LP/SP RATIO

We all know appraisals are being scrutinized more these days than in the past by lenders, underwriters and reviewers. We also know the main reason(s) for this, if we keep up with the news and happenings within the Real Estate Industry. With the declining market so wide spread, there is a reinforcing of expectations on the part of underwriters and reviewers and is being carried over to appraisal standards.

One of the main areas of an appraisal, that AACAZ has noticed, being looked at closely (in a declining market) is the support for the value conclusion. An Appraisers responsibility is to certify that they have performed an objective and complete analysis of quantifiable data supporting their conclusion, with a strong emphasis these days on: property value trends and market trends – supply and demand – concessions – sale dates and proximity of comparables - marketing time and exposure time – days on market.

There have been numerous Blogs, Posts, Comments, recently and in the past about concessions, disclosures, absorption rate, matched pair sales, cost to cure, all of which should be addressed in the reports ( NOTE: I will be adding new posts on these topics in the future). But there is one thing that is probably over-looked, neglected, or unknown that needs to be included. That is: List-To-Sale Price Ratio.

Realtors can, and some do, use this as a marketing tool for clients by telling sellers their sale price ratio is higher than others, which means a higher return at closing, or getting the property sold at or closer to the listing price. But that ratio is calculated on the performance of the individual Realtor and not the market.List-To-Sale Price Ratio, sometimes referred to as Sale Price Ratio or LPSP%, is a simple calculation to determine the ratio percentage between the list price and the sale price. Formula: Sale Price divided by List Price equals Ratio (%).

What this indicates, and what it is being looked at for, is seller’s of previously sold comps, willingness to negotiate and by how much. It is also an indicator of the market trend – increasing, stable, or declining. Adjusting the listings by the LPSP% calculated on the sales, a supporting indication of value is presented because of the Principle of Substitution, applied to the listings. By adjusting the listings and arranging all comps and listings from oldest to newest, will show higher or lower values as you move forward in time, proving a positive or negative time adjustment that can be calculated as a monthly percentage. The analysis results are an upper limit of value and a market trend direction.

Appraisers should have in their work files documented research supporting the market conditions reported (LP/SP ratio, concessions, active/pending listings, absorption rate, etc) along with comments in the report to comply with Standard Rule 1-1 for Credibility and the Competency Rule of USPAP. AACAZ is USPAP compliant.

Appraiser Representation

Yesterday I attended one of the monthly meetings of the Arizona Board of Appraisal which was open to the public. The mission of the board is to promote quality real estate appraisal in Arizona that protects the health, safety and welfare of the public. It also acts as a disciplinary body to ensure conformity with the statutes, rules and regulations governing the board.

While the meeting itself may appear somewhat mundane to members of the public, the procedures and agenda topics (cases, item numbers) do provide an insight to the state of the appraisal profession. Although the meetings are open to the public, the Board may go into Executive Session at which time the public may not attend.

Most items on the agenda were carried over from previous meetings and covered the usual monthly items: applications accepted/declined, continuing education classes approved/disapproved, motions (for investigation, informal hearing, formal hearing), informal complaint hearings, and complaint reviews. The complaint hearings and reviews are the “meat items” to find out what is happening in the world of Real Estate Appraisals.

There are two types of compalints – Board complaints and Out Side complaints. Board complaints usually occur from something revealed during a review or investigation by the Board, and may or may not be related to the initial purpose of the review or investigation. Outside complaints are filed by the public.

In yesterday's meeting, the outside complaints were pretty much the usual: values too low, values too high, used wrong comparables. There were, however, a few different complaints.

They included: appraised the wrong parcel of land, wrong appraisal form used, appraiser signed report using another appraiser's license infor, trainee accepting assignments from own clients, and signing reports with supervising appraiser's electronic signature, without their consent or knowledge, supervising appraiser remained in vehicle on cell phone while trainee performed exterior and interior inspection on own.

Some complaints were dismissed while others were sent to investigation, hearings, and/or disciplinary actions, which ranged from: Letters to Comply, Supervised Probation, Additional Educational Courses relavent to Violation, License Suspension, Order to Hand Over License.

The meeting also had a couple of other agenda items of interest. One was a preliminary report from the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council. Another was a discussion concerning the 48th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session and Governor's recommended merger of the Arizona Board of Appraisal into the Arizona Department of Real Estate . Unfortunately, I was unable to attend that portion of the meeting and will have to obtain any information from other sources.

Historical Properties

When it comes to appraising Historical Properties, more specifically residential historic properties, an appraiser can find themselves in a very interesting and educational situation, or a complete nightmare. Either way, AACAZ does not appraise historic properties.

Most major cities have historic districts (for example – Phoenix has 35 historic districts), however, not all residential properties within a particular historic district are in fact “Historical”. You might ask “What is a historic property?” A historic property is a property that is designated, or has been determined eligible for designation, at the local, state, or federal level. The property, or properties, must either be important for representing broad patterns of history, associated with the life of a historically important person, or for archeological contributions. More simply put – associated with a historical person, place or event.

Generally speaking, a historic property has roughly a 25% higher value than similar non-historic properties.

With that in mind, I came across an article today, in the Daily Real Estate News (their source was The Associated Press), that I found interesting, unusual, and slightly humorous, given the increase in foreclosures and the current real estate market conditions.


Daily Real Estate News January 14, 2008
Woman Sells Pieces of her Foreclosed Home
An Ontario, Calif., woman, who tried to save her home from foreclosure by selling its period flooring, baseboards, and other fixtures on eBay, was evicted and the house was secured by local police.

A Superior Court judge intervened after the city complained that the home was being desecrated. The city had an interest because it gave the 71-year-old Mediterranean Revival home owner a break on property taxes because the property is considered historic.

Owner Kim Shewalter stopped paying her mortgage after payments adjusted to $6,500 a month. "Until the bank takes it away, that's my home," she says.Shewalter says she was only removing and selling items that she installed in the home herself, such as a set of custom-made cabinets and an antique light fixture she inherited from her grandmother.

"I have to give my house back to the bank, and I want to be sure I recoup a little bit of my money," she says.

With the increase of Pre-Foreclosures, Foreclosures, Short Sales, Abandoned Properties, Bank Owned Properties (all of which I do provide appraisal service for) on the market today and many more to come, I would not consider this an isolated event. It is however the first I have heard regarding a Historic Property.