 Remember that the whole purpose of this is to come up with an estimated value for the property.  We want to correlate the values indicated from the different approaches we used and to come up with a single value.  “Reconciliation is the method of bringing together all of the data and analyses into one final estimate of value.”

 The reliability of the data is crucial, garbage in, garbage out  A wide spread in the estimates from the different approaches indicates a strong possibility there were mathematical and/or technical errors made.  In theory, all of the approaches should lead to the same estimate. But, for this you need;  The markets to function perfectly  The appraiser to function perfectly

 That’s not likely to happen  The market is the market and sometimes things don’t happen the way you’d expect. I think this is especially true with land and land values  It is important to strive for perfection but don’t let that get in the way of being honest; don’t manipulate data beyond its limits; one paired sale isn’t the same as multiple and so on  At the end, don’t forget to ask yourself, if the property is really worth the value stated!

Be sure to appraise as vacant land first – Many buildings simply do not add value to the property, even if they are new. Tobacco barns in areas that quit growing tobacco, grain bins in a cow-calf area, things that were build w/o considering the demand or very specialized for one operation If there are improvements that add value then evaluate as improved property; The key is ‘do the improvements that add value to the property’

Remember that it is the market and market conditions that are going to drive what will be HBU HBU is based on potential use, not actual use; remember that buyers pay based on the potential There are transitional areas, eg., development is moving in the direction but not there yet. This means there can be an interim value and then a terminal value There can be speculative uses

An appraiser working in a transition area has to be very careful Another aspect is if improvements are needed for HBU, eg. Tiling There are 4 basic question that need to be asked to determine HBU 1. What uses are legal? 2. What uses are physically possible 3. For uses meeting 1 and 2, which ones are financially feasible, ie, give positive net income or non-monetary benefits 4. Of these uses, which one produces the greatest return or benefit

 Legally possible;  Be sure to do a title search looking for restrictions;  Transfer of development rights; very popular in some states and areas  Life estates  Conservation easements  Restrictive covenants  Downzoning

 Physically possible;  What are the characteristics of the property; soils, slope, frontage, water,  Characteristics will control what should be considered for potential uses  If there is a defect can it be corrected and will it be? If the defect is going to be corrected then the appraiser has to be sure and include the cost for the correction

 Financially feasible options;  What will be the net income from a use, if positive then it should be considered  It is very important to remember recreational and home properties; these will yield nonmonetary benefits that have to be considered

Don’t be ridiculous in how far you go with this analysis The appraiser has to know the neighborhood and the potential but it is not their job to examine everything (vegetable production, U-Pick-Ums, stables, etc.) All possible uses that might result in higher income but that isn’t the point of what the appraisal is trying to determine Appraiser has to use judgment