Knowledge Builders

what happens when an appraiser cannot find comps

by Margret Rice Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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What happens when an appraiser Cannot find comps? If the appraiser isn’t able to find a single comparable property, you’ll likely struggle to move forward with a mortgage on that site. Some lenders may be able to proceed on a case-by-case basis with a single comparable. Having at least two good comps should help you breathe a bit easier.

Use the cost or income approach for an accurate appraisal
If you can't find sufficient comps, the cost approach will usually work. So will the income approach, if it's an income-producing property.
Dec 19, 2016

Full Answer

Are there any examples of comps used in an appraisal?

A couple of examples are available, but they were done several years back. They could not be used. The only set of comps the appraiser could find were residential houses, which were non-comps. The appraiser was stuck with a method that didn’t fit the property he was asked to appraise.

Can you appraise a property with no comps in the area?

The appraisers are saying it can’t be appraised due to no comps in the area. What else can we do? It’s always possible to locate comparables but they may not meet the underwriting guidelines of the bank you are using.

Why is my appraiser having a hard time finding comps?

Sometimes lenders place strict guidelines on what comps the appraiser can use. It sounds like they may have to go further away or further back in time to find something that compares to your property. Some banks are less strict than others so this could be a reason the appraiser is having a hard time.

What do appraisers do when they can't find comparable sales?

When an appraiser can't find comparable sales they will usually try to look at a broader location or larger geographic area and if that doesn’t solve the problem they will usually look at older sales.

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How far out can appraisers go for comps?

When an appraiser is looking for comparable properties to determine a price, they are supposed to only look at sales within the last 90 days. Now, if there aren't enough sales a lender might go back six to 12 months. But the ideal is 90 days.

Can appraisers use pending comps?

Pending sales and listings are only used on the appraisal report to show what the current market is doing; appraisers do not consider these comps in their final opinion of value.

How recent Should appraisal comps be?

Age of the Comparable Sales Comparable sales that have closed within the last 12 months should be used in the appraisal; however, the best and most appropriate comparable sales may not always be the most recent sales.

How do appraisers look at comps?

How do Appraisers Use Comps to Determine Value? After appraisers select comps, they compare them all to each other. They make adjustments based on differences in upgrades, size, features, sales date, and more. They then calculate the adjusted value for the subject property that reflects the home's true value.

Do appraisers try to match sale price?

To estimate the value of a house, an appraiser will look for similar homes that have sold recently. These homes are called comps, or comparables. Adjustments. The comps won't be identical so the appraiser will have to make “adjustments” to the value of the comps to make them more comparable to the home under contract.

Is Zillow accurate for comps?

The tool has an accuracy of about 80% in all areas. This is because there are no specific variances to throw it off. However, in some home value estimate cases (especially in older neighborhoods), the Zillow estimate won't be close at all.

What is the most important date to an appraiser?

The current date and value are used in most appraisals to determine the value. The general guideline is to use comparables from the last six months, but there are instances in which a lender may need an appraisal to value a property at a date in the past or in the future.

What should you not say to an appraiser?

Just keep your communication to the appraiser about the facts of the home and neighborhood, how you priced the house, and any other relevant information you think the appraiser should know. And remember, don't discuss value. Don't pressure the appraiser to 'hit the value' and you'll be fine.

How often do appraisals come in low 2022?

How often do home appraisals come in low? Low home appraisals do not occur often. According to Fannie Mae, appraisals come in low less than 8 percent of the time, and many of these low appraisals are renegotiated higher after an appeal, Graham says.

What do appraisers look at the most?

A home appraiser's job is to assess the condition of your home and to provide an expert opinion on its estimated market value. They examine factors such as a home's condition, comparable recent sales, and any special features that could impact the property's value.

What do appraisers look for when reviewing?

We want to help homeowners spot check the reports....Here are the top three things to look for when reviewing your appraisal report:Is the subject property reported with the correct bedrooms, baths, garage, pool and etc? ... Are the comparable sales used really comparable? ... Is the appraised value bracketed?

Do appraisers use pending sales?

Can pending sales be used in an appraisal? The short answer is “yes”. Appraisers have three options for comparables. They include closed sales, active listings, and pending sales.

Can an appraiser use a cash sale as a comp?

YES: Appraisers can use non-MLS sales as “comps” in an appraisal report if the sales can be verified with someone principle to the transaction. In other words, the appraiser needs to be able to understand the nature of the transaction from someone like an agent, attorney, title company, buyer or seller.

What comps does an appraiser use?

Comps are sales records of recently sold homes. Appraisers and real estate agents use them to get the most accurate estimate possible of a home's value, and you can, too.

Can an appraiser appraise the same property twice?

Don't Assume You Did it “Right” the First Time. It is not unusual for an appraiser to be asked to appraise the same property on more than one occasion. Sometimes, it is a coincidence.

Should I provide comps to appraiser?

When real estate agents provide relevant comparable sales to appraisers, it certainly benefits both parties. Agents can ensure that appraisers are reviewing comparables that match their properties and, hopefully, meet the seller's desired price.

Why do appraisers use sales approach?

Appraisers prefer to use the sales approach since it is the approach that most consumers of appraisal services readily understand and rely upon. There are times however when an appraiser will use what is available and then are criticized with the argument that none of the sales are truly comparable.

What to do when an appraiser can't find comparable sales?

When an appraiser can't find comparable sales they will usually try to look at a broader location or larger geographic area and if that doesn’t solve the problem they will usually look at older sales. If the sales found are deemed not suitable an appraiser may opt to not use the sales approach and discuss the fact that the research was completed but no comparable sales were found.

What do appraisers do after accepting assignments?

One of the first things Appraisers do after accepting an assignment is complete their subject property research, inspect the subject property and begin looking for comparable sales.

How long do appraisers look at sales?

If widening the search area doesn't solve the problem then going back in time often does, so appraisers go back past 90 days and look at sales 180 days or even a year old. In a slow land market for example you may have to go back even more.

How to solve a problem of few or no sales?

Appraisers generally try to solve the problem of having few or no sales by first widening their research area. If there are other small towns located close by or neighborhoods farther than you would normally like to go, and they have similar socio-economic conditions it's possible that some sales from these areas may be used for comparison. If widening the search area doesn't solve the problem then going back in time often does, so appraisers go back past 90 days and look at sales 180 days or even a year old. In a slow land market for example you may have to go back even more.

When to use income approach or cost approach?

When it's clear to an appraiser that there is an insufficient quantity / quality of sales to use the sales approach he or she has to rely on the income approach and / or the cost approach. This most often happens when the subject property is a special use or special purpose property. Properties like churches, fitness centers, bowling alleys, hospitals and schools are built for a specific purpose and they have limited marketability.

When you are appraising homes in a rural area or a small town, you may find that you don'?

When you are appraising homes in a rural area or a small town you may find that you don 't have homes for comparison with similar designs, the builders may all be different and even the ages may vary considerably. You look through what is available and at times you will throw up your hands. If it's a bank report with requirements for sales within the last 90 days within a mile of the subject you know it's time to call the bank and break out the provision that talks about limited data availability.

Austin (TX) no longer allows real estate websites to post sold prices. Any way for me to get them?

The Austin Real Estate has successfully lobbied to prevent the real estate websites from listing sold prices for homes. Is there any way for me to get this other than asking someone with MLS access?

This market is beyond frustrating

My girlfriend and I found a house we loved over the weekend, and submitted an aggressive offer on the house. List was $449k, we offered $460k, with an escalation clause that capped out at $510k with $10k in appraisal gap, and waived inspection.

Wish I had stayed a renter

I bought a condo and have spent so much money on repairs since buying it, I thought my rent was high but this is way higher, currently I have water in my basement that wasn’t disclosed. Inspection revealed no major issues but there have been constant issues. I regret buying, I hate owning a home.

Realtor success story

I see a lot of horror stories about realtors and "is this normal?" kind of stuff. I haven't closed yet, but my offers been accepted. Here's what my dude's done for me:

Is it 2008 all over again?

EDIT: The amount of people that are triggered without even reading the post is staggering. The post does NOT go the way you think it does. So if you are going to comment or vote, read the post first,

Can an appraiser use comparables?

1) The appraiser will use the best comparables available , even if that means expanding the comparable search to a different market area/county/city. A local appraiser competent in your market area should be able to find comps and complete the appraisal. There is always a way to find comparable sales.

Can an appraiser use the income approach to appraise a duplex?

If the duplex is a rental, and no recent sales comps are available, an appraiser should be able to use the income approach to come up with an appraised value .

What If There Are No Comps To Price A Listing?

Sometimes when speaking at real estate agent meetings I will be asked what an agent can do when there are no comps to price a listing. Finding good sales can sometimes be difficult but it has to be done in order to accurately list a home for sale.

What is pending sales?

Pending sales give a current snapshot of what is going on at the current time. This, combined with closed sales can provide a powerful picture of how your listing “fits” into the market and it can help you decide where to price it at.

Why do Fannie Mae agents get tripped up?

This is where some agents get tripped up because sometimes these competing neighborhoods are further away than agents think they can go. Fannie Mae does not have distance requirements but they do note that appraisers have to document why the comparables were used.

How long to reach back for sales?

Reaching back for sales a month at a time will help you stay focused on using the most recent sales. I personally will not go over one year except in rare situations. If you cannot find any sales within the past 12 months then you will want to go to the next step.

What is a competing neighborhood?

A competing neighborhood, also known as a competitive market area, is one that a buyer would go to if they could not find a home in the subject neighborhood. It would have homes that are similar in style, age, quality, price range, and school systems. This is where some agents get tripped up because sometimes these competing neighborhoods are ...

Should appraisers only look at pending sales?

Appraisers cannot get by with only using pending sales so I don’t think agents should only look at pending sales. They should be used along with closed sales to gauge the temperature of the market.

Can appraisers use sales outside of neighborhood?

If appraisers can use sales that are outside of the immediate neighborhood then agents should be able to look there as well. This is not, however, an excuse to go to another neighborhood with higher values in order to “support” a higher list price to accommodate a seller or for some other reason.

Why is it important to verify your MLS?

If MLS information is unavailable or sketchy, you usually don’t need to get creative: you’ll still find time-honored ways to do your job correctly.

Why are there no listings on Fannie Mae?

In a situation like that, you have virtually no listings or pending sales to work with, because properties are trading so fast. It’s hard to identify comps, and the ones you have are going to be dated. Meanwhile, you’re working with a Fannie Mae form that demands that you use the most similar comps available.

Can you get an appraisal if you don't have comps?

A lack of comps is no excuse for not doing an accurate appraisal, Wagar says. Even in states with no MLS and no disclosure, or even if the property is a geodesic dome rather than a conventional house, any property can be appraised. If you can’t find sufficient comps, the cost approach will usually work. So will the income approach, if it’s an income-producing property.

Can an appraiser find comps outside of a subdivision?

In a conforming subdivision, Stephens says, an appraiser should not have to go outside of that geographical area to find suitable comps, but with today’s software, polygon maps can produce a significant number of comps—within and without that subdivision—in minutes.

Who is Phil Crawford?

Phil Crawford, who hosts the Voice of Appraisal radio show out of Maineville, Ohio, says he handles a lot of rural property appraisals and often has to deal with a paucity of comps. He likens an appraisal to building a legal dossier—only the objective is to prove your case to the lender, rather than to a jury.

Who is Joseph Dobrian?

Article by Joseph Dobrian. Joseph Dobrian has been writing about commercial and residential real estate, and real estate-related finance, for more than 30 years. His by-line has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Real Estate Forum, Journal of Property Management, and many other publications. He is also a noted novelist, essayist, and translator. His website is www.josephdobrian.com, and he can be contacted at [email protected].

Is land sales more common than building sales?

In some rural areas, he says, land sales will be more common than building sales, and thus an appraiser could combine the cost approach and the income approach. Depreciation of the building is a consideration too, of course.”

What does an appraiser do?

The appraiser works for the bank (even though you are paying for it) and the responsibility is to form an unbiased (as much as reasonable) opinion about the fair market value of the property based on numbers. Sending information about other properties to an appraiser to me seems unwise.

Can an appraiser use multiple comps?

You are free to provide them but it would be unwise for the appraiser to use anything that was provided directly. Even if you provide correct accurate comps most of these people are doing multiple appraisals a day they would just be setting themselves up for disaster trying to defend why they used what was provided in one case but not the other.

Do appraisers work for banks?

You've done this before on refis? I've never done such a thing on any refi. I don't know the specific rules on undue influence but I can see it in light of the situation. The appraiser works for the bank (even though you are paying for it) and the responsibility is to form an unbiased (as much as reasonable) opinion about the fair market value of the property based on numbers. Sending information about other properties to an appraiser to me seems unwise. If there was a dispute later about the value assigned by the appraiser, the appraiser is not going to want it be known that the seller sent him a pack of listings showing why you think the ARV should be X.

Who gets the contract for a house?

Usually the appraiser gets the contract, we go over the house facts and figures, and then supply a few comps we used to support the price.

Can you get an appraiser that is having a bad day?

As Frank mentioned, you will occasionally get an appraiser that is having a bad day. You can't do much about that.

Do appraisers do their job all the time?

Lol YES! I do the appraisers job all the time. I'm in a better position then they are to know the market and what off market deals traded for.

Is the ARV accurate?

Yes, so far I've gotten extremely accurate results by providing a very simple straight forward information packet with all of the information about the property including comps I used to get my ARV. The appraisals I've gotten so far have been with in $100 of my ARV.

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