Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice

Last updated

Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) can be considered the quality control standards applicable for real property, personal property, intangible assets, and business valuation appraisal analysis and reports in the United States and its territories. USPAP, as it is commonly known, was first developed in the 1980s by a joint committee representing the major U.S. and Canadian appraisal organizations. As a result of the savings and loan crisis, the Appraisal Foundation (TAF) was formed by these same groups, along with support and input from major industry and educational groups, and TAF took over administration of USPAP. [1]

Contents

The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA) authorized the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC), which is made up of representatives of the leading U.S. government agencies and non-governmental organizations empowered to oversee the U.S. mortgage and banking system. The ASC provides oversight to TAF.

TAF carries out its work through two divisions – the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) and the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB). The latter group sets forth minimum qualifications for appraisal licensure, and its work has been adopted by all states and territories. The ASB maintains USPAP, and issues updates in January of even numbered years.

All US states and territories require appraisal licensure for valuation work performed for federally regulated institutions; however, 35 states and territories of the US require appraisal licensure for all valuation work performed, whether federally regulated or for other use.

Since 2006, USPAP has been updated in a 2-year cycle, which begins on January 1 of even number years. The current version of USPAP is available at www.appraisalfoundation.org and has an effective date of January 1, 2020.

Origins

USPAP was originally written in 1986-87 by an ad hoc committee representing the various appraisal professional organizations in the U.S. and Canada. The copyright to USPAP was donated to TAF on April 27, 1987. While USPAP answers a specific regulatory need in the U.S., it has also been adopted by many appraisal professional organizations throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

USPAP represents the generally accepted and recognized standards of appraisal practice. At its organizational meeting held on January 30, 1989, the Appraisal Standard Board (ASB) unanimously approved and adopted the original USPAP as the initial appraisal standards promulgated by ASB. USPAP may be amended, Interpreted, or retired by ASB after exposure to the users of appraisal services and the public in accordance with established rules of procedure.

Over the years, the USPAP document has evolved in content and organisational structure in response to changes in appraisal practice. The ASB has developed a process for developing both standards and guidance based, in part, on written comments submitted in response to exposure drafts and oral testimony.

Standards vs. methods

While USPAP provides a minimum set of quality control standards for the conduct of appraisal in the U.S., it does not attempt to prescribe specific methods to be used. Rather, USPAP simply requires that appraisers be familiar with and correctly utilize those methods which would be acceptable to other appraisers familiar with the assignment at hand and acceptable to the intended users of the appraisal. USPAP directs this through what is called the Scope of Work rule. At the onset of an assignment, an appraiser is obligated to gather certain specified preliminary data about the project, such as the nature of the property to be appraised, the basis of value (e.g. market, investment, impaired, unimpaired), the interests appraised (e.g. fee, partial), important assumptions or hypothetical conditions, and the effective date of the valuation. Based on this and other key information, the appraiser relies on peer-reviewed methodology to formulate an acceptable workplan.

Standards, statements, and advisory opinions

USPAP has ten Standards which cover the development and reporting of valuation. In addition, over the years, ten Statements regarding specific practices in appraisal have been developed, however, all ten have since been retired. Standards and Statements are considered binding. In addition, there are 32 Advisory Opinions which are advisory rather than binding.

International Valuation Standards

USPAP and the International Valuation Standards [IVS] aim at essentially the same goals. There has been cooperation between TAF and the International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) over an extended period. In June, 2006, the IVSC and TAF jointly issued a memorandum of understanding (MoU), called the "Madison Agreement", in which they pledged to work together toward the goal of reconciling the differences between the two sets of standards. [2] In 2014, this was updated with a new MoU under which the parties committed to work to remove any remaining differences between the standards that would prevent an appraiser following USPAP also complying with the requirements of the IVS.

In 2016, "A Bridge from USPAP to IVS" was produced to assist appraisers familiar with USPAP to produce a valuation that is also compliant with the IVS. While the document describes additional steps necessary to ensure that compliance, a full review of both sets standards is always encouraged. Both organizations note that this joint effort unveiled more commonalities than differences in the two sets of standards. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Market value or OMV is the price at which an asset would trade in a competitive auction setting. Market value is often used interchangeably with open market value, fair value or fair market value, although these terms have distinct definitions in different standards, and differ in some circumstances.

Real estate appraisal, property valuation or land valuation is the process of developing an opinion of value for real property. Real estate transactions often require appraisals because they occur infrequently and every property is unique, unlike corporate stocks, which are traded daily and are identical. The location also plays a key role in valuation. However, since property cannot change location, it is often the upgrades or improvements to the home that can change its value. Appraisal reports form the basis for mortgage loans, settling estates and divorces, taxation, and so on. Sometimes an appraisal report is used to establish a sale price for a property.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process level improvement training and appraisal program. Administered by the CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of ISACA, it was developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). It is required by many U.S. Government contracts, especially in software development. CMU claims CMMI can be used to guide process improvement across a project, division, or an entire organization. CMMI defines the following maturity levels for processes: Initial, Managed, Defined, Quantitatively Managed, and Optimizing. Version 2.0 was published in 2018. CMMI is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by CMU.

Comparables is a real estate appraisal term referring to properties with characteristics that are similar to a subject property whose value is being sought. This can be accomplished either by a real estate agent who attempts to establish the value of a potential client's home or property through market analysis or, by a licensed or certified appraiser or surveyor using more defined methods, when performing a real estate appraisal.

Within partnership arrangements, Family Limited Partnerships are frequently used to move wealth from one generation to another. Partners are either General Partners (GP) or Limited Partners (LP). One or more General Partners are responsible for managing the FLP and its assets. Limited Partners have an economic interest in the FLP, but typically lack two noteworthy rights: control and marketability. Limited Partners have no ability to control, direct, or otherwise influence the operations of the FLP. They can neither buy additional assets, nor sell existing assets, and they cannot act on the Partnership's behalf. They also substantially lack the ability to sell their interest, with one typical exception: transfers to immediate family members. FLPs are partnerships limited to family members, hence the name.

The sales comparison approach (SCA) relies on the assumption that a matrix of attributes or significant features of a property drive its value. For examples, in the case of a single family residence, such attributes might be floor area, views, location, number of bathrooms, lot size, age of the property and condition of property.

An appraiser, is a person that develops an opinion of the market value or other value of a product, most notably real estate.

Highest and Best Use, or highest or best use (HBU), is a concept that originated with early economists such as Irving Fisher (1867-1947), who conceptualized the idea of maximum productivity. One of the earliest citations of the term is found in the Minutes of the Maine Legislature as early as 1831 in speaking about the assessment and valuation of real estate: "...the land was classified preceding such change of use, had such real estate been assessed at its highest and best use..." It is the concept in real estate appraisal that shows how the highest value for a property is arrived at. In any case where the market value of real property is sought, that value must be based on its highest and best use. Highest and best use is always that use that would produce the highest value for a property, regardless of its actual current use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989</span>

The Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), is a United States federal law enacted in the wake of the savings and loan crisis of the 1980s.

Business Valuation Standards (BVS) are codes of practice that are used in business valuation. Examples of business appraisal standards are as follows:

A Comp Check is a request made to a State Licensed or Certified real estate appraiser, sometimes to assure a minimum opinion of value before an order, is placed. Because providing an opinion of value is the definition of an appraisal in the United States, the practice of the look-up, when excess care is not taken, runs a greater risk of being in violation of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) than an assignment with a more thorough Scope of Work.

The Appraisal Foundation (TAF) is the United States organization responsible for setting standards for the real estate valuation profession. The organization sets the congressionally authorized standards and qualifications for real estate appraisers, and provides voluntary guidance on recognized valuation methods and techniques for all valuation professionals. The aim is to ensure appraisals are impartial, objective and independent, are conducted without bias and are performed in an ethical and competent manner.

The income approach is one of three major groups of methodologies, called valuation approaches, used by appraisers. It is particularly common in commercial real estate appraisal and in business appraisal. The fundamental math is similar to the methods used for financial valuation, securities analysis, or bond pricing. However, there are some significant and important modifications when used in real estate or business valuation.

Intellectual property valuation is a process to determine the monetary value of intellectual property assets. IP valuation is required to be able to sell, license, or enter into commercial arrangements based on IP. It is also beneficial in the enforcement of IP rights, for internal management of IP assets, and for various financial processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Valuation Standards Council</span> Provfessional valuation organization

The International Valuation Standards Council (IVSC) is an independent, not-for-profit, private sector standards organisation incorporated in the United States and with its operational headquarters in London, UK. IVSC develops international technical and ethical standards for valuations on which investors and others rely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Society of Appraisers</span> American nonprofit organization

The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) is an American nonprofit organization which serves as a professional affiliation of appraisers of all disciplines. The organization is the largest multi-discipline, voluntary membership, trade association representing and promoting their member appraisers.

In the field of real estate appraisal, extraordinary assumptions and hypothetical conditions are two closely related types of assumptions that are made as predicating conditions of an appraisal problem. Under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), they are two of the assignment conditions on which an appraisal assignment is predicated, the others being general assumptions, laws & regulations, supplemental standards, jurisdictional exceptions, and other conditions affecting scope of work. Making the distinction between the two is important when compiling or reporting appraisals in the United States or other jurisdictions where USPAP is considered the professional standard because USPAP has different specific disclosure requirements for each in an appraisal report and specifies different conditions under which each can be made.

The Russian Society of Appraisers (RSA) is a premier organization of valuation professionals in Russia, embracing about 50% of recognized valuation professionals in the country from across various specialisms and geographical regions. It was the first national professional valuation society to be established in 1993 and the only Valuation Society to attain 'All-Russian Public Organization' status, with branches in the majority of constituent entities of the Russian Federation. It has the status of self-regulated organization (SRO), with current membership reaching over 6,000 individuals. Members of the Russian Society of Appraisers comprise both property and business valuation professionals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Right of Way Association</span>

The International Right of Way Association (IRWA) is considered the central authority for right of way education and certification programs, as well as professional services, worldwide.

The California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers (BREA) is a division of the California Department of Consumer Affairs responsible for real estate appraiser licensing and certification in California.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.