Valuation Review and McKissock are partnering to bring you a free webinar on how to properly use distressed sales as comparables in the state of California. Read on for information on registering and for details about this important educational opportunity.

McKissock, a nationally recognized education provider for appraisers, and Valuation Review, an October Research LLC publication dedicated to the appraisal industry, have partnered to bring appraisers an exclusive webinar on how to properly use distressed sales as comparables in the state of California.

Appraising in the Distressed Zone: How to Properly Use Comparables is free to all participants and airs Thursday, Oct. 25, from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. PT.

Sponsored by McKissock and hosted by Valuation Review, the content will be heavily focused on the current conditions in California and conducting valuations in that state, but all appraisers are invited to join us for this educational opportunity. 

Featured speakers Tracy Martin, a nationally known appraisal educator and AQB certified USPAP instructor with McKissock, and David Williams, division vice president for CoreLogic Collateral Solutions, will cover the following main points:

• An in-depth view of the current conditions in the California markets and data trends in the real estate market in that state;
• Knowing the difference between an REO property and a distressed property and how this impacts value;
• Meeting USPAP requirements; and
• Grasping the concept of market value.

“Whether or not to include REO sales or short sales as comparables in a market value assignment has plagued California appraisers for the past four years,” Martin said. “To date, numerous sources have offered suggestions on when and when not to use ‘distress’ sales as comparables, but the issue goes deeper than that. In my opinion, a better question would be: Did the transaction meet the ‘test’ of market value? The definition of market value states very clearly the conditions under which a transaction must occur for it to be considered ‘at market.’ We are going to focus on these conditions so appraisers walk away with a good understanding of developing the market value of real estate when REO and short sales dominate the sales data. Working through these complex situations can be challenging, and sometimes the value of these types of properties is misunderstood because of underlying issues that are tough to infiltrate.”

“Properly using distressed sales, such as foreclosures, as comparables is becoming extremely important in this market, where we continue to see large numbers of REO properties,” said Syndie Eardly, editorial director of October Research LLC and moderator for the Webinar. “This, coupled with real estate valuations being scrutinized by a number of regulators, organizations, educators and appraiser groups, is making it extremely critical for appraisers to conduct their valuations in a manner that reveals the true value of a property and meets USPAP requirements. This webinar will cover these issues and more.”

Webinar participants will receive related feature articles from Valuation Review and will have a chance to ask questions through an interactive chat feature during the webinar.