand unless they are derived from changes in prices of resales of the same property over time, on further condition that the property has not undergone significant alteration between the prior and the most recent sale.