Don't Shoot the Messenger: Appraisers Not at Fault for 'Low' Home Values

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Jan 17, 2012, 09:00 ET

CHICAGO, Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Don't blame the real estate appraiser if it turns out that house you're trying to sell or buy isn't worth what you thought it was. That was the message today from the Appraisal Institute, the nation's largest professional association of real estate appraisers.

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Real estate agents, homebuilders and others have tried to blame the market's distressed condition on appraisers, saying that real estate appraisers are at fault for producing opinions of value that don't match a home's listing, contract or sales price, delaying a recovery in the housing market. Appraisal Institute President Sara W. Stephens, MAI, called that accusation "nonsense."

"The fact is that appraisers are undertaking the same thorough research and thoughtful analysis that they always have in order to continue producing reliable, credible opinions of value," Stephens said. "Don't shoot the messenger."

Noting that buyers and sellers often have emotional value attached to a home or are unaware of the market, Stephens pointed out that appraisals completed for mortgage transactions are used to assist lenders in making lending decisions – and are not intended to confirm a listing, contract or sales price. There's no reason to assume the contract price is the "correct" price simply because it's higher than the appraisal, she said.

Stephens also noted that appraisers' clients are lenders, not buyers or sellers. She said appraisers are independent, third-party experts with no motive to be biased.

"Appraisers don't set the real estate market; they reflect what's happening in the market," Stephens said. "Think of the appraiser as a mirror, reflecting the market. Obviously, the market is depressed – home prices have fallen far below the values of a few years ago. Many homes simply aren't worth what their owners think they are."

Stephens said that especially in a distressed market, competent and qualified appraisers with local market knowledge – such as designated members of the Appraisal Institute – should be hired for difficult assignments. "Designated members of the Appraisal Institute have achieved levels of education, experience, standards, ethics and peer review above those of licensed or state certified appraisers," she said. "They are particularly valuable when facing challenging assignments like those found in today's market."

She also said competent and qualified appraisers know how to use distressed sales, such as foreclosures, as comparable sales when determining a reliable, credible opinion of value.

"Qualified, competent appraisers are capable of using their experience and education to determine when – and how – to use distressed sales as comparables," Stephens said. "These appraisers know what adjustments to make, if any, when using distressed sales as comparables."

She added that in some markets, distressed sales are so prevalent that it would be improper not to use them as comparables.

Read a one-page handout from the Appraisal Institute responding to the claim that so-called "low" appraisals are allegedly "killing" home sales. Read a one-page handout from the Appraisal Institute on how appraisers use distressed sales as comparables.

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The Appraisal Institute is a global membership association of professional real estate appraisers, with nearly 23,000 members in nearly 60 countries throughout the world. Its mission is to advance professionalism and ethics, global standards, methodologies, and practices through the professional development of property economics worldwide. Organized in 1932, the Appraisal Institute advocates equal opportunity and nondiscrimination in the appraisal profession and conducts its activities in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Members of the Appraisal Institute benefit from an array of professional education and advocacy programs, and may hold the prestigious MAI, SRPA and SRA designations. Learn more at www.appraisalinstitute.org.

SOURCE Appraisal Institute