Originally Posted By: kmcmahon This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Quote:
Based on other homes in the area of the same approximate age, style and size, the overall general condition and function of the dwelling would be considered (Good, Fair, Poor)
It's very hard to quantify the overall condition. I guess the statement would be simply based on my overall "feeling" of the home after the inspection.
Does anyone do this or have a similiar statement in their reports?
Originally Posted By: jpeck This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
kmcmahon wrote:
Spoke to a realtor this weekend and he liked my report overall, but gave a suggestion that I should include an overall condition of the structure. At the time I didn't think it was a good idea and could get me into trouble with liablility of such a statement,
Stick with your first thought.
The only reason I can think of that the real estate agent would want an 'overall condition' statement is to make it easier to dismiss the real stuff.
Real estate agent "Sure the inspector wrote some items up, but look right here, it says 'ain't too bad'. So, what's to fix if it ain't too bad."
Originally Posted By: Brian A. Goodman This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I agree with Jerry, I think the realtor is looking for a means to downplay any problems, and would like you to help. Nothing could convince me to include such a broad statement that might influnce the buy / don’t buy decision. Bad idea.
Originally Posted By: phinsperger This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
think is important. The client may not share your priorities. They may have a brother who is a roofer and therefore not worried that the roof needs replacing. Another example, a wealthy client with severe respitory problems may be more concerned about that 1 square inch of mold in the basement than the tens of thousands of dollars to repair the foundation. This is a bit of an extreme, but it makes my point. Present the facts and let the client put it all together.
Anything that goes in the report I should be able to successfully defend in a court of law.
If the rating was based upon amount of money to repair, one would need to defend the costs estimates you used to arrive at the total $
If the rating was based upon risk to safety, one would need to defend that they are qualified to establish the risks of each component.
If the rating was based it upon ... well, you get the picture.
Carson Dunlop (a reporting system I do not use) does include and overall rating system in their summary section.
I think you can get into a lot of trouble by giving such a rating.
Originally Posted By: syared This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I give my clients an overall opinion of the house but I don’t put it in writing. A few Realtors have asked be to do this, but did not specify that it be in writing. With first time home buyers it gives them an idea how a particular house might stack up to a different one. The opinion is always given with remarks like…for a home this age, etc. the house is in _____ condition.
I don’t think we can always guess what a Realtors motives are.
Originally Posted By: jhorton This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I have to agree. I created a place to put overall condition of the house in my reports but I have yet to do it. The more I thought about it the more it scared me. To easy to take what you said and twist it around.
As an Appraiser my reports are generally around 15 pages long. We constantly have people calling asking questions that are answered in the report. They simply don't read it.
The more I thought about it more I decided if I gave a summary and said the house overall was in good condition, and it had say one electrical problem that needed to be fixed. There was just to much risk that someone would not read on and rely on the summary.
-- Jeff <*\\><
The man who tells the truth doesn't have to remember what he said.
Originally Posted By: bsmith This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I wouldn’t offer an “overall condition” statement. It’s too dangerous. We report existing conditions, not subjective opinions that could come back and bite us.
