APPRAISALSERVICES

Commercial real estate

appraisal services

Experience, Skill, and Detail Are What Matter

Our appraisers are thoroughly experienced in income property analysis. We have the skill and knowledge to estimate a value based on the appropriate appraisal procedures, and then to effectively communicate the results of the appraisal to the client. A significant amount of detail is poured into every appraisal, which requires in-depth research for each property, including interviews with buyers, sellers, brokers, attorneys, tenants, landlords, government agencies, and other key players involved in the appraisal process. We use only the best computer technology, the most up-to-date appraisal resources, and the latest premium comparable sale software available to make sure we haven’t missed a thing. The end result is an appraisal that exceeds the industry standard.

All Commercial Real Estate Appraised

Commercial Investment Appraisers has been preparing appraisals on all kinds of commercial real estate since 1989. No matter how specialized the property is, most likely we’ve appraised it. If not, we’ll acquire the competency through our vast network of peers and resources to get the job done right. The following is a partial list which includes some of the types of properties frequently appraised by us throughout the years.

Office Appraisal

Appraising Class A, Class B and Class C office space within single-tenant to multi-tenant buildings, consisting of medical, municipal or general office uses.

An appraisal of an office building is an expert, impartial assessment of its fair market value, performed by an appraiser certified by the state in which the property resides. Uses for an office property appraisal include monetary, lawful, and financial reasons, like getting a mortgage or for estate settlement. The procedure includes making a property inspection, evaluating the property’s potential for producing income, examining the physical condition, analyzing the regional market, and  using the three valuation techniques including the Cost Approach, the Sales Comparison Approach, and the Income Approach.

Multifamily Appraisal

Multifamily appraisals of garden and low-rise to high-rise apartments; duplex, triplex and four-plex dwellings; mobile home parks; and RV communities.

An appraisal of multifamily building constitutes a prescribed procedure of determining the fair market value of a property with several residential units. This includes using the three approaches including the Cost Approach, the Sales Comparison Approach, and the Income Approach. Each approach is used for evaluating property-specific attributes, and considers economic indicators, income derived from rent, and vacancy rates to estimate the multifamily property value.

Industrial Appraisal

Industrial property appraised include warehouse, flex space, distribution, cold storage, business park, and manufacturing facilities.

The appraisal of an industrial property is a qualified, professional evaluation of the fair market value of a real estate asset related to industrial use, including factory, storage warehouse, or manufacturing facility. The appraiser typically uses three methods, including the Cost Approach, the Sales Comparison Approach, and the Income Approach to evaluate aspects such as the industrial property’s physical condition, market area, market conditions, and income production. Appraisals are typically required for mortgages, acquisition/disposition, tax modification, and other monetary or legal decisions.

Retail Property Appraisal

An appraisal of a retail building is a specialized, objective evaluation of its market value, executed by a trained appraiser using techniques like the Income Capitalization Approach, the Sales Comparison Approach, and the Cost Approach. This assessment is essential for lending purposes, investing decisions, tax considerations, and insurance, among other purposes. The appraiser looks at trends in the market, local and global economic factors, as well as conditions distinctive to the retail industry, such as the behavior of consumers to establish the property’s Value.

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COST APPROACH

This approach is based on the premise that the value is derived from estimating the current replacement or reproduction cost for a property, deducting the accrued depreciation caused by the physical deterioration, functional obsolescence and/or economic obsolescence, and adding the estimated land value.

The Cost Approach is predicated on the principle of substitution, which states that a prudent buyer will not pay more for a property than the cost to build similar improvements on another site. The Cost Approach estimates the cost to replace the current improvements with improvement that have similar utility. The replacement cost new is then depreciated and the land value, estimated using the Sales Comparison Approach, is added to the depreciated replacement cost for the total value. The following are the three major forms of depreciation:

Physical deterioration, curable and incurable

Functional obsolescence, curable and incurable

External obsolescence, typically incurable

Although there are other approaches by which the value of the land may be derived, the Sales Comparison Approach is the most common and generally relied upon when sales of comparable properties are available.

SALES COMPARISON APPROACH

This approach compares the subject property’s characteristics with those of comparable properties which have recently sold in similar transactions. Dissimilarities are accounted for in the form of adjustments. This approach is most meaningful when there is adequate data involving comparable sales. The reliability of the Sales Comparison Approach varies directly with the quantity and quality of market data.

When choosing sale properties to be compared to the subject property, the comparables must have a similar highest and best use. All of the properties compared should have the capability of satisfying the requirements of the same buyer. Depending on the type of property being appraised, the Sales Comparison Approach takes on different forms; however, the methodology is basically the same. The technique used in the Sales Comparison Approach includes:

Describing or classifying the property:

The description of the property being appraised should only cover those attributes that are significant and relevant to value. If the property is diverse in nature, then more than one value classes can be used.

Find sales of comparable properties:

This means locating recent sales of similar properties that have occurred within the subject’s market. Sale verification with principals involved in the transaction is of utmost importance.

Selection of the appropriate unit of comparison:

A unit of comparison must be established before a comparison can occur, thus breaking the sales down into useful units so that logical and reasonable comparisons can be made. Appropriate units of comparison are typically established by what the market uses for that particular property.

Because no two properties are identical, particularly in regard to investment real estate, it is necessary to make either quantitative or qualitative adjustments (or a combination thereof) to the unit prices of the comparable sales to reflect the value of the property being appraised. However, since true matched pairs and/or support for quantitative adjustments can be difficult to defend, qualified ranking is usually more reliable than quantified analysis, especially since buyers and sellers in the market typically make their decisions qualitatively. However, quantitative adjustments should be made to the sales when supportable.

Ultimately, the value indicators should fall within a relatively narrow range of unit prices. In the final selection of a unit price for the subject, it is improper to simply take an average of the unit prices. Instead, the process consists of analyzing the adjustments made and placing the greatest reliance on the value indicated by the most comparable properties or property.

INCOME CAPITALIZATION APPROACH

This approach is used to estimate the value of a property by first estimating the net operating income attainable and then capitalizing that income by an appropriate capitalization or yield rate. The Income Approach is typically utilized in the valuation of income-producing properties. The principle of anticipation is the basic underlying principle of this approach which states that the buyer or investor will pay no more than the present worth of the anticipated future benefits. This approach typically uses either direct capitalization or discounted cash flow analysis (also called yield capitalization). In direct capitalization, the net operating income the property is capable of producing is estimated and is then capitalized at a market-derived capitalization rate that reflects the risk and return characteristics of the investment. In the discounted cash flow analysis, income and expenses are analyzed for each year of the projection or holding period and the net income is discounted to the present value indication by applying an appropriate yield rate (discount factor). The value for the subject is estimated by summing the present values of cash flows during the projection period and the present value of the reversion at the end of the holding period (less typical sales costs).

RECONCILIATION AND VALUE ESTIMATE

Reconciliation is the process whereby the final appraised value estimate is derived from the various indications of value. The range between the value indications is examined, and then the appraisers place significant emphasis on the approach or approaches that appears to indicate the most applicable and reliable resolution to the appraisal problem. Consideration is given to 1) the purpose of the appraisal, 2) the property type, and 3) the relative adequacy and reliability of the information processed in all three approaches. The applicability, dependability, weaknesses and strengths of the approaches are considered, and a final reconciliation of market value is estimated from the approaches used.

Commercial real estate appraisal services

Experience, Skill, and Detail Are What Matter

Our appraisers are thoroughly experienced in income property analysis. We have the skill and knowledge to estimate a value based on the appropriate appraisal procedures, and then to effectively communicate the results of the appraisal to the client. A significant amount of detail is poured into every appraisal, which requires in-depth research for each property, including interviews with buyers, sellers, brokers, attorneys, tenants, landlords, government agencies, and other key players involved in the appraisal process. We use only the best computer technology, the most up-to-date appraisal resources, and the latest premium comparable sale software available to make sure we haven’t missed a thing. The end result is an appraisal that exceeds the industry standard.

All Commercial Real Estate Appraised

Commercial Investment Appraisers has been preparing appraisals on all kinds of commercial real estate since 1989. No matter how specialized the property is, most likely we’ve appraised it. If not, we’ll acquire the competency through our vast network of peers and resources to get the job done right. The following is a partial list which includes some of the types of properties frequently appraised by us throughout the years.

Commercial real estate appraisal services

What Goes Into An Appraisal

A commercial appraisal can include many things, depending on the property type, scope of work, use and user of the appraisal, and many other factors. Generally, an appraisal will provide an overview of the current economic conditions and market area, a description of the property including the site and buildings, an analysis of the highest and best use of the property, and an in-depth discussion of the valuation from the approaches used in the appraisal.

Which Report Type We Use

Commercial Investment Appraisers performs appraisal and consulting services on most commercial property through the use of two narrative report types, including the Restricted report format and the Self-Contained report format. The report type used is typically based on the needs of the client, and with guidance from the appraiser, is ultimately chosen by the client as well. The two report types are as follows:

 Restricted Appraisal

The restricted appraisal report is the most abbreviated narrative report format presenting limited reasoning, analysis, and data, with supporting documentation concerning the data, reasoning, and analysis retained in the appraiser’s file. This report type is specifically designated for the client who intimately knows the property, and doesn’t require detailed descriptions that a general unfamiliar user would need. The opinions and conclusions set forth in a restricted appraisal may not be understood properly without additional information from the appraiser’s work file. The depth of discussion contained in the report is limited to the needs of the client for the intended use. The Restricted report is used by us about 5% of the time.

Self-Contained Appraisal

The self-contained appraisal (or generally, an appraisal report) is the most comprehensive narrative report, containing all of the reasoning, analysis and supporting documentation used in the valuation process. This report type is required by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) when the user of the appraisal is not specifically familiar with the property. For example, a lender may not know the details of an office building being appraised that an owner would know; therefore, the details of the property are “described” in detail instead of being briefly mentioned, as in the case of a Restricted report. Approximately 95% of the appraisals completed by Commercial Investment Appraisers are Self-Contained Appraisal Reports.

Understanding the Appraisal

Since the average user of an appraisal may not fully understand real estate valuation, an overview is provided to describe the appraisal process. While this methodology may vary from property to property, the general underlying principals discussed herein remain consistent for most valuation of real estate.

Highest and Best Use Analysis – In order to produce a credible appraisal, the subject property must be appraised based on its highest and best use. According to The Appraisal of Real Estate, 13th Edition, highest and best use is defined as:

The reasonable probable and legal use of vacant land or an improved property, which is physically possible, appropriately supported, financially feasible, and that results in the highest value.

This definition implicitly indicates that the estimation of highest and best use considers the contribution of a specific use to the surrounding market, and the advantages of that use to the individual property owners. The determination of the highest and best use comes from the judgment and analytical skills of the appraiser, and the estimated highest and best use derived from the appraiser’s analysis is considered only an opinion, not fact. The concept of highest and best use is the foundation in which value is based, according to appraisal theory.

Identifying the motivation of a probable purchaser is included in determining the highest and best use of a property. This motivation is founded on perception of benefits that are inherent in property ownership. Different motives influence highest and best use and are primary considerations to the appraiser.

The determination of the highest and best use of a property is a sequential process. Potential uses for a property are tested as being physically possible, legally permissible, financially feasible, and maximally productive. That use which provides the highest value is the highest and best use. The four tests of highest and best use follow.

The Valuation Process

Physically Possible

An analysis of the physical characteristics of the site such as size, frontage, access, topography, and soil types, is made to determine the suitability of the site for development.

Financially Feasible

Uses must be found to be feasible, which is dependent upon the demand for certain types of property, the existing supply, and the demographics of the surrounding area of influence.

Legally Permissible

The zoning regulations, future land use plan, building codes, deed restrictions, and any other governmental or environmental restrictions that may apply are considered.

Maximally Productive

The use which meets the aforementioned criteria, and is expected to generate the greatest rate of return to the land over a given period of time, is maximally productive.

The appraiser must determine the highest and best use of the site as though it were vacant, as well as improved. When a property is improved, the highest and best use can be different from the existing use. The highest and best use as vacant is generally used to estimate the land value for the subject property.

After determining the highest and best use of the property, the valuation approaches are applied. There are typically three approaches to value in the appraisal process. The three approaches include the Cost Approach, the Sales Comparison Approach (also called Direct Sales Comparison Approach, or Market Approach), and the Income Approach (also called Income Capitalization Approach). The methodology of the appraisal process requires an unbiased analysis, calling for all three approaches to be made independently, without reliance on each other. These three approaches include the following criteria: