The Goldilocks Approach As I’ve discussed in previous posts, the essence of pricing real estate is what’s called “bracketing.” (See, “Bracketing,” Explained“; and “Why the Neighbor’s House Usually Isn’t a Comp“). Translation: you need to find a home that’s just above the home you’re trying to price (called the “subject property”) and one that’s just...Read More
Why It’s Smart to Be Nice to Appraisers As I’ve written previously (“Appraisers vs. Realtors vs. Trulia“), Realtors active in an area will often field calls from appraisers trying to establish the value of similar, nearby homes. Whether the bank they’re working for is considering a new mortgage or refinancing an existing one, the questions...Read More
“What’s That House Cost?” — Vol. #42 Want to buy 100 shares of Microsoft? If the last trade was for $25.43, it’s a good bet that you’ll have to pay . . . .$25.43 (or maybe $25.42 or $25.44). Want to buy a nicely updated, four Bedroom Colonial in East Edina? That’ll be . ....Read More
Framing the Choices In politics, it’s often said that “whoever defines the terms of debate, wins.” The equivalent in real estate appraising would be, “whoever decides the geographic area for choosing the comp’s, defines home values.” What does that mean? One of the challenges choosing and analyzing “comparable sold properties” (comp’s) is coming up with...Read More
