Seller-paid rate buydowns spread through a market as rates spike. For comparables sold with buydowns, the appraiser should:
Correct Answer
C) Measure their effect on price and adjust where the market shows one
Why this is correct: Appraisers must analyze market data empirically. If comparable sales with seller-paid rate buydowns show no price premium compared to sales without them, the market has absorbed the concession and no adjustment is needed. If they do show a premium, the appraiser measures that effect and makes an adjustment. The rule is to follow the market evidence. Why the other choices are wrong: 'Ignore buydowns since everyone offers them' is incorrect because prevalence doesn't negate analysis. 'Add the buydown cost to every sale price' is a mechanical, non-empirical approach. 'Convert every sale to last year's interest-rate environment first' is not a standard appraisal practice. Exam tip: For financing concessions, always analyze their effect on price through paired sales or market evidence, never apply automatic adjustments.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Why this is correct: Appraisers must analyze market data empirically. If comparable sales with seller-paid rate buydowns show no price premium compared to sales without them, the market has absorbed the concession and no adjustment is needed. If they do show a premium, the appraiser measures that effect and makes an adjustment. The rule is to follow the market evidence. Why the other choices are wrong: 'Ignore buydowns since everyone offers them' is incorrect because prevalence doesn't negate analysis. 'Add the buydown cost to every sale price' is a mechanical, non-empirical approach. 'Convert every sale to last year's interest-rate environment first' is not a standard appraisal practice. Exam tip: For financing concessions, always analyze their effect on price through paired sales or market evidence, never apply automatic adjustments.
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 β same age, quality, GLA, lot size, and neighborhood β 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?
The most appropriate unit of comparison is determined by:
An appraiser analyzes three paired sales to isolate the effect of a fireplace. In Pair 1, the property with a fireplace sold for $12,000 more; in Pair 2, $10,500 more; and in Pair 3, $13,500 more. All pairs are highly similar and recent. The appraiser selects $12,000 as the final adjustment. Which principle best supports this selection?
A paired sales analysis yields an adjustment of β$15,000 for a property located on a busy arterial street. Later, the appraiser discovers that all three paired properties with arterial exposure also had 20% smaller lots than their non-arterial counterparts β a difference not initially controlled for. What is the most appropriate action per USPAP?
An appraiser identifies two comparable sales that are identical in all respects except that Sale #1 has a finished basement (1,200 sq ft) and sold for $432,000, while Sale #2 has an unfinished basement of the same size and sold for $408,000. Both sales occurred within three weeks of each other in a stable market. The appraiser intends to apply a per-square-foot adjustment for basement finish to the subject property, which has a 1,000 sq ft finished basement. What is the appropriate paired-sales-derived adjustment amount per square foot for a finished basement?
Three sales support $520,000; the borrower's purchase contract is $505,000. May the appraisal conclude above the contract price?
An appraiser develops a $3,200 adjustment for a fireplace based on a single paired sale. The subject has a fireplace; Comparable A does not. The appraiser applies +$3,200 to Comparable A. Later, the appraiser identifies a second pair showing a $4,600 fireplace contribution. The appraiser replaces the original adjustment with $3,900 β the simple average β and applies it to Comparable A. What is the appropriate USPAP-compliant action regarding the adjustment amount?
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Previous Question
Two recently sold properties are nearly identical: both are 1,800-square-foot brick ranches on 0.25-acre lots, with updated kitchens and no garage. Comparable X has a screened porch (200 sq ft) and sold for $378,500; Comparable Y lacks a screened porch and sold for $369,900. The appraiser notes that both sales occurred in the same week, with no financing or seller concessions. What is the appropriate adjustment to apply to a subject property *with* a screened porch when using Comparable Y as the benchmark?
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Three matched pairs isolate a swimming pool at $10,500, $11,000 and $18,000. How should the appraiser proceed?
