If the appraised value comes in lower than the contract price, did the appraiser do something wrong? It’s easy to think the appraiser has been negligent somehow if the contract price is not met, but that’s not necessarily true. Appraisers have been getting slammed lately by the National Association of Realtors among other sources for “low appraisals”. There are certainly horror stories and situations where botched appraisals have killed a deal. Believe me, I know this from many relationships I have with investors and real estate agents in the Sacramento area. That’s exactly why I’ve given tips for challenging a low appraisal. But let’s remember that negotiations are normative in real estate and a list price and contract price are not necessarily a reflection of value.

Case-in-point: I appraised a flipped property in Elk Grove recently and my appraisal came back close to $10,000 below the contract price (but still above list price). While this is frustrating for the seller or listing agent, there was no ill-intent or agenda on my part. I could be blamed for bringing down the housing market and stalling a recovery, but I simply interpreted the market in this case. The lender’s appraisal department actually agreed with my appraisal too as we talked in-depth about why the appraised value was reasonable. Recent sales in the neighborhood did not support the contract price, current listings did not support the contract price, I did not use distressed sales for comparables (those were far lower than equity sales) and even offers on the subject property supported a lower value. The seller ended up accepting the highest offer – an FHA offer asking for closing costs back. All other offers were conventional or asked for no closing costs, and they all came in near or lower than the appraised value. The type of financing is not a definitive point for establishing value, but buyers not using their own money tend to make higher offers, don’t they?

Don’t forget to point the finger at the market: It’s interesting to me that appraisers are often blamed for a lack of recovery in the housing market. I wrote two days ago about the increase in the percentage of short sales in the 95757 zip code of Elk Grove. While this is encouraging news on some levels (less foreclosures), short sales also tend to sell lower than traditional sales, which means the housing market is ultimately weighed down if short sales represent 39% of all sales in a given zip code. Short sales usually have to be priced more aggressively to generate interest and/or close quickly before foreclosure. Some banks are not easy to work with either, which can also impact pricing too. I’m not saying at all that appraisers are not to face blame for shoddy work, but when the market has a total of 66% of all sales being foreclosures or short sales (as in the case above), it’s important to keep in perspective just how much the market is driving property values.

My points: 1) Give blame when it is due; 2) Market > Appraisers.

What do you think? Does this seem reasonable or am I off my rocker? What are the factors helping and hurting our housing market right now? What role do you see flipped properties playing in the housing market?

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.

No. A property is worth what it is worth regardless of being distressed or not. With that being said, when a house is a short sale it may need to be marketed at a more aggressive price level to dump the property before a foreclosure date or offset any negative perception in the market for being a short sale. Notice though we’re talking about an aggressive ”price” and not “value”.

Here’s a good question to ask. If a short sale was not a short sale, would it sell for more? The answer is very often “yes” and that leads us to a better picture of what market value is. The truth is that properties are frequently marketed as short sales and end up generating little interest before resulting in foreclosure. But then after these same houses end up as bank-owned they generate very quick offers at or above the original short sale listing price. Of course part of this could be banks not cooperating with the short sale process and buyers tiring of waiting for months for the deal to close, but it’s hard to ignore that short sales often (not always) sell at lower levels.   

Case-in-point: I appraised a house recently in the City of Galt where competitive properties in the neighborhood showed a distinct difference between short sales and everything else. Comparable non-distressed properties were selling around $105,000-$115,000, REOs were selling mostly between $85,000-$100,000 and short sales were selling closer to $85,000-$90,000 near the bottom of the competitive range. It’s certainly true that condition and quality of updates played a role in the price differences, but it’s not an accident either that short sales were consistently finding their place near the bottom of the market.

Why is this important to understand?

1. Appraisers:  From the appraisal standpoint, if short sale comps are used in an appraisal report (without an adjustment upward), then the value in the report may be lower than what it should be. The value could really be a “quick sale” value rather than “market value”. That’s not good on many levels. Please understand though that short sales do not always sell less than fair market value, so an adjustment upward is not always warranted in an appraisal. It all depends on what is happening in the market.
2. Investors:  I just spoke with a Sacramento investor yesterday who has been growing frustrated to see some of his properties compared to bottom-of-the-market short sales by appraisers. This investor found me online and he called me to see if I had any advice on how to deal with his situation. That’ll be a different blog post, but I did give him some tips, a few which I mention below.  
3. Real Estate Agents:  I recommend real estate agents (and investors) provide a detailed list of all updates to appraisers (with costs if possible). Send this via email or provide in person to the appraiser. You can also discuss any relevant marketing information (ie.. “There were 4 full-price offers in 3 days and I am still getting calls and back-up offers”). Lastly, feel free to share market research and properties that helped you establish your listing price. Don’t tell the appraiser which comps to use and how to do his job, but rather share data that helped you establish your price so the appraiser might understand your point of view. You are allowed to talk with appraisers about property specifics and the real estate market, but don’t coerce and pressure for a certain value.
4. Sellers:  Know your market if you are selling. You will have to compete with distressed properties around you, which can impact your price, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to price your property the same as neighborhood short sales and REOs. A trusted real estate agent or pre-listing appraisal should be able to give you guidance to understand the market. Misunderstanding what the market is doing can cost you dearly.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Any stories to share?  

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook or subscribe to posts by email.

I had a local Realtor interview me today on video about the real estate market in Sacramento, HVCC, tax appeals, and a ton of other stuff. His video will go live next week, and I’m excited for that. That’s not really the point of this post though. I mention this because on my drive home from my video conversation, I found myself thinking about market value, low appraisals and an essay written by Patrick Egger (HERE – pdf). Here is an off-the-cuff unscripted podcast (as you’ll notice I mix up 282 and 283): 

Has a low appraisal destroyed one of your deals this year? We’ve been hearing so much about how real estate appraisers are “killing escrows” ever since the Home Valuation Code of Conduct came into effect last year. I’ve read and listened to countless horror stories from brokers, real estate agents, loan officers, and publications.

I’m not saying there aren’t legitimate complaints to be had about HVCC or certain appraisals. I simply want to provide a helpful resource to maybe clear things up a bit about what type of value appraisers are looking for in the market. My hope is that this article (linked below) will shed light on the appraisal process and give insight into the appraiser’s mind. It’s a good thing when appraisers and local agents can understand each other’s roles and mutually benefit one another.

PDF file: “Closing the Gap Between Sales Price and Appraised Value”

This article was published with permission and comes from Patrick Egger, a Certified General appraiser in Nevada with 35 years of experience in valuation, consulting and real estate studies. Comments are welcome below.