Serving the Susquehanna,  Chesapeake , and  Potomac Regions
Skolnik Real Estate Consulting Services

Real Estate Valuation and Consulting for Litigation Support, Mortgage Financing, Property Tax, Foreclosure, 
and Bankruptcy for Property Owners, Attorneys, and Lenders.

Property Tax Policy Consulting, Legislation Review, and Tax Appeal Support for State and Local Governments.

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410-580-0168 (office)
410-580-0169 (fax)
443-473-2748 (cell)

27 Woodholme Village Ct.
Baltimore, Maryland 21208

 

Martin A. Skolnik, MAI

 

Request an Appraisal Review

In this real estate climate, why wouldn’t you want an extra set of eyes on the real estate appraisals you are receiving for lending or litigation purposes? 

Now, more than ever, as more and more properties are subject to foreclosure, and as interest rates rise, do you want the liability of an inadequately prepared appraisal?

We review over 115 points in your appraiser's report for conformity with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), as well as  consistency with current appraisal theory and best real estate appraisal practices.  Our reporting format gives you, the client, a comprehensive snapshot of the highlights and low points of the appraisal. 

At your request, we will contact your appraiser and try to iron out any deficiencies in the appraisal so that your time is freed up to focus on your primary lending function.

Why should you use an appraisal review firm?

·        Do you want to take a property back in foreclosure because an inexperienced reviewer looked at your loan’s appraisal with a “wink-and-a-nod” and overlooked significant issues? 

·        Do you want that phone call from your investor or subscriber with the news that the property in which they have an investment has gone into foreclosure because of an inferior appraisal?  

·       If you are using the appraisal for litigation, wouldn't you want to correct any deficiencies prior to the courtroom?

·        When you make a loan on a commercial property do you have a formal, written, documented review process for the appraisal, or do you just look to see if the appraiser “hit the number”? 

·        Do you want a loan to come back to haunt you because of an appraisal that should have been independently and impartially reviewed?

·        In the early 1990’s, there were thousands and thousands of appraisers across the country that “hit the number” just weeks or months prior to foreclosure on property.  Are we headed for a similar real estate cycle?  Are you willing to take that chance with your livelihood? 

 

Click Here to Download a Copy of Our Publication: "A Lender's Guide to Appraisals"

Click here for the October 27, 2003 US Government memorandum titled: Independent Appraisal and Evaluation Function.  Even if you are not a Federally regulated lender, you should read this memorandum since i contains important best practices guidelines for appraisal ordering, evaluation, and review functions.

 

 

We cannot guarantee that your loan will be successful or that it won’t go to foreclosure, nor can we guarantee you success in litigation -- no one can guarantee that.  Nor does our appraisal review include an analysis of the creditworthiness of the borrower or a critique of the appropriateness of the loan transaction.

However, Skolnik acts as your second set of eyes on the appraisal.  We do not reappraise the property, but we look for problems in the original appraisal – not to slow up, delay, or jeopardize your transaction or litigation – but to help remove any doubt you might have about the merits of the appraisal. 

 

Questions we ask in an appraisal review include:

·        Does the appraisal’s written text, charts, tables, & graphs support the appraiser’s conclusions?

Or, has the appraiser picked a value number out of the air without documented analysis & support? 

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·        Are the appraiser’s income assumptions and comparable adjustments supported by market data? 

Or, is the report mostly based on the appraiser’s “years of experience and knowledge about the area” and relies on leaps of faith and unstated, unsupported, or unreasonable assumptions?

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·        Does the report’s format, professionalism, and contents meet your expectations?

Or, has the appraiser given you a product that is less than what you have paid for?

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·        Did the appraiser actually analyze your property and its market, and report a value based on that research?

Or, has the appraiser just filled out a word processing template without sufficient analysis to distinguish between your property and any other generic property?

After reading the report, do you get the feeling that much of it has been copied from a previous appraisal of a nearby similar property?

Fee Schedule for Appraisal Review Assignments for Litigation Support or Mortgage Financing Origination

Type of Review

Fee Amount
(fees shown are subject to the complexity of original appraisal)

Scope of Work

Desk Review for Financing Assignments

Review of a Residential Form Report

Review of a Commercial or Narrative Report

$300

 

$750+ (please call or email for details)

·          An impartial analysis of the merits of the appraisal

·          An analysis of the report’s compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)

·          Provide a conclusion as to whether the report’s data supports the original appraiser’s market value conclusion

·          Check the report’s compliance with the lender’s reporting requirements and with the original engagement letter to the appraiser from the lender

·          Analyze the appraisal report for internal consistency and errors

·          Provide the client with a preliminary or final Letter of Compliance for the client’s file (see below)

·          The preliminary Letter of Compliance, if necessary, will outline for the Client the report’s deficiencies for further action by the appraiser

·          If pre-arranged by the client, we will work directly with the appraiser as your representative to solve any issues, problems, deficiencies, or discrepancies.  Additional fee based on the hourly rate may apply; please see below.

·          Review Appraiser may recommend a Field Review, depending on the errors found during the Desk Review

Desk Review for Litigation Support or Expert Testimony

Review of a Residential Form Report

Review of a Commercial or Non-Residential Narrative Report

$450+

 

$1,250+ (please call or email for details)

Field Reviews Locally, Regionally, or Nationally

In addition to the fee for the Desk Review, additional fieldwork, research, and analysis.  Please call or email for our hourly,  daily, and half-day rates.  Plus reimbursement for out-of-pocket travel or data expenses.

·          Occasionally it may be appropriate to conduct a field review or additional research and analysis to spot check the data within the report (i.e., the condition of the subject property, the local market, comparable data, environmental factors, etc)

·          A field review is an optional service provided only at the client’s request but is highly recommended for litigation support

Resolution of Review Issues Directly With the Original Appraiser

Please call or email for our hourly rate.

·          If requested by the client, we will communicate results of the Desk Review or Field Review with the original appraiser

·          We will resolve any issues found in the review with the original appraiser

·          If these issues are not satisfied, the client is made aware of this and takes the appropriate steps with the appraiser

Expert Testimony in Litigation

Please call or email for our hourly, daily, and half-day rates (plus out-of-pocket travel expenses).

·          If prior arrangements are made, the Review Appraiser will testify as an expert witness as to the issues found during the review process

 

Things We Will Not Do In A Review

·          We cannot re-appraise the property as part of the review.  We will not provide the client with a revised value unless prior arrangements are made for a complete reappraisal of the property. 

 

·          Unless prior arrangements are made, we will not re-inspect the subject property or comparable properties, nor will we fact check the data in the report.  Please see the Reviews category above.

 

·          To meet compliance with USPAP Standard 3 (Appraisal Review Services), we cannot make statements such as, “…we agree with the appraiser’s value” or “…we disagree with the appraiser’s value” since that could be construed as an appraisal valuation on our part.  We can conclude, however, that “…the appraiser has (or has not) supported his/her valuation conclusions”

 

To begin the appraisal review process, please provide as much information as possible about the property in the form below.  Remember, to begin this engagement we will require a complete appraisal report including all exhibits, facing pages, Addenda, charts, tables, etc., and a copy of the original instructions from the client to the appraiser (if available).

Type of Project

Number of Properties:

Single property                  Multiple properties or a portfolio

Property Name:

Address (required):

Additional Address:

City/Town:

County:

Tax Account #:

     Tax Map:

     Parcel:

     Block:

     Lot:

Neighborhood:

Other Identifier:

State:        Zip Code (required):

Property Type (required):
            

Other not listed above (Add brief description):
           

Property Setting (required):
                 Other:

Approximate date review is needed (required):
           

Purpose of the original appraisal (required):
                   

Purpose of this review (required):
                   

Other Information:
           

 

Tell us how to get in touch with you: (Name, email, and telephone are required)

Name

Title

Organization

E-mail

Telephone

Cell phone

FAX

Please contact me as soon as possible regarding this matter.

                           

 

 

QUESTIONS??  Call or Email.  Or fill out and submit the inquiry form, above.

 

Martin A. Skolnik, MAI, the Principal of Skolnik Real Estate Consulting Services, has over 28 years of real estate appraisal, property tax, litigation, and review experience – nationally, regionally, and locally – with a wide variety of clients and property types.  A detailed listing of Mr. Skolnik’s qualifications may be found on our website by clicking the link, below:

(Click here for Marty Skolnik's qualifications)

 


Important: If you want a Field Review, you must call or e-mail us before you send us the appraisal information!!