Latest comparison to online valuation models

Latest comparison to online valuation models

It is quite frustrating to see how many people rely on these online value estimators to either price their home, or use it for marital dissolution, or other reasons. As will be shown in a minute, these can be off by a significant amount, either low or high.

I just ran sales in Ann Arbor, in the 48103 area for the past couple of weeks. I then compared the sales prices to two online value estimators and State Equalized Value times two. The only consistency to the information is that these online value estimators overestimated on houses in need of work and underestimated on those houses that were remodeled. In only a small percentage of cases, were the value tools within five percent of the actual sales price.

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Appraisals are “opinions” of value by educated professionals. They are opinions based on factual data, but in the end of the opinion of a professional. Not all appraisers have equal qualifications and experience, and therefore not all opinions are equal.

If you are shopping for an appraiser to help provide you an independent opinion of value, base your selection on the breadth and depth of that appraiser’s knowledge and experience, not the price of the appraisal assignment. After all, it is typically your client’s largest investment, and does it make sense to be penny-wise and pound-foolish?

Rachel Massey, www.annarborappraisal.com

 

Another bifurcated market snapshot

Bifurcated Market Snapshot

4/1/14

In my venture to stay abreast with what is happening in Washtenaw County, I offer the latest study of differences in median sales price and number of sales for one market within the larger area.

In short, prices are up from the same time last year, but there are signs of weakness and even a possible decline in place in this market segment right now.

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The analysis relates to all sales exposed through the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors MLS between 1/1/11 and 4/1/14 in the one area. The data is in two graphs, one related to the number of sales and the other to median sales price. These two graphs compare arm’s length transactions to REO transactions in both categories.

This data includes everything in the MLS so there are duplicate listings.  This occurs when agents have listings in both Realcomp and the A2BR MLS. Since this data is run on the median price as opposed to average price, it should be very similar on that graph, even with duplicates.  Only the Great Lakes Repository was omitted from the search results since there are not very many of those and they tend to be triplicates as opposed to duplicates.

These sales are run on a yearly basis, but one month at a time, so that each segment includes one years’ worth of data. Doing so eliminates the seasonality that is common in Michigan and should correspond with the Board statistics (if they were to go by school district or area as opposed to the entire MLS).

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Total number of sales/arm’s length compared to REO

Here is a snapshot of the number of arm’s length sales compared to the number of REO sales. At first there were more REO sales and now there are far more arm’s length sales.  This means the distress sales have largely made their way through the market at this point, leaving far fewer available. This is a good thing and helps stabilize the market.

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Median price comparison

The graph above is the median sales price comparison between arm’s length and REO. In the past five months, there has been stability to a slight decline in arm’s length sale prices, and stability in the REO market for the past three months. With this data, you can see the ebb and flow as to prices rising, declining, rising and then stabilizing to dipping just slightly in the past couple months. This could be related to the very difficult weather our area has experienced this winter.

Comparing the most recent year-to-year results in the arm’s length category there is an increase in median price of 9.41%. Comparing the same with REO sales, the increase is 49.88% for median price. Clearly, the largest increase in this market has been with the foreclosed properties, increasing as these numbers dwindle.

I find that tracking the contract-to-listing ratio a great predictor of activity. This is simply the total number of contracted listings compared to the total number of listings, and it relates to general activity levels. In the arm’s length category as of 4/3/14, it was 33.33%, which is reasonably robust, but certainly not off the charts. At this level, it is what I would consider “in balance” to slightly favoring sellers, due mainly to lack of inventory.

Inventory is low with 46 offerings not under contract (4/3/14) compared to 237 sales the year before. That equates to less than two and a half months inventory based on the previous year’s sales. Perhaps the price increases have put a damper on interest in some of these sales, and the lessening of the REO inventory means there are fewer good deals to swoop up (less than 1.5 months inventory of REOs).

Based on the data, my opinion is this market as a whole is stable in price, undersupplied, and may be feeling the effects of the price increases last year starting to put a damper on current price trends. This is the entire area market, and every submarket is unique. That means you could be looking at a market that is in an upward trajectory, or even one that is starting a downward track, and as such should always try to whittle down to the market in which your property actually competes. The data above is purposely broad.

As always, I hope that you have found my musings useful. Just remember it is the educated opinion of one appraiser. I am always available to help Realtors, attorneys and property owners alike.

Rachel Massey www.annarborappraisal.com

Appraising the right way – Part 1 Requiem for a Dream

http://3approaches.wordpress.com/2014/03/23/appraising-the-right-way-part-1-requiem-for-a-dream/

Reposted with permission from the 3Approaches blog post  from Woody Fincham, SRA and Rachel Massey, SRA, AI-RRS

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We are two appraisers separated by a three- hour flight or a nine-hour car ride.  We have never met in person, but have come to know one another through social media.  We are designated and recognized experts in residential valuation in our respective regions; both have had successful careers working in various positions within the profession; we are separated by enough distance that we experience completely different market stimuli.  We subscribe to doing valuation work the right way.  The way it should be done: defensible and well supported. Yet, we (and many others in the profession) are watching it being dismantled by the lenders, appraisal management companies (AMCs) and even from within the profession itself.  This is not the way that it should be, yet we still stick to our guns and we dream about how it should be regardless of the present reality.

We share a dream:

Like any great dream, it is lofty, challenging and worthwhile. We dream that we can make a living as fee appraisers, doing our jobs the proper way. The dream is to take the time to analyze the problem to be solved; research the market thoroughly including market trends; interview the market participants; analyze the sales and extract market adjustments; and then report  the opinion of value  in a way that the client can understand the  thought processes. Within this, there will be good support for conclusions and the appraisal will make complete sense to the reader. It will not leave gaping holes or questions. The opinion of value will be well supported by sales that are both inferior to the subject as well as those that are superior (and ideally equal). The appraisal will address the current market conditions and the active competition as well as the closed and pending sales.

Analysis is what we do, refined by the appraisal process, tempered by ethics and integrity all rounded out by participation in a profession that is carried out by like-mined and well-intentioned practitioners.

The dream continues:

Our clients  will truly care about the analysis and it will be meaningful to them. They need something of substance, and not simply paper for a loan closing package, or simply a report for a divorce or bankruptcy proceeding. The client understands that the valuation is based on fact, but in the end is an educated and well-supported opinion. The client understands that each report is a unique and extensive research project that is custom designed. The client is comfortable with the opinion of value because they reached out to a well-qualified and experienced appraiser; one that is rewarded the report because they are respected professionals, not just another step in a loan closing process or the cheapest one they could find.

Prologue:

We realize this is getting into the lofty and idealist side of things, hence the title of the blog.  What this series is going to focus on is some of the challenges appraisers face, and how we should handle them.  There is constant pressure on appraisers to adhere to scope of work enhancements from clients.  While we may mention customary and reasonable fees and the dynamic that the cost of business plays in the appraisal process in the course of this series, this is about what appraisers should be doing after they accept an assignment.

Rachel has years of experience reviewing appraisal reports working within the lending world as a staff reviewer and manager, and in the fee world through her private practice. Rachel has recently earned the new residential review designation with the Appraisal Institute.  Woody has been doing private fee review work for years and also has to review reports for tax assessment appeal as part of his position within the assessor’s office in Albemarle County, VA.  Between our combined experiences, we will focus on some issues that we see pop up repeatedly throughout various reports that have made their way across our respective desks over the years.

What is a bifurcated market?

What is a bifurcated market?

I am sure you have all heard the term bifurcated before; the question is what does it mean?

Basically a bifurcation of the market relates to two different market segments that may have the appearance of being the same, but in essence are not; two different branches as it were. In order to show this in action, I have taken the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors MLS and examined one area that is fairly homogeneous (Lincoln School District) and separated the foreclosed (REO) properties from the arm’s length sales. I have then presented them as graphs, with a little bit of analysis underneath so you can see what appraisers deal with on a daily basis.

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This first graph includes the number of sales over time for both foreclosed properties and arm’s length sales. In all instances the data is run on annualized monthly data runs, which include one years’ worth of sales at a time, run by month (eliminates seasonality). Clearly, the number of foreclosed properties has been declining at the same time the number of arm’s length sales has been increasing. What do you expect to see when this happens?

Hint, price increases!

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Look at the data above; price increases all around after a period of stability. Price increases are happening in the REO sector at a quicker rate than with the arm’s length segment. The arm’s length segment shows price stability over the past five months whereas the REO market still shows an increase. This is bifurcation.

Observe the difference in median sales price between the arm’s length sales and the REO sales.  Generally, there is a $20,000 gap or more in price between the arm’s length and distress sales. If there were an adequate number of arm’s length sales available, would there be any reason to consider a foreclosed property in comparison to an owner occupied house in good condition? The only time this might come into play is when there is some feature that the appraiser is trying to analyze that requires using distress sales. You will often see that happen when the subject property is larger than everything else is (or smaller) and the appraiser attempts to “bracket” the size.

If you consider all the REO sales over time, the prices have increased in median price 25.48% over this two plus year period. If you analyze arm’s length sales, prices have increased 15.38% for the same period (10.78% of it in the previous year). While prices have obviously improved, the difference is not as great as the news media has indicated lately. By comparing an entire market there is a false sense of greater improvement, simply due to fewer distress sales showing on the market. Which way of looking at the market do you consider to be more realistic?

As always, if you have valuation needs in Washtenaw County, think of Rachel Massey first!

Rachel Massey, SRA, AI-RRS www.annarborappraisal.com

 

 

 

What is a comparable?

What is comparable?

 

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Strictly speaking, a comparable property is one that is a substitute for another property. It is uncommon to have properties that are directly comparable, but let me offer you a car analogy that should help you in choosing comparable properties for your market analysis, or to provide appraisers on your sales.

Most people will want to buy as much as they can for as little as possible. If you have a budget for a new car of $25,000, it is unlikely you would be out looking at BMW’s or Mercedes, whereas if you have a budget of $60,000 and want a German car, you are unlikely to be looking at VW Bugs. Is the VW Bug comparable with a BMW 5-Series? Not likely. Are they both German Cars? Of course. Would the buyer of a VW Bug choose a BMW 5-Series if they were the same price? Most likely. Would the buyer of the BMW 5-Series buy the VW Bug if they were the same price? Highly unlikely. You get the picture.

This is the same idea with comparable properties. While a buyer of a good basic tract house say 1,500 square feet, would likely jump at the chance to buy a 2,500 square foot semi-custom house if they were the same price, in equal locations, the converse would not be the case.

The reason I am putting it into these basic terms is that I have seen agents provide appraisers “comparable” properties that are anything but. To be comparable, the likely buyers of one would have to consider the other, so it is not only that the buyer for the subject will consider a far superior property, but the buyer of that far superior property would want to be reasonably considering the subject.

What does this mean when you provide sales to an appraiser? First, look for what the typical buyer for your property would truly look at as a substitution. When you do that, look at those sales in the same vein, as whether your property would be a reasonable substitution.

This bit of wisdom will help you choose the comparable properties for your market analysis, and give you a good basis of comparable properties for the appraiser should you wish to share them.

Good luck out there, and happy spring selling season!!!

As always, if you need a valuation in Washtenaw County, think of me first!

Rachel Massey, SRA, AI-RRS

www.annarborappraisal.com

 

Measuring the market (part 2)

So many ways to measure (part 2)

Yesterday I wrote about two different parts of the analysis of market conditions and today I will finish my story.

There are a number of different ways to measure the market, but what I am doing now (and I do change things up as I learn of new techniques) is taking one years’ worth of data at a time, run on a monthly basis and compare and measure how markets change. The data is run as one year periods because it neutralizes the seasonality that you see happening in this area. It is almost clock-work to see our local market start to slow after Labor Day, and to start to pick up in February or March, depending on the weather. In addition to measuring year to year, I have also eliminated from the data below distress sales and “to-be-built” properties because including them skews data. This is addressed in a previous blog post. Depending on the market, it might make sense to include the distress sales but Ann Arbor hasn’t had a lot in general (Thank You University of Michigan) and if they are included the market actually looks like it is picked up more steam than it truly has. Apples-to-Apples with the data below.

My findings are in graphic formats below with a small explanation underneath the graph.

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The amount of negotiation that takes place as a whole in a market is also a good indication of how the market is doing. The more negotiation, the wider the disparity between list price and eventual sales price; the less negotiation, the stronger the market in general. As seen above, there has been some fluctuation with this ratio, but that it is tightening over time and in the macro market (all of Ann Arbor) have had sales price at 100% of list price, or above for the past five months. This is the median price but is still very meaningful as it means there is excitement and optimism in this market and much less negotiation than is expected.

In area 82 there is more negotiation occurring but still at a very high level of consistency between list price and sales price, from a low of 99.40% to 99.78% in this five month period. In short, the past five months has seen very little price negotiation in the market.

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The median sales price in all of Ann Arbor shows a slight decline in early 2012, stability in mid to early 2013 then steady increases in price up through late 2013. A small decline is showing in the last few months of 2013, and an increase back to same level at the end of 2013 for the most recent two months (the last five months have waffled between $280,000 and $285,000 as median price).

Area 82 generally mirrors the market as a whole up to July 2013, after which the prices have stayed fairly steady on the median between $245,000 and $250,000 but with the past four months at the same even median price of $247,500.

Looking at the median sales price the conclusion would be that area 82 sells for less than the market as a whole, however this would be an erroneous conclusion if only the median sales price were considered. Take the next graph into consideration.

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In both market segments there is a trend upward in price over time but the price per square foot in area 82 is much higher than it is in the market in general. If you look solely at price per square foot, it would appear that area 82 is higher priced than the market as a whole; which is contrary to the information posted above. Why is this?

It is higher in area 82 primarily due to size. The median size in area 82 is smaller than the overall market running from a low of 1,328 sqft to a high of 1,374 sqft in the past five months, compared to 1,834 to 1,882 in the same period in the market as a whole. Why does the smaller size equal a higher price per square foot? It relates to the underlying value of the land. It is most common that a smaller house will have a higher price per square foot than a larger house, all things being equal.

As an appraiser, the way I currently look at price appreciation (or depreciation) is to look at both median price and median price per square foot and blend the two for any change. For Ann Arbor as a whole, from February 2013 to February 2014 the median price increased 10.89% and the median price per square foot increased 9.58%, reconciled to 10%. For area 82 in the same time frame it increased 5.32% in price and 8.81% in price per square foot, or 7% blended.

On an appraisal, the appraiser would narrow the area down to what is actually competitive with the subject property, and there might be completely different results, because markets do not move at the same rate. This is evident above where the entire area moved at about 10% whereas area 82 moved at 7% for the same period. If there is this much difference within a school district, just think how much difference there could be from national statistics? Add in distress sales, and the gap could be even greater. This is why it is so important to look to the neighborhood experts as opposed to national statistics when trying to make a decision about your real estate needs.

My final observation for market trends relates to the contract-to-listing ratio. This ratio takes all properties exposed in the MLS at a time and compares the number under contract to the whole. As of 2/9/14, in the entire Ann Arbor market there were 237 houses on the market, of which 98 were reported to be under contract. This represents 41.35% of the market under contract which is indicative of a strong and active market at this time. In area 82, there were 55 houses on the market, of which 19 were under contract, or 34.55%, not as strong as the market as a whole, but still very active and indicative of a market favoring sellers. I pay a lot of attention to this trend because it is a leading indicator of where the market is going before these houses start to close and sales prices are known. I can’t base my value opinion on what I don’t know (what these houses are going to close for) but it does help me understand market forces in action, and what the Realtors are dealing with on a daily basis.

Tie all of these data points addressed above in with yesterday’s blog post and you have a good read on the market.

Hope you enjoy this information and find it useful. As always, if you have questions about the market from the perspective of the local appraisal expert, call or write. I am always happy to field whatever calls or emails that I can.

Rachel Massey, SRA, AI-RRS www.annarborappraisal.com

 

Data above is culled from the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors MLS

 

Ann Arbor snapshot

So many ways to measure

Markets are rarely identical and what happens as a nation isn’t necessarily what happens in a county, or what happens in an area, or even a submarket.

We hear a lot about the improving market conditions that are occurring nationally, but as in all things real estate, the market really is fundamentally local. I live and work in the Ann Arbor market. Not all markets within this area are moving in the same direction, or at the same pace. Even within Ann Arbor there are differences, and the data below represents current information comparing the Ann Arbor school district as a whole to one area within Ann Arbor, area 82, which encompasses a wide market but is the west side of town as well as into the western suburbs and rural area within the Ann Arbor school district.

How can you go about measuring the market? There are a number of different ways, but what I am doing now (and I do change things up as I learn of new techniques) is taking one years’ worth of data at a time, run on a monthly basis and compare and measure how markets change. The data is run as one year periods because it neutralizes the seasonality that you see happening in this area. It is almost clock-work to see our local market start to slow after Labor Day, and to start to pick up in February or March, depending on the weather. In addition to measuring year to year, I have also eliminated from the data below distress sales and “to-be-built” properties because including them skews data. This is addressed in a previous blog post. Depending on the market, it might make sense to include the distress sales but Ann Arbor hasn’t had a lot in general (Thank You University of Michigan) and if they are included the market actually looks like it is picked up more steam than it truly has. Apples-to-Apples with the data below.

My findings are in graphic formats below with a small explanation underneath the graph.

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Number of sales

We are seeing an increasing number of sales in both the entire market and area 82. For instance, the one year period of 2011 showed 805 arm’s length sales, and in 2012 there were 939 sales, 2013 had 1,054 sales for the year. Clearly the numbers of sales are increasing. In area 82 our market jumped from 210 sales in 2011 to 260 in 2012 and 299 in 2012. Based on this information the expectation is around 88 sales per month for the entire market and 25 per month for area 82. As there are 139 available properties in the MLS for the entire school district today (2/9/14) and 36 in area 82, there is about a 1.6-month supply for the overall market and 1.45-month supply for area 82. Looks like an undersupply of properties, doesn’t it?

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Days on market

The chart above shows the differences in days on the market in both the wider Ann Arbor market and area 82. Area 82 consistently has had quicker absorption than Ann Arbor as a whole, but take a look at how the market dipped in both segments to a low point in June/July 2013 and has been increasing steadily since that time. My take on this is that as inventory has increased (as evidenced by the number of sales above) that there are more options and therefore houses are not selling quite as quickly as they were at the peak in 2013. At this time days on market is still very short with the most recent reading showing 43 as a whole and 35 in area 82. Surprisingly close to the expected absorption rate addressed in the graph above.

There are more graphs and charts that I will examine, but I am going to save that for the next blog post, so as to keep you interested and coming back J. These other indicators include the list price to sales price ratios, median price over time, and median price per square foot. They also include my favorite, the contract-to-listing ratio which some of you are aware of from previous blog posts.

Hope you enjoy this information and find it useful. As always, if you have questions about the market from the perspective of the local appraisal expert, call or write. I am always happy to field whatever calls or emails that I can.

Data above is culled from the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors MLS

Rachel Massey, SRA, AI-RRS www.annarborappraisal.com

January 25, 2014 Washtenaw County market snapshot

January 25, 2014 Washtenaw County snapshot

 

On January 11, 2014 I posted a snapshot of the Washtenaw County market showing the number of arm’s length sales in each school district as well as the change in price per square foot over time and the current number of offerings and houses under contract.  

After some consideration, I have eliminated all “to-be-built” houses as they are starting to flood into the market locally. These houses are not truly on the market as they are not yet started and are not available for immediate, or even generally quick, occupancy.

The data below is a snapshot of the supply and demand factors for the various Washtenaw County markets as of 1/25/14 through the Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors MLS.  Instead of showing price trends in this snippet, this data shows the number of arm’s length sales of houses that are already built, or under construction, compared to how many are on the market at this time that are NOT showing as under contract.

  • The number of sales relates to one year prior to 1/25/14 and the number of active listings are the number that were available and not under contract on that day.
  • The number of months’ supply relates to, given the number of historic sales, how quickly the current inventory “should” absorb.
  • The contract-to-listing ratio relates to how many of the current listings are under contract and to me, that number is most telling of current activity. Historically I find that between 25% – 30% is a typical active market and that less than 20% is generally slow, favoring buyers. Over 35% we start to see a seller’s market.

Without further ado, here are the results:

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Based on this information, Ann Arbor still is in seller’s market territory, as is Lincoln and now Milan (when I did this last, Milan was showing over-supplied but that relates to a large number of “to-be-built” houses). Saline, Dexter, Chelsea, Ypsilanti, Willow Run and Whitmore Lake seem to be in a more normal market, and Manchester is slow with the greatest supply compared to historic demand. In most cases, inventory is in the 2-month range, which is an under-supply. Ann Arbor is particularly undersupplied.

Not all houses that are on the market are appropriately priced, and if a house is over-priced for the market (due to condition or functional/external issues, or just too optimistic pricing); these houses show as part of the supply chain but are not yet truly competitive. When Realtors ® talk about how they are finding the market to be highly undersupplied, my opinion is that the market itself is undersupplied, but not significantly so, but there is a definite undersupply of appropriately priced houses in good condition.

If you are curious about the market from the perspective of a 30-year market veteran, follow this blog or contact me directly. I have experience both from the sales side (from 1984-1989) and as a full-time appraiser since 1989. I am always happy to discuss your needs on the appraisal end and am open to discussion as to how to best present data that helps you.

All the best to all of my readers!  Rachel Massey @ www.annarborappraisal.com

Re-posting a friends blog

http://www.appraisalbuzz.com/buzz/blog/2014/01/18/non-lender-valuation-consumers-should-tread-carefully#sthash.bNW9vXJe.dpuf

 

Good stuff Woody!

 

For anyone considering getting an appraisal for non-lending work, please read. Woody makes a compelling argument for why you do not want to engage an appraiser based on fee. Anyone who is looking for the best local appraisers should do their research to get the best possible unbiased results.

I have one further suggestion regarding this issue and that is to ask other appraisers who they would recommend as well as local Realtors. Between the other appraisers and a Realtor, the likelihood is that you will get steered in the right direction. It is not worth saving a few dollars only to lose thousands on an inadequately researched and developed appraisal.