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Which statement is MOST consistent with USPAP Standards Rule 6 regarding the identification and treatment of external obsolescence in the cost approach?

Correct Answer

C) External obsolescence is a loss in value of the improvements caused by factors outside the property boundaries and is not allocated between land and improvements.

USPAP Standards Rule 6, Comment 12 explicitly states: 'External obsolescence is a loss in value of the improvements caused by factors outside the property boundaries... External obsolescence is not allocated between land and improvements.' Option C quotes this principle verbatim and is therefore correct. Option A is incorrect because land value differences reflect land-specific influences — not improvement obsolescence — and allocation is prohibited. Option B is incorrect because external obsolescence is *not required* if the land value already reflects the externality (per Comment 11). Option D contradicts Comment 11, which warns against double counting when the land value incorporates the external influence.

Answer Options
A
External obsolescence may be estimated by comparing the subject’s land value to land values in unaffected areas, and the difference is allocated to the improvements.
B
When external obsolescence is present, the appraiser must always quantify it as a separate line item deduction from the improvement’s depreciated cost.
C
External obsolescence is a loss in value of the improvements caused by factors outside the property boundaries and is not allocated between land and improvements.
D
If a property’s land value estimate is derived from sales of sites subject to the same external influence, external obsolescence must still be deducted from the improvements to avoid understating accrued depreciation.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

USPAP Standards Rule 6, Comment 12 explicitly states: 'External obsolescence is a loss in value of the improvements caused by factors outside the property boundaries... External obsolescence is not allocated between land and improvements.' Option C quotes this principle verbatim and is therefore correct. Option A is incorrect because land value differences reflect land-specific influences — not improvement obsolescence — and allocation is prohibited. Option B is incorrect because external obsolescence is *not required* if the land value already reflects the externality (per Comment 11). Option D contradicts Comment 11, which warns against double counting when the land value incorporates the external influence.

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