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low appraised value

How can a 40K remodel only increase value by 20K?

February 6, 2013 By Ryan Lundquist 4 Comments

Imagine you just finished up a sweet $40,000 kitchen remodel. The old cabinets from the 70s are gone, your green vinyl flooring has been replaced, and a thick granite slab and stainless steel appliances have trumped formica counters and crusty outdated appliances. You’re extremely happy, and also satisfied to have improved your property value by $40,000. That’s what you did, right? Not necessarily.

kitchen remodel - photo by Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Why do appraisers not recognize the full cost? It can feel maddening to property owners when appraisers don’t include the full cost of a remodel in an appraisal report. But there is a reason why the total cost might now show up in the final value (assuming the appraiser did a good job of course). The key issue in the mind of an appraiser is how much buyers are willing to pay for the remodel. Or in appraiser lingo, what is the reaction in the market for the kitchen remodel? Through research and comparison to other properties in the neighborhood or market, appraisers find out how much a kitchen remodel is worth. For instance, if homes with an outdated kitchen are selling at $250,000, but homes with a similar kitchen remodel are selling at $270,000, then it’s clear the market is willing to pay $20,000 for the kitchen – despite the cost at $40,000. By the way, there is no universal figure or percentage for what buyers will pay for a kitchen remodel. The $20,000 I used is only an example.

Cost vs. Value: This scenario highlights that there can be a huge difference between cost and value. Cost is what we pay for something and value is what it’s worth. As much as we’d like to think these two are the same, that’s not always the case. It’s easy to see differences between cost and value when we consider things like extra square footage, built-in swimming pools or a very expensive remodel that definitely won’t see the cost recovered in the market because the house is now overbuilt. Experienced inventors know this phenomenon well too because they have to be very cautious about their numbers. They know an $80,000 remodel doesn’t necessarily add $80,000 in value to the acquisition price – especially if the initial purchase really wasn’t that good of a deal. That’s why the goal is to buy low enough to fit in the cost of improvements and profit. Ultimately no investor wants to make the wrong type of improvements or outspend the resale value.

If you’re concerned about resale value, it might be worth it to talk with an experienced Realtor or appraiser about your plans (before you remodel).

Questions: What do you think adds the most value to a home? What type of improvements would you recommend for home owners? Any stories to share if you’ve had your property recently appraised?

If you have any questions or Sacramento home appraisal or property tax appeal needs, let’s connect by phone 916-595-3735, email, Twitter, subscribe to posts by email (or RSS) or “like” my page on Facebook

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Filed Under: Appraisal Stuff, Resources Tagged With: cost vs value, Functional Obsolescence, Home Appraiser, House Appraiser, how much value will appraiser give for kitchen remodel, low appraised value, price and value, what is a kitchen remodel worth, why did appraiser not give full value

How to challenge a low appraisal (a format to use)

June 5, 2012 By Ryan Lundquist 6 Comments

How do you go about challenging a low appraisal? While you might feel frustrated beyond belief, it’s important to not make an emotional argument, but rather share facts and market data in a systematic way to support your case. The following document is a format I developed for my investor clients who kept asking me what they can do to deal with bad appraisals.

Before launching into a rebuttal, you first ought to make sure to ask the lender what their process is for challening an appraisal so you know you are spending your time wisely. Additionally, read through some of my tips for challening a low appraisal.

Check out the document below or VIEW OR DOWNLOAD HERE. Feel free to use or adapt according to your needs. If you need a Word document of this file, contact me.

View this document on Scribd

I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

UPDATE: I wrote a helpful piece on BiggerPockets.com about how to challenge a low appraisal. I included a downloadable format to use that evolves the format above just a bit. It’s free. Go get it HERE.

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Filed Under: Appraisal Stuff, Resources Tagged With: appraisal reconsideration letter, appraiser in Sacramento, bad appraisal, dealing with low value, format for putting together appraisal rebuttal, House Appraiser, How to challenge a low appraisal, how to do appraisal rebuttal, low appraised value, reconsideration of value, Sacramento Home Appraiser

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First off, thank you for being here. Now let's get into the fine print. The material and information contained on this website is the copyrighted property of Ryan Lundquist and Lundquist Appraisal Company. Content on this website may not be reproduced or republished without prior written permission from Ryan Lundquist.

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The information on this website is meant entirely for educational purposes and is not intended in any way to support an opinion of value for your appraisal needs or any sort of value conclusion for a loan, litigation, tax appeal or any other potential real estate or non-real estate purpose. The material found on this website is meant for casual reading only and is not intended for use in a court of law or any other legal use. Ryan will not appear in court in any capacity based on any information posted here. For more detailed market analysis to be used for an appraisal report or any appraisal-related purpose or valuation consulting, please contact Ryan at 916-595-3735 for more information.

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