By Mike Armentrout Normally I write an article to chime in on a topic as it relates to appraisers.  Rarely do I address colleagues in other related fields outside of my own industry.  Today shall be different. This post is specifically intended to talk to our lender clients about an increasingly frequent stipulation request we are seeing from many underwriting departments.  That is to comment on or possibly grid additional sales.  Here's how it goes; after we submit a report, an underwriter sends over three to four sales and asks why they were not considered.  Sometimes these sales were discovered in our original research and other times they may be outside of the defined market area. Appraisers do have the duty to respond to any and all questions that the client as an intended user may have in analyzing collateral.  Such requests should also be handled in a professional manner.  I...

by Mike Armentrout In light of the historic low inventory levels, the existing demand appears to be exploding.  This does not mean that the current demand is unprecedented in terms of volume.  We simply have some markets with a very low supply of available listings and a disproportionate number of buyers. This is not only resulting in multiple offer scenarios but is also ramping up the offering prices as buyers are leveraging whatever they can to beat out the competition.  In fact, it has become a wild West environment as agents are attempting new strategies to win the bidding wars. So with all this frenzy, one might ask when will it change?  The simple answer is, when supply comes more into balance with demand.  Until then however, appraisers are going to have to work through some minefields. With agents desperately seeking new listings, they are feeling the heat to close as many buyers as possible.  The last thing they want to deal with is appra...

by Mike Armentrout So the other day was ironically Friday the thirteenth.   It started off without a hitch until I got the dreaded call from my accountant.   He hit me with the news that my various personal returns and first quarterly estimates would result in me writing checks that totaled over $16,000.   I spent the weekend pouring over the numbers and still could not figure out how I owed so much more than the prior year and yet only made a few hundred dollars more than last year.   I talked and texted the accountant several times with questions in hopes of finding cause for revision, but was met with only disappointment.   I am sure he could sense my growing frustration.   In fact, I’m sure the thought crossed his mind that after twenty four years of doing taxes for our company and the personal taxes of my business partner and myself; he just might lose us as a client. Then it hit me.   This was eerily similar to many calls we get as ...

by Mike Armentrout I was recently perusing a social media page that caters to appraisers and came across a thread where a user had posted a grid from a peer report.  Aside from the fact that publicly displaying the work of others can be highly controversial, I reluctantly followed that inner desire to see the carnage that would be wrought in the comments.  It didn't take long before the knives came out, as is the case when online anonymity promotes a less than civil discussion. Most of the comments centered around the adjustments that were made to the grid.  In the midst of numerous responses, someone had noted that the bath adjustments were "so 2007".  That particular phrase stayed with me for a few days.  Was this a passing quip meant to be humor, or was it a reflection of their real views on adjustments? Market based adjustments are not commodities that are subject to simple inflationary rates through time.  They are instead typically tied prop...