When someone hires an appraiser to value a commercial property, one of the first questions the appraiser has to answer is about the ownership; specifically: does anyone else have rights to this property right now? Because if a tenant has a long-term lease in place, what the owner actually "owns" in a legal and economic sense is different from what they'd own if the building were empty and available. That difference has a name, and it has real dollar implications. The two typ

When people hear the phrase “commercial appraisal,” they often think about buying or selling a property. But in reality, commercial appraisals play a much bigger role than that. In many situations, they become an important tool for resolving disagreements, protecting assets, and helping people move forward with confidence during major life and business transitions. As an organization that has worked with clients at different stages of life, including clients navigating the pa

Ask ten people what makes a property valuable and you'll hear ten different answers. But professional appraisers keep coming back to one question: what is this property's highest and best use? It's a deceptively simple question with a surprisingly technical answer, and it's actually pretty easy to get things wrong . HBU, as we will refer to it going forward, is the foundation beneath every credible property valuation. If you get it right, then you get to understand the true

Most people are familiar with appraisals through home purchases or refinancing. In residential valuation, comparable sales are usually easy to find: recent transactions, close by, and similar in size and style so it is natural to assume all appraisals work this way. But commercial and special-use properties do not. Churches, daycares, car washes, medical buildings, mixed-use properties, and sites with unusual zoning or physical constraints often have no true comparable sales

A deal can look great in a spreadsheet and still be a problem in real life. I’ve seen investors get excited about a property, only to realize later that the rents were too optimistic, the vacancy assumptions were too generous, and the true cost of stabilization was left out. That’s why valuation takes more than math, it takes judgment, discipline, and a healthy dose of skepticism. The truth is that even experienced investors get valuation wrong sometimes. The issue usually i

You've negotiated hard, signed the contract, and felt the relief of having a deal in place. Then the appraisal comes back, and the number is different from what you agreed to pay. It's a moment that stops many transactions in their tracks, and it happens far more often than most buyers expect. The short answer to the topic is yes: market value and contract price can absolutely be different. Understanding why, and knowing what your options are when they are different, could sa

When a disaster damages your home or investment property, the IRS provides a way to recover part of your loss through Form 4684 – Casualties and Thefts. This form allows eligible taxpayers to report the decline in a property's market value due to a qualifying event such as a hurricane, flood, or other federally declared disaster. However, properly documenting that loss requires a qualified real estate appraisal. Under IRS Form 4684, taxpayers can claim a deduction based on t

By: Victor A. Torres, MAI The real estate appraisal process can be overwhelming, especially since it often represents one of the final...

In a bid to tackle Florida's pressing affordable housing crisis head-on, the Live Local Act, also known as SB 102, emerges as a...

When you own real estate property, you are not just buying a physical structure, you are also acquiring a bundle of rights that come with...

When it comes to commercial and residential real estate, determining the value of a property is crucial for buyers, sellers, and...

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The Appraisal Institute (AI) is a professional organization of real estate appraisers that sets the standards and guidelines for the...

A commercial appraisal report is a document that provides an assessment of the value of real property that is intended for residential...