When is an bank appraisal done?

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Once you have “construction ready” drawings from an architect, AND a real bid from a real contractor on how much this house will cost.  This is a year or two of your hard work.

Now, your future hinges some random guy, who will tell YOU what HE thinks your house will be worth…

The appraiser. He will notoriously lowball the projected value of your new or remodeled house, to cover themselves…

He is a stumbling block you must step over…!

And of this number, the bank will only give you 80%.

This is an ugly subject.

A pre-appraisal of our new house will be insulting. You just have to fight back. You are dealing with a stubborn idiot…. making sure he can keep his job.  He does not care about you or your house at all…. only keeping his job.

YOU have to fight, YOU have to defend your house, your drawings, and the comps.

Since the recession of ’08, banks are scared stiff about holding the bag, on overvalued houses. 

This fear is passed down to the appraisers… they do not want to over appraise the house and lose THEIR job.

It is a fear-based world…not logical, or optimistic, but everyone covering their asses…again, this is Human Nature….everyone want to make a living, to pay & protect THEIR babies…NOT yours… 

Just the way of the world.

So, each fearful person lowers your appraisal by 5% or 10% to cover their jobs.

This adds up.. so a house you want to build for $1M, can only get $700=$800K from the bank.

See the squeeze?

YOU surely don’t have an extra $100-$200K laying around to make up the difference… and by this time…you have already spent a year or two drawing & working with your architect for “final drawings OK for construction” … 

Even if you DO have extra cash, beyond what the bank will loan you, you will need this extra cash, to cover the  5 to 10% upgrades, and change orders that WILL happen as your house is built. No cash, no build. Just that simple.

This guy… can be the one to make you fail. FAIL. This hurts…

So what do you do?

YOU have to now learn the appraisers job… see?

You do everyone’s job for them….only YOU do not get paid… 

This is sickening and depressing…learning other people’s jobs to “correct their mistakes” or to defend your drawings.

Eat it. Do it. Move on.

90% of the time, a house is appraised by a simple calculation … square feet x local price per square feet…and this is tweaked by a few amenities… an appraiser can do his job, while watching TV at night, land looking at Zillow pictures.

Sure they will tweak appraisal by amenities… such as garages, or decks, or elevator…but these are just tweaks… they literally “dial an appraisal” to fit the logic of price per square feet/ number of square feet.

1000sf x $300/sf = $300,000 house.

BUT WHAT REALLY MOVES THE NUMBER… ? 

The C – value..! 

This is a multiplier of your final appraisal…not a tweak or an addition but a huge multiplier of the condition of your house… (your NEW house!!!!!)  If it is a virtually NEW house, this C-value is a good bump up, and will overcompensate for the fearful 5 to 10 % knock the bank and appraiser decrease your house for…to cover their continued employment.

The process….

 

Rating

Description

C1

The improvements have been very recently constructed and have not previously been occupied. The entire structure and all components are new and the dwelling features no physical depreciation.

NoteNewly constructed improvements that feature recycled materials and/or components can be considered new dwellings provided that the dwelling is placed on a 100 percent new foundation and the recycled materials and the recycled components have been rehabilitated/re-manufactured into like-new condition. Improvements that have not been previously occupied are not considered “new” if they have any significant physical depreciation (that is, newly constructed dwellings that have been vacant for an extended period of time without adequate maintenance or upkeep).

C2

The improvements feature no deferred maintenance, little or no physical depreciation, and require no repairs. Virtually all building components are new or have been recently repaired, refinished, or rehabilitated. All outdated components and finishes have been updated and/or replaced with components that meet current standards. Dwellings in this category either are almost new or have been recently completely renovated and are similar in condition to new construction.

NoteThe improvements represent a relatively new property that is well-maintained with no deferred maintenance and little or no physical depreciation, or an older property that has been recently completely renovated.

C3

The improvements are well-maintained and feature limited physical depreciation due to normal wear and tear. Some components, but not every major building component, may be updated or recently rehabilitated. The structure has been well-maintained.

NoteThe improvement is in its first-cycle of replacing short-lived building components (appliances, floor coverings, HVAC, etc.) and is being well– maintained. Its estimated effective age is less than its actual age. It also may reflect a property in which the majority of short-lived building components have been replaced but not to the level of a complete renovation.

C4

The improvements feature some minor deferred maintenance and physical deterioration due to normal wear and tear. The dwelling has been adequately maintained and requires only minimal repairs to building components/mechanical systems and cosmetic repairs. All major building components have been adequately maintained and are functionally adequate.

NoteThe estimated effective age may be close to or equal to its actual age. It reflects a property in which some of the short-lived building components have been replaced, and some short-lived building components are at or near the end of their physical life expectancy; however, they still function adequately. Most minor repairs have been addressed on an ongoing basis resulting in an adequately maintained property.

C5

The improvements feature obvious deferred maintenance and are in need of some significant repairs. Some building components need repairs, rehabilitation, or updating. The functional utility and overall livability are somewhat diminished due to condition, but the dwelling remains useable and functional as a residence.

NoteSome significant repairs are needed to the improvements due to the lack of adequate maintenance. It reflects a property in which many of its short-lived building components are at the end of or have exceeded their physical life expectancy, but remain functional.

C6

The improvements have substantial damage or deferred maintenance with deficiencies or defects that are severe enough to affect the safety, soundness, or structural integrity of the improvements. The improvements are in need of substantial repairs and rehabilitation, including many or most major components.

NoteSubstantial repairs are needed to the improvements due to the lack of adequate maintenance or property damage. It reflects a property with conditions severe enough to affect the safety, soundness, or structural integrity of the improvements.

from fanniemae

 

Q1 or Excellent Quality Rating

The number one best rating would be a Q1 or Excellent, it is a property that is done by an individual architect for a specific user and all the materials are excellent quality, all the workmanship is excellent – far above anything most people would ever see.

Q2 or Very Good Quality Rating

The second one would be Very Good, or Q2, which would also be a very good quality home, however it’s not as specific use. For instance, while I’ve done Excellent Q1 when they have indoor basketball courts, indoor racquetball courts – you’re not going to see that in a Q2. Q2 is seen a lot in Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, etc.

Q3 or Good Quality Rating

From there you go down to Good Quality, or Q3, which would be in a subdivision – sometimes built on an individual lot, but also of good quality materials. You’re not going to see laminate counters, you’re not going to see laminate floors or average type quality materials in a Q3 or Good Quality.

Q4/Q5 or Average Quality Rating

Average Quality is basically your track home in large subdivisions where they have four or five different models that are basically all the same. The quality is decent, but it’s not customized, it’s not to an individual’s taste. The Q4 or Average Quality is the majority of homes you’ll find. 

Then you go down to a Q5, which is some of the older homes that were built in the 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s. They’re basically just square or rectangular homes that are definitely livable but they’re not upgraded really at all. Very plain, average quality homes.

Q6 or Fair to Poor Quality Rating

You get below that and you end up with a Q6 or a Fair Quality to Poor Quality. Oftentimes you’ll find these are a hunting cabin or lake place where someone bought the property for the access to the lake or river and the home is secondary, just a place to stay and it might as well have a tent.


Those are the different quality levels of a home appraisal. When we do an appraisal inspection we pay very specific attention to the quality of your home, materials, as well as the other aspects mentioned. 

from Fannimae

Help the appraiser, help you.

 

When the appraiser comes over

  1. have all surfaces cleared off (counters, beds, table..photo ready
  2. have this Q and C list ready, and tell him why you are one or the other.
  3. have a list of $ spent on the house over the past decade… excel spreadsheet is nice. (he will attach this to his info) 
  4. If your appraisal come in low… then YOU have to reverse engineer every point he made, each comp, and in a clear letter to the bank, ask for a 2nd appraisal.

Here is the letter I used… sure it was a bit unprofessional… font 48 is rarely a “nice” font… but I would not let ONE YOUNG GUY ruin my life… again….:)  just too old to be kicked around like that.. 

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The process

When you get the call from an appraiser, he will ignore your pleas to “let me clean up a bit, before you come over”. 

HE DOES NOT CARE… HE WANTS TO DO JOB, AND GET PAID….THEN DO NEXT JOB.

He would LOVE it if you were not even home, so he can snap some pics and get in and out, without dealing with you.  You are a waste of his time….HIS TIME….ugh.

He will assure you that dishes in the sink and laundry on the bed, will not lower your appraisal.

Candid pics of a house in its natural state, will not impress a bank or an appraiser.

SO.. clear the house before they come…

clear every counter, bed, surface.

The object left out will be focused on the pic, not the room. Junk on a bed, or dishes on a counter… these look like crime scene pics, not appraisal pics.

Pros stick banal things like a bowl of yellow lemons for color, or an orchid to focus.

 

CONCLUSION...

 

An appraisal is one of the 10 or 15 people, that can & will destroy your dreams, or devastate your life savings.

The qualifications to be an appraiser is amazingly low, AND the bank picks them “at random”. 

Your future depends on this random nut job.

You WILL get a low appraisal, it is up to YOU to reverse engineer it, painfully list his mistakes of his comps, and ask the bank for a second appraisal.

I have found the second one is dialed in just enough to get just enough money for the bank loan to go thru… this is all such an arbitrary, subjective field… you just have to push back with your facts, and write a “nice” letter like this:

Sure, font 48, is not normally used in a business letter…but, it evokes the emotion and fury of this one guy, destroying 2 years of your hard work to design a house.

Ironically, AFER the house is built, the appraisal comes in exactly right or even more than you thought…