General Appraiser Report Writing and Case Studies

About this course

This course emphasizes how strong writing and effective organization of an appraisal report are as powerful and essential as solid analysis. You’ll develop skills and strategies to harness language so that your value conclusion is clear and convincing to the intended user. Developing a credible opinion of value is only part of the appraisal process. Reporting it effectively conveys the appraiser’s competence. A poorly written report diminishes the credibility of even the most competent research and analysis. An appraiser who can combine robust analytical skills with strong communication skills gains a compelling competitive advantage. Through instruction and practice, you’ll learn how to effectively communicate a sound valuation analysis. Discussions and writing exercises use a variety of property types and valuation scenarios to address common issues specific to appraisal report writing. Real-world examples allow you to apply writing concepts including organization, writing tone, integration of image-based content, coherent sentence and paragraph structure, and the revision and editing process. Extended writing assignments focus on common appraisal writing challenges such as explaining the derivation and application of quantitative adjustments, communicating data-dense analysis, presenting highest and best use analysis, and writing an appropriate scope of work.
Objectives:

Identify the nature of appraisal reports and report requirements.
Identify and apply principles of grammar, punctuation, and usage specific to report writing.
Recognize and apply a variety of written communication tools and methods to best convey an assignment’s results.
Identify the importance of the intended user when writing an appraisal report.
Practice presenting appraisal analysis and conclusions clearly and effectively.
Understand the interconnectedness of the appraisal process and how to achieve a consistent and coherent appraisal report.
Identify strengths and weaknesses of image-based description in appraisal reports, and practice designing effective graphs and tables.

What you’ll learn

See descriptions above

Course curriculum

Introduction
Module 1: Introduction to Reports and Report Writing
Module 2: Writing Correctly for Narrative Appraisal Reports
Module 3: Punctuation for Appraisal Reports
Module 4: Planning the Appraisal Report
Module 5: Introduction to Arbour Bridge Case Study
Module 6: Adding Emphasis in Narrative Appraisal Statements
Module 7: Paragraphs for Narrative Appraisal Reports
Module 8: Conclusions for Narrative Appraisal Reports
Module 9: Reporting Numbers, Using Tables, Charts, Graphs, and Other Exhibits in an Appraisal Report
Module 10: Reporting Highest and Best Use in the Arbour Bridge Case Study
Module 11: Introduction to Presenting the Approaches
Module 12: Reporting the Cost Approach in the Arbour Bridge Case Study
Module 13: Reporting the Income Capitalization Approach in the Arbour Bridge Case Study
Module 14: Reporting the Sales Comparison Approach in the Arbour Bridge Case Study
Module 15: Writing Convincing Reconciliations
Module 16: Writing Effective Letters of Transmittal
Module 17: Other Information Appraisers Need to Know about Report Writing
Conclusion