A residential appraisal includes three comparables. One comparable has a 15% larger lot than the subject. The appraiser applies a dollar adjustment of −$12,500 to that comparable’s sale price. A second comparable has a 10% smaller lot and receives a +$7,800 adjustment. The third comparable has a 5% larger lot and receives −$4,100. Which adjustment sequence most likely complies with USPAP Standards Rule 1-4 and common industry practice?
Correct Answer
D) The appraiser used the same per-square-foot lot premium ($2.75/sf) across all three comparables but applied it only to the incremental difference in lot size.
USPAP Standards Rule 1-4 requires adjustments to be based on market data and applied consistently for like differences. Using a uniform, market-supported per-unit rate (e.g., $2.75/sf) applied *only to the incremental difference* (not the entire lot) is the most defensible method — it reflects how the market values marginal differences and avoids over-adjustment. Option A is plausible but incomplete: deriving from paired sales is necessary but doesn’t guarantee proper *application* (e.g., applying to total lot vs. increment). Option B is incorrect: percentage-based lot adjustments are not market-supported and violate SR 1-4’s requirement for market-derived, quantitative support. Option C violates SR 1-4(a) by rounding before analysis completion and sequencing adjustments improperly — lot size adjustments should precede condition/GLA if lot is a primary driver, and rounding must not obscure market-supported precision.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
USPAP Standards Rule 1-4 requires adjustments to be based on market data and applied consistently for like differences. Using a uniform, market-supported per-unit rate (e.g., $2.75/sf) applied *only to the incremental difference* (not the entire lot) is the most defensible method — it reflects how the market values marginal differences and avoids over-adjustment. Option A is plausible but incomplete: deriving from paired sales is necessary but doesn’t guarantee proper *application* (e.g., applying to total lot vs. increment). Option B is incorrect: percentage-based lot adjustments are not market-supported and violate SR 1-4’s requirement for market-derived, quantitative support. Option C violates SR 1-4(a) by rounding before analysis completion and sequencing adjustments improperly — lot size adjustments should precede condition/GLA if lot is a primary driver, and rounding must not obscure market-supported precision.
More sales-comparison-approach Questions
Excess land differs from surplus land in that excess land:
A subject property has a 3-car attached garage. The appraiser locates two valid paired sales: Sale 1 (with 3-car garage) sold for $512,000; Sale 2 (with 2-car garage) sold for $497,600. Both properties are otherwise identical — same age, quality, GLA, lot size, and neighborhood — and sold 5 days apart in a balanced market. The appraiser also confirms via public records and listing photos that no other functional or physical differences exist. What is the indicated contributory value of the *third* garage stall?
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