Appraisers' Free Forum

**Christine Marie**

Having just realized that i can chart and export and do such as that:...

am wondering, what do the other peoples that include graphs in the reports, graph?, since i am seeing a whole lot of options...

What would be generally included in your reports for documentation and or presentation..

Thanks, for any input...

_________________
Keep your friends close, and your enemies in front of you....

hallmac · Member Joined: 11 Aug 2007 Posts: 81 Location: Raymore

I generally only include three graphs on one page. Typically I will include one that has the listing and sales price of comparable properties for the past 12 months, one for the DOM, and one for the total sales in the market.

I only do simple residential work and only want to include the information I used to justify my time adjustments and market conditions.

**Otis** · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 12:21 am Post subject:

It depends upon the client and their requests and/or requirements. For a Relo analysis they have been for some time requesting quarterly data on high, avg, medium & low list/sale prices, list/sale price ratios and AVG DOM. For others that don't specify I include one of (or both) the attached stuff that is provided via our MLS provider, which many others also have access to because they use the same server. One of which is not a graphics presentation.
_________________
Don't believe everything you think Wink

What are they SMOKING?<<Link

**Rhonda Brown** · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:46 am Post subject:

Too cool Otis!

I wish my MLS provided graph and print out capabilities. Crying

They make it as difficult as possible and do not even provide DOM with a download.

whip

_________________
"Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment" Buddha

**Edd Gillespie** · Certified General Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 2282

I think O implies a perspective that may need exploration. I admire Christine for wanting to improve her practice and I encourage her to do so, but the challenge remaining after mastery of the technology is finding mortgage bound clients that care. As has been pointed out these clients are suing appraisals bcasue they must and they are shopping for them as if they were a commodity. For the most part the SFR mortgage appraisers are considered interchangeable. An appraisal is an appraisal.
_________________
Edd “In the real estate economy, there are no guarantees that reason will prevail in a market where emotions run high and the amount of misinformation runs deep.” Jonathan Miller in The Matrix. So what’s an appraiser to do?

**Steve Owen** · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 1:03 pm Post subject:

I never include graphical information in reports. I played around with it some about 10 years ago... not too hard to do and impressive looking. However, the problem with graphs is the same as the problem with statistics... they can easily be misleading. Because of the graphs pictorial nature, a small lie can easily be very distorted and become a really big lie. I am reminded of someone who posted a graph on AF that was created by some government think tank... someone, I believe it was Santora, pointed out that the two lines in the graph were not on the same scale.

I do include a lot of tables of information in my reports. I believe that my interpretation of this and other information is primarily what I am being paid for... I put that in black and white, not in a picture. Just MHO.
_________________
I haven't a particle of confidence in a man who has no redeeming petty vices.
- Mark Twain, a Biography

**Christine Marie** · Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject:

Interesting suggestions,
How about a nice compromise, I want to learn how to develop more strength and credibility for the stuff I will leave in the work-file....
And having something to play at, will help keep my mind and hands from being idle.

_________________
Keep your friends close, and your enemies in front of you....

Mako · Member Joined: 11 Aug 2007 Posts: 849

**Steve Owen** · Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 9:51 am Post subject:

Mako · Member Joined: 11 Aug 2007 Posts: 849

**Jim Plante** · Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 7:51 am Post subject:

In one sense, when you prepare an appraisal report, you're selling your opinions: Your opinion of the neighborhood, the market area, and general and segment-specific RE markets.

Question: Would I rather deal with an UW callback, or would I mind taking the time to include a simple graph of, say, 90 and 180-day moving averages of sales and inventory? I've done them anyway as part of my research. All that's needed is to copy/paste into the report, and apply a style that sizes the graph correctly and wraps the text around it.

I use graphs in a residential report when it's going out of state, and the graph will be useful in explaining the market to someone not familiar with it. For a local or private client, I don't include them unless (as in the case of a private client) he's clueless.
_________________
Jim Plante

**Edd Gillespie** · Certified General Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 2282

**Edd Gillespie** · Certified General Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 2282

I will agree with Jim 100% if this extra work causes clients to hire better appraisers and give them the time and fee to produce really good appraisals. As Jim just expereinced with his Victorian office complex, clients are really tuned into getting cheaper and I know they want them faster.

I suppose, in a way, keeping UWs at bay by doing more work really fast for low fees can be justified by not having to spend unnecessary time with a UW, but I think it needs tweaking.
_________________
Edd “In the real estate economy, there are no guarantees that reason will prevail in a market where emotions run high and the amount of misinformation runs deep.” Jonathan Miller in The Matrix. So what’s an appraiser to do?

**Christine Marie** · Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:20 am Post subject:

**Edd Gillespie** · Certified General Joined: 13 Aug 2007 Posts: 2282