Chapter 2 The Subject Section The SUBJECT section of the URAR introduces the appraisal assignment by presenting important information about the subject property. The SUBJECT section provides spaces for legal descriptions and other information. You must identify accurately the subject property in order to distinguish it from any other property. This section also presents financial information, such as property taxes and special assessments. The following paragraphs illustrate the parts of the SUBJECT section of the URAR form. Property Address Enter the common street address of the property provided by the client. Verify the address on all the legal and research documents that you use. 7
URAR City Enter the name of the city where the property is located. This is part of the address provided by the client and verified on all legal and research documents you use. If the subject property is located in an area of a larger incorporated city, the incorporated city name should be used. The area name can be stated later in an addendum or comment section of the appraisal. For example, if a property were located in the Palms area of Los Angeles, Los Angeles should be listed as the city. State Use the standard two-letter designation for the state. All the official designations are listed below. Alabama AL Alaska AK Arizona AZ Arkansas AR California CA Colorado CO Connecticut CT Delaware DE District of Columbia DC Florida FL Georgia GA Hawaii HI Idaho ID Illinois IL Indiana IN Iowa IA Kansas KS Kentucky KY Louisiana LA Maine ME Maryland MD Massachusetts MA Michigan MI Minnesota MN Mississippi MS Missouri MO Montana MT Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VI VA WA WV WI WY 8
The Subject Chapter 2 Zip Code Use the standard five-digit code. You may include the additional four digits if that information is readily available. Property Address 645 South Maple Street City Los Angeles ZIP Code 900492365 Borrower If the appraisal is for a purchase money loan or for a refinance, indicate the borrower s name in this space. For a lender appraisal, remember that the lender, not the borrower, is your client, even if the borrower pays the appraisal fee. If the appraisal is not for loan purposes, indicate that it is not applicable. Fannie Mae has designed the new URAR so it may not be as useful as previous versions for non-lender uses. Owner of Public Record Enter the current owner s name in this space. County The county is part of the information researched by the appraiser or provided by the client. The word county does not have to appear behind the name of the county. Borrower James and Mary Worth Owner of Public Record Paul Jones County Los Angeles Legal Description Three methods of legal description are used: metes and bounds; lot, block and tract; and U. S. Government survey system. The subject property s location will determine the type of legal description used. It is the opinion of the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) that the detail of presentation and level of information in the URAR form should be consistent with the requirements for a Summary Appraisal Report. As such, a complete legal description is not necessary. The legal description included in the URAR may be a summary of the complete legal description however; it must include enough detail to identify the subject property adequately. Some appraisers enter the phrase See Title Report in this section of the URAR report. This is not an acceptable means of identifying the legal description of the subject property. USPAP Standards Rule 2-2(b) (iii) requires the appraisal report to summarize information sufficient to identify the real estate involved in the appraisal. Appraisers using the URAR form must include a legal description to identify the 9
URAR subject property. It is permissible to include the legal description as part of a supplemental addendum. In this case, the appraiser will indicate this in the legal description line. Legal Description Lot 26, Tract 16128 Assessor s Parcel # The tax assessor s office assigns parcel numbers to each property for collecting property taxes. Just like a phone number is tied to a particular phone, an assessor s parcel number is tied to a particular parcel of land. It is another way of reliably identifying the subject property. The assessor s parcel number can be found at the tax assessor s office, in title company data, and through various other services providing property information, such as Multiple Listing Services. Tax Year The tax year can be found in the property profile or through public records and assessor s information. Enter the tax year for which the information is supplied. R.E. Taxes $ The annual amount of property taxes can be found in the property profile or from assessor s records. Enter the annual dollar amount of property taxes here. Assessor s Parcel # 302-286-05 Tax Year 2004 R.E. Taxes $ 1107.87 Neighborhood Name Some neighborhoods are known by a subdivision name. If applicable, state the subdivision name here. Other neighborhoods are part of a larger general area. For example, Echo Park is a neighborhood that is part of the city of Los Angeles. Map Reference Most areas have some type of map recognition system common to the area - map grids, coordinates, quadrants or some other type of commonly used map identification. It is common to use the Thomas Brothers maps (West Coast, Arizona, Washington D.C., and other areas) or other similar reference maps and state the map page and the section of the map page that contains the subject property. If applicable, include the map reference to help identify the location of the property. 10
The Subject Chapter 2 Census Tract This is a number assigned by the U. S. Census Bureau and is available on the Internet or other data system providers. Enter the number in this space. Neighborhood Name Seabreeze Estates Map Reference 828 B2 Census Tract 8324.07 The subject property is found on page 828 of the map book in section B2 of that page. Occupant The form allows three options - Owner, Tenant, or Vacant. Check the appropriate box. Special Assessment $ Some properties have a special assessment for local improvements such as streets, water mains, curbs, gutters, or for special developments such as schools and parks. If this is applicable, enter the dollar amount of the special assessment. If not, indicate that it is not applicable. PUD The appraiser and the user of the report must understand the subject property s project type. Typically, the URAR is used for standard single-family residence appraisals. However, the URAR may also be used for a Planned Unit Development (PUD). A PUD is a Planned Unit Development, in which owners own their land and improvements in fee, but they also own an undivided interest in some common areas or amenities, like a pool, tennis court, or open area. HOA $ PUDs usually have homeowners association (HOA) dues. If applicable, state the dollar amount of the dues and whether the amount shown is monthly or yearly. Occupant Owner Tenant Vacant Special Assessment $ 400/ year PUD HOA $ 180 per year per month Property Rights Appraised The form provides three options - Fee simple, Leasehold, or Other. Fee simple is an ownership interest, a freehold estate. It involves the maximum rights and benefits an owner may possess, subject to encumbrances. 11
URAR A leasehold interest is a less-than-freehold estate; it is held by a lessee. The value of a leasehold interest can be substantial if there is a long-term lease involved. If you are appraising a property for the property owner that has a long-term lease, then you are appraising a leased fee estate and the boxes do not apply (normally, you would not use the URAR to report an appraisal of a leased fee estate). In most assignments, appraisers are appraising the fee simple interest and should check the fee simple box. If the property rights appraised are other than fee simple or leasehold, select Other and explain in the space provided or an addendum. It is important for you to understand exactly what you are appraising and for the user of the report also to be informed. You do need to be aware that a property with a longterm lease may not be worth the fee simple valuation as the leasehold has value as well. Check the appropriate box. Property Rights Appraised Fee Simple Leasehold Other (describe) Assignment Type Is the appraisal being completed for the purchase of the property, to refinance the property, or for some other reason? Select the appropriate option. If the appraisal is being completed for the sale of the property, the contract portion of the form must be completed. If Other is selected, use the space provided or an addendum to explain the type of transaction. Assignment Type Purchase Transaction Refinance Transaction Other (describe) Lender/Client Name the lender and/or client (generally the same) requesting the appraisal. Address Write the address of the client named above. Lender/Client First American Bank Address 321 S Main St, Anytown, CA 99991 12
The Subject Chapter 2 Is the subject property currently offered for sale or has it been offered for sale in the twelve months prior to the effective date of this appraisal? Indicate here whether the subject property has been offered for sale in the last 12 months. A Yes response requires reporting each offering price and the source of the information. Is the subject property currently offered for sale or has it been offered for sale in the twelve months prior to the effective date of this appraisal? Yes No Report data source(s) used, offering price(s), and date(s) List sources for information, any offering prices discovered in the course of your research and dates of those offers. Report data source(s) used offering price(s) and date(s). The subject property was listed from 6-1-2005 to 9-30-2005 for $650,000 according to MLS 13
URAR Chapter 2 Review Exercise Instructions: Using the information provided, complete the blank URAR Subject section. Check your work using the Answer Key in Appendix A. The subject property is a single-family detached home located in a planned unit development at 16253 Elk Spring Road, Anytown, California. Anytown is located in Orange County 92999. It is a fee simple estate and the land is not leased. The census tract number for this property is 1213. The assessor s parcel number is PQ9856. The map reference for this property is TB 828 E8. The property s legal description is: Lot 2 of Block 30 of Hillside Ranch Subdivision, as shown on page 875 of book 465, records of Orange County. Bank of the People, 563 Ridge Avenue, Anytown, CA 92989 has commissioned the appraisal for lending purposes for the borrowers Joan and William Russell. The Russells, a married couple, will own and occupy the property, which includes no common areas. The Russells signed an Offer to Purchase and Receipt for Deposit from John Davis, the current owner and occupant of the property, on September 22, 2010. The sales price is $215,000. No loan charges or sales concessions are being paid on behalf of the borrower, which is typical of the local market. Currently the property taxes are $2,312. The property taxes will re-assess at a combined tax rate of.0155 once the new owners close escrow. Property taxes include property, school, and transportation district taxes typical for this area. The current tax year is 2010-11, and no taxes are past due. The property has a homeowner s association with dues of $189 per month. 14