Posts from — October 2009

Since the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) went into effect on May 1, 2009, there has been quite a bit of confusion over who can now talk with appraisers. I won’t re-hash the entire gist here since I have posted previously about the subject, but I did want to post a link to Fannie Mae’s HVCC FAQ in case you have not seen it. This document may be helpful to home owners, loan officers, and real estate agents who are wondering about what type of communication is appropriate under HVCC (as well as other questions then answer).

Download Fannie Mae HVCC FAQ (PDF)

NOTE:  HVCC only impacts loans that are geared toward Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Appraisals for litigation, estate settlement, divorce, bankruptcy, and FHA, among other purposes, are NOT impacted at all by HVCC. In effect this means an appraiser like myself can regularly and ethically communicate with many clients during the normative course of the business day because HVCC only applies to certain facets of loan work.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Have you read Fannie Mae’s FAQ on the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC)?

What’s been happening in Folsom’s real estate market lately? Here is a scatter graph depicting the past 90 days of sales (green), actives (pink) and pendings (blue). What do you see? The information is based upon single family detached properties in Sacramento Metrolist as of 07/12/2009.

Just a quick post. Let me know if you have any questions or insight. Feel free to comment above, email at ryan@lundquistcompany.com or give me a call at 916-595-3735.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com City of Foslom Market Trends: Sales, Pendings & Listings (July to October 2009)

What’s the latest in the “Anatolia” neighborhood in Rancho Cordova? How much are houses selling for, and what are properties currently listed for on the market? Here is a quick scatter graph based upon 07/12/09 – 10/12/09 for single family detached residential properties within the defined neighborhood boundaries for Anatolia (well, technically there are no attached units located in Anatolia, but for the casual reader, I wanted to make sure the scope of data was clarified). Please note that there are more listings and pendings on the market in Anatolia, but this graph displays only listings and pendings that came on the market after 07/12/09. The intention of the graph is to display data for what has actually ocurred in Anatolia over the past three months.

I know, I know, the following sounds like a shameless plug, but this is very important information to understand. As an FYI, here is a video we made regarding lowering property taxes in Anatolia. We have been able to help Anatolia home owners over the past several months put together very thorough valuation reports to contest the level of their property taxes (the report is not a full appraisal OR near the cost of a full appraisal). Keep in mind that the deadline for disputing property taxes in Anatolia is 11/30/2009. 

Keep us posted if you have any questions. You are welcome to comment above, call 916-595-3735 or email ryan@lundquistcompany.com.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Anatolia Neighborhood in Rancho Cordova: Sales, Pendings and Listings over the past 90 Days

I always enjoy appraising properties in Placerville, but this weekend was different because I took my wife to a local Bed & Breakfast called the Glen Morey Country House. We enjoyed a much needed time of relaxation where we intentionally did nothing more than have conversation, walk through Downtown Placerville, drink coffee, and read. Well, there was that one MLB playoff game we watched on TV on Friday night too. It’s so important to find time to get away from the hustle of business and raising kids.

If you have not been to Downtown Placerville, I’d encourage you to check it out. It’s an easy detour on the way to Apple Hill or South Lake Tahoe.

The photo below is of a coffee house we discovered called “Centro.” Not only was the java great, but I am such a big fan of architecture, and this building definitely was impressive in design.

Here are two photos of the Glen Morey Country House. This house was built 150 years ago in 1859. I was delighted with the era features of the home as well as the privacy and setting of the property. And of course, I really enjoyed the porch. Anyone who knows me well understands my high esteem for the role of the porch in a community. I wrote previously about the prominence of the porch HERE.

No, I am not being paid to advertise any of the businesses above. I’m simply sharing some “Photos from the Field“. Usually this category includes images I snapped between appraisal inspections, but the ones here were simply about leisure.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Photos from the Field: Placerville

What’s been happening with Sacramento County unemployment rates over the past several months? Below are the most recent figures for unemployment during the most recent four months per the Employment Development Department. The rates encompass both cities and Census Designated Places (CDP) in Sacramento County from May through August 2009. Data for September 2009 has not yet been released (wait about two more weeks for that). 

As of August 2009, Sacramento County as a whole has an unemployment rate of 12.3% ( July was 12.0%, June was 11.6% and May was 11.1%). What do you notice about the data below? Does anything stand out to you or surprise you?

Arden Arcade CDP  11.9%  (July 11.7%, June 11.4%, May 10.8%)

Carmichael CDP  9.1%  ( July 8.9%, June 8.7%, May was 8.2%)

Citrus Heights city  8.6%  (July 8.5%  June 8.3%, May 7.8%)

Elk Grove CDP  10.0%  (July 9.8%, June 9.6%, May 9.0%)

Fair Oaks CDP  6.8%  (July 6.7% , June 6.6%, May 6.2%)

Florin CDP  18.2%  (July 17.9  June 17.6%, May 16.7%)

Folsom city  5.6%  (July 5.5%, June 5.4%, May 5.1%)

Foothill Farms CDP  15.6%  (July 15.3%, June 15.0%, May 14.2%)

Galt city  18.4%  (July 18.1% , June 17.8%, May 16.9%)

Gold River CDP  2.1%  (July 2.0%, June 2.0%, May 1.9%)

Isleton city  13.2%  (July 12.9%, June 12.5%, May 11.8%)

La Riviera CDP  6.7%  (July 6.6%, June 6.5%, (May 6.1%)

Laguna CDP  6.4%  (July 6.2%, June 6.1%, May 5.8%)

Laguna West Lakeside CDP  8.3%  (July 8.1%, June 8.0%, May 7.5%)

North Highlands CDP  18.0%  (July 17.6%, June 17.3%, May 16.4%)

Orangevale CDP  8.8%  (July 8.6%, June 8.5%, May 8.0%)

Parkway South Sacramento CDP  20.4%  (July 20.0%, June 19.7%, May 18.7%)

Rancho Cordova City  14.0%  (July 13.8%, June 13.5%, May 12.8%)

Rancho Murieta CDP  3.8%  (July 3.7%, June 3.7%, May 3.5%)

Rio Linda CDP  17.8%  (July 17.5%, June 17.2%, May 16.3%)

Rosemont CDP  9.7%  (July 9.5%, June 9.3%, May 8.8%)

Sacramento city  14.3%  (July 14.1%, June 13.8%, May 13.1%)

Vineyard CDP  5.7%  (July 5.6%, June 5.5%, May 5.2%)

Walnut Grove CDP  26.5%  (July 26.2%, June 25.6%, May 24.5%)

Wilton CDP  7.5%  (July 7.4% , June 7.2%, May 6.8%)

Every single category above, whether city or CDP, saw an increase in unemployment from July 2009 to August 2009. If there was a prize for lowest unemployment rate in Sacramento County, Gold River would be the winner at 2.1%. On the other end of the spectrum, Walnut Grove has the highest unemployment rate in Sacramento County at 26.5%.

Let me know if you have any questions about the latest figures. You are welcome to call 916-595-3735 or visit our company website at www.lundquistcompany.com

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Comparing Four Months of Unemployment Rates in Sacramento County: May-August 2009

It’s always interesting to appraise properties with big condition issues. There are so many factors to consider and look for, but often properties in “poor” condition (as opposed to “fair” or “good”) include some of the following: severe neglect over the years for whatever reason, additions without permit (usually with shoddy workmanship), unfinished remodeling, water or moisture damage of some sort, debris throughout the site, wood decay, or some other obvious failure such as a caved roof or sagging foundation.

Appraising a “fixer” is similar to any other valuation in that it’s necessary to find comparable properties with the same or similar condition issues. In some areas that is easier to do than others. For example, a 2-bedroom cottage “fixer” is usually not hard to come by as a comp in the 95817 zip code of Sacramento, but a 2-story 3500 square foot ten year old Roseville ”fixer” is a little more challenging. When a house is only a decade old, it’s usually not already in the “fixer” category, right? But imagine if a property was heading toward foreclosure, and the owner (or a vandal) turned on all faucets and stopped up the drains for four days before anyone found out about the problem. Do you think there might be some serious damage throughout the house? Yes indeed. I appraised a property like this within the past year in a different city and it was definitely an interesting valuation situation because there weren’t any other “fixers” with water damage (or similar damage) in the subdivision where the subject property was located. That made things a bit interesting for me to say the least.

Usually “fixer” properties in “poor” condition are attractive to investors instead of first-time home buyers. Investors have two things that many first-time home buyers do not have: 1) Cash to purchase the property outright or cash to cover a significant portion well beyond 20% down. ”Fixers” often do not qualify for conventional financing, so they tend to sell on the lower end of the market where cash reigns supreme; 2) Investors also have cash to fix the property and rent it out or re-sell it on the market in “average” or “good” condition.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Appraising Fixer-Type Properties

I inspected a property in Oak Park yesterday, and while on the road I snapped a shot of the now vacant “Starbucks building” on Broadway. It’s been just about two weeks since the Oak Park Starbucks shut its doors. I know it can be popular in some circles to hate Starbucks, but this one felt a little different because it was connected to an exciting commercial renovation project for the community. Now it’s just another vacant building, one among many, in the current real estate market.

Businesses starting and failing is a part of the cycle of capitalism, and that’s just life, but let’s hope for great things for the next company that moves in on this corner. If you are familiar with this project, how does the image above strike you? Does it make you sad? Or are you full of optimism for what is next? Feel free to comment above.

www.SacramentoAppraialBlog.com Photos from the Field: Oak Park Vacant “Starbucks Building”