Category — Photos from the Field

It’s usually good to stand out in real estate – but not for odd reasons. Here are some of the fun things I’ve seen during the business day on appraisal inspections. These are probably things to avoid doing to your house.

NFL Driveway: I am a huge sports fan and diehard sports talk radio listener, but spray painting a dozen stencils of your favorite team’s logo on your concrete driveway doesn’t make the neighborhood look good.

Blue Cabinets: Most buyers aren’t looking for blue cabinetry, so if you’re going to do some painting, stick with a color that works well for the resale market. Right now I see most owners painting their cabinets a shade of white or sometimes a darker cherry wood color.

Battle in the Front Yard: This lawn gets points for creativity, but most neighbors probably aren’t hoping to find a battle scene next door.

Car on the Lawn: I understand if there is no room on the street to park a vehicle. However, it does not foster a positive image for the community to park on the lawn in a typical suburban neighborhood. That’s just how it is. If you’re interested in improving a neighborhood experiencing signs of decay, make sure to check out my “Blight Week” series. There is always hope to see neighborhoods improve.

Religious Messages: This one might feel a bit personal and I hope to not cross a professional line, but keep in mind I’m a practicing Christian. Let your actions and words show God’s love – not your garage door. This doesn’t really help a house sell and it doesn’t promote the principle of conformity in real estate either. It’s fine to decorate with religious symbols and slogans during holidays and seasons because that shows pride and helps a neighborhood feel festive, but a permanent message is maybe a bit much.

Custom Air Vent: If you plan to convert the garage, it would be a better idea to not run the vent through the Living Room to get to the garage.

Door to Nowhere: This is a door on the second story of a building with a decent drop to the parking lot below. Maybe the interior has drywall, so the door truly cannot be opened, but generally speaking it’s a good idea to have doorways lead to stairs or balconies. I took this picture on J & 20th in Midtown Sacramento.

I hope you enjoyed the images of some of the fun things I see while doing my job. What do you think? What would you add to the list above?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Twitter, subscribe to posts by email or “like” my page on Facebook

Does code enforcement use Google Earth? It’s pretty obvious if they did, they might find a “recycling” operation going on at this home in Sacramento County. I came across this one the other day while talking to an investor on the phone. It’s hard to say what has been happening for sure at this property, but it smells like a chop shop at first glance. What does it look like to you?

There are definitely areas where most backyards and front yards tend to be filled with debris, but that’s not the case in this neighborhood. As you can see from an expanded aerial view, most houses are not hosts to yard junk.

Clutter and property value: On a serious note, cluttered houses tend to drive down property value around them. I’m not being judgemental or targeting certain people at all. This is simply true. After all, nobody wants to live next to a perpetually unkempt property because it’s a hotbed for all sorts of issues. It’s true that theoretically a house can only contain clutter in the rear yard and have no evidence of an issue from the front. However, if there’s an issue with hoarding or something illegal going on (not just a lack of ability to care for a house), it’s not uncommon to see evidence from the front yard too. I guess it’s a bit like life. We can put our best foot forward and hide our issues, but eventually they’ll come out.

Hoarder House Video Tour: Here is a video tour of a hoarder house I inspected a while back. It’s amazing to see how much clutter can fill one house (and sad at the same time). Watch the video below or here. Yes, I had permission from my client to shoot this video.

Isn’t it amazing what we can find out about activity in houses while online? Have you seen something similar before? How have you seen unkempt front or rear yards impact a neighborhood or street?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

It’s Dr. Seuss’s Birthday today and I cannot help but think of the correlation between the way the Grinch took every little crumb in the homes of Whoville and how foreclosures sometimes get stripped before they’re seized by the bank. Here is an example of one house that has always stood out to me from an inspection years ago. While there was no significant damage to the property, the owner or thieves felt entitled to just about anything that could be removed – even the peephole (seriously).

Appliances are some of the most common items taken from properties.

Toilet seats were removed at this house.

Shower knobs and spigots throughout were missing (all faucets in the bathrooms and kitchen were missing too).

The covered patio was removed from this house, and that’s fairly normative to see before the bank seizes a property. I think the rationale is that the covered patio was likely not there when the property was purchased or refinanced, so it is the owner’s right to remove it. I completely get that and I really don’t have a strong objection to that point. I would however object to the removal of the actual concrete patio though. What do you think?

Pipes underneath the sinks were all partially removed and disconnected.

The toilet was missing in the Master Bathroom.

Most home owners do not take anything more than a stove or maybe a special light fixture, which is completely understandable, but the property above had really been gutted of things that should have stayed with the home because they typically transfer with a property when it sells. I’m not trying to be judgmental, the moral police or mean in my analogy between the actions of the Grinch and stripped foreclosure properties, but you can probably understand the basis of the correlation due to photos above. If you are going through foreclosure, my heart goes out to you because that’s not easy. Just remember to press on and continue to find hope that does still exist.

What items does the home owner have the right to take? What should be left? I’d be curious to hear your thoughts. And of course, what is your favorite Dr. Seuss book?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Here are two examples of pools that didn’t make the cut for an FHA loan until repairs were made. The repairs helped show the pool’s equipment was working properly and eliminated a safety issue too. Moral of the story? If you have a pool that is not filled or has green water, make sure the water is clear and pool equipment is working as it should before the appraiser gets out there.

I hope this was helpful. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ve written quite a few FHA appraisal articles in case you wish to learn more about what to expect during the appraisal process in the Sacramento area.

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Do you think this roof might need replacement? I’ve been asked multiple times in my appraisal career to “ignore the tarp” on the roof, but when a tarp is present that means the roof is probably failing or getting too close for comfort, right? Well, maybe there really is no damage. Maybe it’s just an owner who prefers the look of a plastic tarp to comp shingles, tile or wood shake. 

In a situation like this the appraiser has to disclose all he knows about the roof and cannot simply ignore the situation – whether the appraisal is for a private party or a loan. A property like this would not quality for conventional or FHA financing unless the roof was repaired or replaced. On top of the cost to replace the roof, I would be most curious about any other damage on the interior from water intrusion.

Do you have any real estate roof stories?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Would it bother you to live next to a high voltage tower? I snapped these photos recently while in a neighborhood in the Sacramento area. You can see these towers are very close to the houses (within 100 feet easily in some cases). While someone selling the property might be tempted to say the house “backs to open space”, the view is clearly obstructed and dominated by the presence of the tower, so any “open space” premium is likely watered-down a bit, right? In appraisal terminology, we’re dealing with external obsolescence, which is a reduction in value caused by an undesirable factor outside the property.

How have you seen buyers respond to a location near a power tower? What do you think is the main turn-off in the minds of buyers? Visual pollution or a potential for health risks due to electromagnetic fields?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Having an open window is not an option in situations like this unless you want to get famous on YouTube as the “showering neighbor”. I’ve talked before about “fenestration“, which is a fancy word meaning the design and placement of windows (and other openings) in a building. While it’s nice to have so much light in a bathroom, it always amazes me to have views like this. Whether taking a shower or brushing teeth, mostly everyone would want a bit more privacy, right? This house also has windows in the Master Bedroom and at the bottom of the staircase with direct views into neighboring houses.

What do you think of the view?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

I’ve driven by this banner twice in the past week while on appraisal inspections in the City of Lincoln. Isn’t it a sign of the times for builders to offer concessions like this to buyers? During the boom years before the market tanked there were no concessions as such because it was a seller’s market and builders did not have to create incentives like this to attract buyers. In fact, builders in those days tended to charge very high amounts for “premium” upgrades too, whereas now these same upgrades such as granite countertops and stainless steel appliances tend to show up in standard models. Since today’s market is more of a buyer’s market,  sellers need to price their properties appropriately and in some cases offer incentives like this to attract homebuyers.

If you’re in real estate, how have you seen concessions in a purchase price impact the market? Do you see a difference in price level between conventional offers asking for no concessions and FHA offers asking for 3% back? Which tends to be higher? If there is a difference, what does that tell us? Lastly, do you think the HOA fees above are really free or is the price inflated to cover the cost of the fees?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

People can change and so can houses. Do you believe that? That’s a loaded question, I know. Maybe sometimes it’s easier for a house to change though.  Anyway, I appraised a fire-burned home in Citrus Heights a few months back and I stopped by the rehabbed version this morning to check things out while in the same neighborhood on an appraisal inspection. Housing Group Fund flipped this house with  Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds, so you know it was done to very high standards. The difference is remarkable and change like this pumps me up because it’s really good for a neighborhood. What do you think?

NOTE: The first three “after” photos are MLS photos and the “before” photos are my own. The agent’s “afters” turned out better than most of mine this morning, so I used hers instead. Contact Real Estate Agent Tera Coombs for more information on this property. And no, I am not being paid to promote this listing. I just think things like this are worthy of sharing. A bit of good news is nice these days in our economy, don’t you think?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Don’t you love unique landmarks? I sure do. While driving on Wilton Road today on my way to an appraisal inspection, I decided to actually stop and snap a few pictures of this “cannon/mining” motif in the front of a property in Elk Grove (literally next to the border of Wilton). I always get a kick out of this one each time I pass by. My lot size is far too small to have this theme in my yard. Well, my neighbors would probably flog me too due to the principle of conformity in real estate. But if I was on acreage…. What do you think?

While we’re on the subject of Wilton, here are all sales in Wilton over the past five years. What do you see? Does anything stand out to you? The trend in many other areas of Sacramento tends to have a much sharper decline, but that’s less of the case here. What makes Wilton different in your mind? If you live in Wilton, what do you find desirable about the community?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

What is a firewall? Defined by Wikipedia, it’s ”a fireproof barrier used to prevent the spread of fire between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle.” The firewall shown below is a standard one found between a garage and a house as this wall serves to help stop the spread of fire. Do you see a problem with this firewall though?

The cost to repair the large hole is very minimal, but it’s still a safety issue for occupants, which means it is something that needs to be repaired for an FHA loan. I’ve actually seen this issue twice in the past month on investor flips in the Sacramento area, so clearly it’s not something that is being cured every time by sellers before the appraiser heads out.

Here is a photo of a “before” and “after” of a firewall breach. Have you seen a hole as such cause problems before in a house? Might rodents be able to get into the house this way too? Can you think of any other issues this might pose?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

This is exactly what happens when a bank gets tired of having their AC units hijacked from foreclosed properties. I saw this “REO cage” on a Fannie Mae property in Sacramento recently. Yes, each leg is bolted to the ground.

What a sign of the times, don’t you think?

If you have any questions or Sacramento area real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs, contact me by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.