Appraisers' Free Forum

I am a firm believer in writing reports in the first person and in the past tense.

However, there are times when it is so contrary to my natural instinct I just give up and write in the third person or the present tense.

Otherwise I simply end up making switching-tense-in-the-middle-of-the-paragraph mistakes that have to be tediously edited.

One section I have totally given up on is the neighborhood description. I write that in the present tense.

You guys who are firm believers in first person past tense, are there any areas at all that you write in present tense?

"Yeah, I have a response..............What???"

(Caveman commercial-Geiko)

The appraiser determined.........
I determined..................
Now is the time for all good apprasiers to determine...............

I use third person ("the appraiser observed......"). Don't know why --- it just comes naturally to me for these types of reports.

I believe 'the appraiser" did or did not do something was a belief it created a distance in liability.

If you sign the report, you, which becomes I, did or did not do something. Therefore, you are not distancing your liability at all, IMO.

I find it easier to write and my ideas flow better sitting in front of my computer writing in 1st person.

Clients have mentioned to me it is an easier report to read in 1st person vs. 3rd person.

To each his/her own, but I prefer 1st person.

With inflation that is my nickels worth.

<sigh>

I seem to be stuck in the past writing in the 3rd person, past tense. I've tried to get up to date and write in the first person, but it seems like I'm trying to learn a new language or something....

TB

Write it the way you are best at and most comfortable with. I suppose if you switch your persons around within a document it might add to the confusion, but otherwise only a pedagogue could pssobly care. The tense should express the facts as of the effedctive date and the subject. Just get the development done and reported so the guy who reads it can understand it and it's honest. That is the whole point of estimating value an appraisal report, isn't it? We are not teaching English here.

Posting on here seems to hone my skills of written expression. You are free to apply your own rules on this one. USPAP really is silent on an issue, for once.

This poster finds this topic redundant and one that, in this posters opinion, has been observed previously having comments favoring both particular aspects of writing an appraisers report. This poster has found that the method of describing said appraiser as either first or third person is not relevant, but rather, that the quality of the report data is what is sought. The perspective that the report is written from is secondary and personal opnion.

Ben, I'm quite sure that the Pullitzer people ain't looking for you. Your post makes my case well for first person, active voice. While the information you're trying to convey can be pried out of it, if our reports are equally priced and have equal quality of data, I'll steal all your clients.