Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins, Real Estate Appraiser, Animal Advocates, Los Angeles, California
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Showing posts with label post fire appraisal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post fire appraisal. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Appraising Damaged Homes and Properties in Disaster Areas, Fires by Richard Hagar notes by Mary Cummins

richard hagar, mary cummins, orep, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, post fire appraisal, fire, disaster, appraisal, insurance, palisades, eaton, altadena
I just took the webinar "Appraising Damaged Homes and Properties in Disaster Areas" given by Isaac Peck's OREP and Richard Hagar SRA. Hagar is a real estate appraiser and a professor of real estate. The class was extremely informative and practical. I can't recommend it enough if you will be doing post fire appraisals. If you're a member of OREP, the link to the video is down below. It was 2:45 but the time will fly by. Hagar is a good speaker who keeps you interested in this very relevant and important issue. There are a lot more free videos by Richard Hagar in OREP which I also recommend. Below is the brief summary of the class. 

"Serious natural disasters occur with some frequency in the United States−hurricanes, floods, and most recently, the wildfires in California.

These events create a need for appraisal services as homeowners and insurance companies work to assess the damage and rebuild afterward.

In this webinar, Hagar shows appraisers how to provide appraisals for insurance companies for a single property damaged by fire, windstorm, tree fall, flood, or landslides; and how the methodology changes when dealing with more widescale destruction due to fires, hurricanes, flooding, and tornadoes.

This live webinar will cover:

- How Appraisals (and Values) Change after a Disaster
- Assessing Repairable or Catastrophic Damage on a Property
- How the Insurance System Works and What they Need
- Data Problems and Sources after a Disaster
- Things to be Cautious of; Contamination and its Impact on Value
- How to Obtain This Business"

My comment: When most people think of Los Angeles they think of earthquakes and wildfires. That's why they call us the shake and bake state. Over the last 40 years I've appraised all those types of disasters. Over the last 20 years I have done a higher amount of post fire appraisals for owners and insurance companies. With droughts, climate change, denser housing and more people living in wildfire areas that trend will only continue to increase.

I asked if I could share the slides link and didn't hear back. I'll post the link if Hagar says yes. The slides are fantastic! Every issue and everything he says are in the slides. They just replied. They didn't say yes or no but sent me the link again after I asked so I take that as a yes. You should really watch the video also. They just said no so I removed the link to the slides. They said you can purchase the webinar and see the video and slides. I would definitely do that. Well worth the money. 

If you are trying to get post fire appraisal work, contact the following companies and organizations.

Attorneys: Contact the lawyers running adds for fire victim lawsuits.
Insurance companies: Contact the main insurance companies in California.
County tax assessor: They will be needing appraisers to handle all the property tax appeals. 
FEMA: They will also be needing appraisers
US Corps of Engineers: 
Homeowners: Update your website, social media to state you do post fire appraisals. Make sure you can be found in search engines. Run ads. 

Quick note. Use the General Purpose Report or the Appraisal Institute form. Do not use UAD or basic Summary report. Appraisal is not for lending purposes. You need the cost approach.

One of the slides was about the value of homes that survived the fires when all their neighbors and community burned down. This is the text from that slide. 

"NOT DESTROYED JUST CONTAMINTED
Every home on the block is destroyed or unlivable, except your subject.
-Fire, flood, landslide, air contamination, mold
Your unburned/flooded subject is likely contaminated, at a minimum every exterior surface, oil, and likely any space where air and/or water were able to penetrate.
-crawlspace, attic, cold air returned for HVAC
Maybe interior surfaces including carpet, floors, sheetrock, inside the walls, and insulation
Currently, that house will have a minimal value. The buildings may have lost 35-90% of their value: the land has likely lost another 35-90% of its value. Why? Typical buyers are scared of the unknown.
Your subject is likely uninhabitable until some contamination company provides the "All Clear."
What if the house has no electricity or water access?
Massively complex appraisal assignment."

My comment: Currently there are no homes that survived the fires while their neighbors did not that sold after the fires in the Palisades. The ones that were for sale expired or were cancelled. Some are for sale but they are farther away from the fire zone so aren't as affected and haven't sold. Some stayed listed for another month post fire but no offers. Private parties are not currently interested in these homes. Only developers will be interested and able to afford to buy them. Some have no access as homes that burned fell down the hillsides blocking roads. Some have no utilities. Some need toxic ash, soot remediation. Even after toxic contaminants have been removed from the home, the entire neighborhood is one big toxic waste dump. Those toxins will seep back into the home. It will take at least 12-18 months to clear the debris. It took longer after the 2018 Woolsey fire. The current fires burned many more homes so it'll take even longer. 

Anyone who buys the homes that survived will have to pay all cash as loans will be impossible as will fire insurance. All cash sales are generally 10-20% less than financed transactions. If a developer buys a property, they expect 20% return on investment. That return on investment is calculated as the difference in final sales price of restored home minus the price of property purchase plus cost to rebuild, restore, remediate and all related sales costs such as commission, title, escrow. This means we're looking at a minimum deduction of 30-40% of pre fire value if the home wasn't damaged. That doesn't even include the reduced value due to stigma. Anyone who buys a fully restored home will still have a problem finding very expensive fire insurance. They may have to pay all cash which is another reduction in value. It will take years until the values recover in this area just like after the Woolsey fire.

This is funny. Someone asked the question "what do you do when there are no post fire land sales?" I said to myself "there are post fire land sales!" then Hagar said the exact same thing. You will find post fire land sales as land listings and home listings. They are listed in both categories. Some are listed as just fixers or "build your dream home." There are quite a few post fire land listings in Altadena and Palisades. I post the listings and sales every week here. 

The webinar went into the requirements to rebuild burned homes. If over 50% of the property is destroyed, the owner/builder will have to comply with current building requirements. In California that means you must have solar. In wildfire areas, that means you must have fire resistant roof, siding, limited eaves, no vents... In hillside areas, that means you will have to build a much more substantial foundation. All of these things will cost a lot more money than your fire insurance policy will give you. Sadly if you are on PCH ocean side and burned down, you may not be able to rebuild at all due to tide levels, setbacks... Don't even get me started on the Coastal Commission. That will add another two years to the process. 

Hagar mentioned the fact that resources, construction materials and labor will be very limited which will drive up the price and slow down the process. Happens after every fire and disaster. On top of this we will have the new tariffs. Your insurance will definitely not cover the cost to rebuild. This is why so many have to sell. It's better than the alternative of losing the home to foreclosure or not having money to find a new home.

These are just a very few items I found interesting from the webinar.

Here is a  link to the Webinar Recording but you needed to have signed up for the class to see it I think. Generally they move the videos into the orepeducation.org site. 

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/886913803578013103


Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Monday, February 24, 2025

Recreating Burned Destroyed Homes on Paper for Real Estate Appraisals by Mary Cummins

mary cummins, post fire appraisal, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, los angeles, california, eaton fire, palisades fire, altadena, pacific palisades, disaster appraisal

When doing post fire appraisal inspections the appraiser has to recreate the destroyed home on paper. I do this by measuring the remaining footings or partial walls. I then reconcile these measurements with building permits, Google satellite image map measurements and recorded plans if available. It's important to be able to tell the difference between a home footing and the base of another type of structure such as a patio. I use an iPhone and Leica Disto. The below measurements were taken by my iPhone because I can take a photo of my measurements. I can't do that with my Disto. 

Here's an old article I wrote about using Google maps to measure buildings. I use a measuring device but will also use Google maps to cross reference and reconcile measurements of destroyed buildings. Remember that not all structures and roofs are the actual home. There are patios, porches, sheds, garages, carports... 
https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/2016/03/using-google-maps-to-get-rough-building.html










Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html

In Altadena Eaton fire zone today by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

Altadena, Eaton fire, los angeles, california, mary cummins, post fire appraisal, fire appraisal, real estate appraisal, disaster appraisal


Was in Altadena in the Eaton fire zone today. EPA has finished phase two of toxic material cleanup. That just means they picked up some propane tanks, paint containers. 99.99% of the debris is still there. Many street lights still out. There is no National Guard or police blocking any streets. Some streets closed due to work. I saw them cleaning out the creeks. Click any photo to see larger













Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html

Sunday, February 23, 2025

Why You Need a Post Fire Real Estate Appraisal by Mary Cummins Real Estate Appraiser

Mary Cummins, post-fire appraisals, real estate appraiser, altadena, pacific palisades, eaton fire, palisades fire, los angeles, california, appraisal, pre-fire appraisal

The purpose of a post-fire real estate appraisal is to determine the exact pre and post-fire values of your property so you can make informed decisions. These values are needed for a variety of reasons. The reasons range from investment decisions, calculating an IRS casualty loss for your taxes, negotiating with your insurance adjuster, property tax appeal and evidence for a lawsuit. Below are just a few more reasons why you need a post-fire appraisal

  • Investment decisions to sell or rebuild
  • Pre listing market analysis
  • IRS casualty loss
  • Insurance settlement
  • Evidence for lawsuit
  • Property tax appeal
  • Short pay mortgage
  • Buy out family member

The process begins with a physical inspection of the property to determine fire damage, specific location in the neighborhood and the view from the site. Some properties may only have interior smoke/ash damage, exterior soot staining, damage from heat while others are totally destroyed. Some damage can be remediated while other properties must be completely rebuilt.

The next stage is the collection of all relevant data. Homes that have been completely destroyed will need forensic reconstruction to determine size, construction type and quality. This data includes pre-fire satellite map images, previous MLS listings, Building and Safety Department records, recorded building plans, old photos of structures and looking at the property footings. The appraiser also searches all public records and MLS databases for comparable land and homes which have sold or are/were active listings before and after the fires.

After all the data is collected the appraiser writes a full appraisal report with exhibits, photos, plans, permits with detailed research and analysis. The appraiser then determines the value based on the cost to replace the structure and/or remediate damages. The appraiser also determines what the property would have sold for the day before the fires and in it’s current condition after the fires. 

Order your post-fire appraisal today. The cost starts at $450 for average sized home but can be more for larger more complex properties. The process takes a week from time of inspection. We already have contractor permits to enter Pacific Palisades and Altadena fire zones as we've been doing these appraisals for the last month. Mary Cummins has been doing post-fire appraisals for over 20 years and has been a licensed certified insured appraiser for over 40 years in Los Angeles County, California. The appraisal should be ordered before the debris is removed.

#marycummins #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #prefireappraisal #postfireappraisal #eatonfire #palisadesfire #altadena #pacificpalisades #losangeles #california #fireappraisal #fireinspection #home #house #valuation #land 

*****

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

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Altadena home and land statistics, values, prices, ages, sizes by Mary Cummins real estate appraiser

altadena, california, home sales, home values, mary cummins, real estate appraiser, real estate appraisal, eaton fire, fire appraisal, post fire appraisal, valuation


Here are some housing statistics for Altadena, California. This is the result of an MLS search for all homes sales for 12 months from 01/06/2024 to 01/06/2025 in Altadena up to the day before the Eaton fire started. One reason why so many homes burned is the median age of the homes. Median age was 78. Median year built was 1947. In 2010 California passed mandatory building standards for all new homes in wildfire zones. Those regulations prevented some homes from being destroyed. Many say fire resistant retrofitting should be mandatory for new and existing homes in these areas. Others say it's too cost prohibitive to force people to change their roof, siding, windows, doors, fences... Those regulations would have saved lives and probably would have saved most of the homes.

There were 291 home sales in Altadena during the search period. Prices range from $300K to $5M. Median $1,350,000.  Average $1,466,000. Minimum size two beds, one bath. Maximum 7 beds, 9 baths. Average size 3 beds, 2.5 baths 1,887 sf $1.466M. Median 3 bed, 2 bath 1,645 sf $1.35M. There were only three land sales for about $750-780K. 

Based on 1004MC data sales and list prices were both decreasing in the previous 12 months. End of year is always the slow seasonal time when homes sell for less. Still, median sale and list prices were decreasing before the seasonal slow period. The increasing interest rates had a big effect in this area. It could also be that more recent sales were fixers. 

7-12 months, 4-6 months, 3 months to end of search time.
Median Comparable Sale Price 1,404,000 1,350,000 1,250,000
Median Comparable List Price (All) 1,300,000 1,299,000 0

Homes were selling over list price.
Median Sale Price / Median List Price % 113.26% 104.25% 104.17%

Currently burned destroyed single family homes, land are listed post fire for $350K to $750K. This is at least 40-50% below median pre-fire land value and less than half of pre-fire home value. Anyone who buys the land still has to clear and test it. New homes must be built to current code. It will take months to clear the land before any construction can begin. Obviously land values vary by size, location, view, shape... These are not cookie cutter lots. There are some pending $479K to $750K median $572K. The destroyed land value properties are listed in land and home sales so search both at once.

Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate is a certified residential licensed appraiser in Los Angeles, California. Mary Cummins is licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate appraisers and has over 35 years of experience.


Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary, Cummins, #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit real estate, appraiser, appraisal, instructor, teacher, Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Brentwood, Bel Air, California, licensed, permitted, certified, single family, condo, condominium, pud, hud, fannie mae, freddie mac, fha, uspap, certified, residential, certified resident, apartment building, multi-family, commercial, industrial, expert witness, civil, criminal, orea, dre, brea insurance, bonded, experienced, bilingual, spanish, english, form, 1004, 2055, 1073, land, raw, acreage, vacant, insurance, cost, income approach, market analysis, comparative, theory, appraisal theory, cost approach, sales, matched pairs, plot, plat, map, diagram, photo, photographs, photography, rear, front, street, subject, comparable, sold, listed, active, pending, expired, cancelled, listing, mls, multiple listing service, claw, themls, historical appraisal, facebook, linkedin

DISCLAIMER: https://mary--cummins.blogspot.com/p/disclaimer-privacy-policy-for-blogs-by.html