Tag Archives: appraiser

Took oath anew as Court Commissioner

11150573_1061342033884038_5252473516736476044_nAppraiser Gus took his oath last Friday, September 11, 2015 as one of the Commissioners of a Regional Trial Court in Cebu City. As one of the Commissioner, his duty is to aid the court in determining the exact property affected area and the amount of just compensation to be paid.

“Congratulations to all of you”, the lady judge happily greeted them after the oathtaking ceremony in her office. The other oath-takers were the City Assessor of Carcar, Cebu City and the Clerk of Court.

“I thank the lady-judge and the lawyers who trusted my capacity and chooses me as one of the Commissioner.” Appraiser Gus exclaimed. “With the present composition of Commissioners, the court could render wiser judgment aided by the report of each and everyone of us as Commissioners.”

Appraiser Gus was also chosen as Commissioner by the regional trial court of Lapulapu to determine the fair market value of a property in a dispute. Previously, he also served as an Associate Appraiser in Zonal Revaluation of the BIR Technical Committee in Cebu City.

Metro Manila Appraisal

It was an honor and privilege to be invited by a prestigious and one of the top appraisers company in the land to join their team in appraising property in Metro Manila.

Truly it adds value to my appraisal skills and in running an appraisal company.

Great experience.

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USC held Forum on Entrepreneurship and Management

Appraiser Planner11913087_10205251112898331_1857892936_n Gus Agosto attended the Forum with visiting professors Dr. John Leung from City University of Hongkong and Dr. Brian To from Singapore Management University as speakers. Dr. Leung discussed the topic “Entrepreneurship is Service”, while Dr. Brian To share the topic “Managing Yourself”.

Both professors were distinguished and successful on their own field. Dr. Leung is currently the Director of Executive MBA program, and an Associate Professor of Marketing at City University of Hong Kong. While Dr. Brian To is a Senior Practice Professor of Strategy and Leadership and Senior Wharton Fellow of University of Pennsylvania.

“The more I learn, the more I realize that there are more things I need to learn and discover”, Appraiser Planner Gus said. Gus is also a faculty member of the University of San Carlos.

The forum, organized by the School of Business and Economics, was held last August 24, 2015 in University of San Carlos Downtown Campus.  “The pace of innovation in business are now moving fast, and I want to learn more to provide my clients of top of the line solutions”, Gus ended.

No two properties are alike

marketvaI have a client who asked me if I am using the same appraisal report format in my practice.  I quickly replied no. Why? Real estate properties have different appraised values depending on how you intend to use the appraisal. For instance, valuation for insurance may be very different than the value in the market, estate tax, property resale, or insurance. Other assigned uses include investment, liquidation, price confirmation, equitable distribution, loan collateral, retrospective value and many more.

Qualified and educated appraisers understand the many different types of values, assigned uses, and market condition in an specific area. He or she works with client to choose the proper type of value so that they can use the appraisal correctly and effectively.

Whenever there’s a question about the value of your property, there’s also a risk involved. It may be the risk of selling too low, or of paying too much: the risk of being under or over insured; the risk of not getting your fair share in a division of property; the risk of incurring tax penalties or being audited when calculating estate taxes.

A professional appraiser helps you manage these and other such risks by providing a written opinion of value upon which you can base your financial decisions. Rather than being just an “educated guess”, the professional appraiser’s value conclusions are based upon prescribed methods of valuation, research and report writing.

Bankers, investors, insurers, brokers, trustees, lawyers, judges, government agencies – ALL are dependent upon the knowledge and expertise of the appraisers, and so are you. Too often and too late, people find out that the appraisals they have are inaccurate or misleading, resulting not only in greater risk to themselves, but also a waste of millions out of their pocket.

No two properties are alike, no two appraisals are alike.

Appraisal services with a government institution

Appraiser Gus Agosto has just rendered appraisal services to the University of the Philippines, Cebu Campus. “It is an honor to be awarded a contract and appraised properties of a prestigious institution like U.P.”, Appraiser Gus Agosto shared.

“Government institutions and agencies are good market for real estate appraisers. Appraisers can explore and participate in government bidding and contracts.” he further said.  Last year, he was also part of an appraisal team that provided appraisal services to the Cebu Appraisal Technical Committee on Zonal Valuation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

To succeed, Appraisers should have working knowledge of the Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Act. Every branch or agency of the government through the head of a procurement entity forms a bids and awards committee (BAC) to conduct competitive and transparent purchases by means of public bidding. There are also alternative ways government can make purchases like limited source bidding, direct contracting, negotiated procurement and shopping,

“In winning a government contract, offering the lowest price is not the key. It is knowledge, appraisal experience and excellence in appraisal that matters,” Appraiser Gus ended.

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Appraisal 101: How an appraisal is done

It has been a normal scene for prospective client and practitioners to ask an appraiser for the value of a certain property. Some people also thought that after site inspection, an appraiser can render a value opinion already. So, there is a need to answer questions on how an appraisal is done? And why it is important to follow the process?

Appraisal may seem as a simple and fast process. An appraiser shows up at a property for a short time with a camera and tape measure and that’s it. However, the property inspections are only a part of a big process. A typical appraisal report requires 12 to 13 combined hours by appraiser and staff to complete.

Ordering an Appraisal
The process usually begins when a client call or visit the appraiser to order an appraisal. In the telephone or in-person conversation, the appraiser will asks data of the property such as title, building plan, tax declaration, as well as preliminary information of the client, and agree on the scope of work and professional fee. The most important is scheduling of the site inspection.

Identifying the Property
In preparation for the site inspection, the appraiser will study the documents provided by the client focusing on the location, shape and size of the lot, design of the house and decide on what valuation approach that he will use. Additional research will be done in different government offices for the identification of the property.

The Site Visit
Then the appraiser conducts a careful physical inspection of the property and the neighborhood. Take photographs and verify area measurements. Don’t worry about the kids, toys or household disorder. The appraiser is looking at the structure, condition and features of your home.

The appraiser will also roam the neighborhood to observe, estimate the distance between known landmarks in the area. Also, to look for any factors and characteristics that may affect the value of the property, and searching for comparable properties or “comps”. In the language of appraisal, ‘comps’ are sales and listings available in the market.

Pulling It All Together
Next, the appraiser performs in depth analysis of all of the available data. Returning to office is crucial part of the appraisal process. The appraiser will gather all the information about the properties and the financial aspects. Make phone calls to agents, government offices and other parties involved in the transactions to confirm observations or to gather more information. Examine the title and tax declaration for any encumbrance, annotation and non-compliance with the law. Often, property information from several sources is in conflict and it is the appraiser’s task to determine the true state of affairs by means of research, experience and good judgment.

Guided by the principles of appraisal, he will analyze the neighborhood, market, zoning, the predominant use of the area and determine the highest and best use of the property, as vacant and as improved.

In using market data approach, the appraiser will select at least three comps, but generally four or five are necessary to support the basis for the final appraised value. The appraiser makes adjustments to reflect differences in comp properties. Upgrades like painting, chandelier, air conditioners, recent redecorating, or home improvements may add value to a property.

There are other approaches or methods in valuing properties. Every approach is made to substantiate the appraiser’s opinion of market value.

Finalization of a Report
The last part is the preparation and printing of a detailed report, outlining the value of the property appraised and the approaches to value with several addenda including copies of title and neighborhood maps as well as photographs of the property.

The completed appraisal is packaged and transmitted to the client—the property owner, lawyer or company representative who ordered the appraisal.

Thus, appraisal is not a mere “opinion of value”, it follow process and guidelines set by authorities and international standards. Following thoughtful and thorough procedures will provide a complete and credible appraisal.

Appraising Appraisals

As 2014 come to a close, let me share some highlight of major career accomplishments in appraisal.

It was a great leap in my appraisal career. I served clients from different stratum of our society-property owners, lawyers, brokers, accountants, ambassador, company, cooperatives and foreign individuals. More and more assignments means more places visited. It was a year of valuable experiences.

After my stint with Intech Property Appraisal as its Managing Partner, series of assignments and appraisal orders came. My biggest clients were the CFI Multipurpose Cooperative and a subdivision developer. I appraised its properties ranging from vacant lot, residential, and commercial buildings and institutional. The most challenging assignment was a one-hectare residential lot. It was challenging because it has a variety of problems on its title, physical characteristics, occupants and expropriated portion. In addition to the most commonly used methods in appraisal (market data, cost and income approach) I have to use subdivision development method in appraising the said property to draw closer out with the most reliable and accurate value .

In these assignments, I learn a lot of lesson in practicing appraisal. My foundation as a researcher, as an economist and being a real estate broker helps a lot. In every appraisal assignment, I always bear in mind that I should come out with an unbiased and justifiable opinion of value.

The most challenging assignment was to be appointed by a regional trial court as member of the Commission that will study and report the fair market value of a property on trial. It is an assignment where an appraiser has to face the grilling of the judge, lawyers, assessors and other parties. It needs courage draws from experience and technical capability.

Appraisal assignments also mean travel to different places. I visited places and seen faces in different part of the country. Beautiful beaches of Camotes and Bohol, picturesque mountains in Negros and Agusan, scenic islands in Iloilo, native delicacy in Bayawan City- the baye-baye ( I keep looking for laki-laki), Marang in Cagayan de Oro, Binagol in Leyte and more.

It was a great year of raising the level of professional capabilities and experience.