Section 9: Reappraisals
Anchor: #i1005936Procedure
Before or during negotiations, it may be found that a market change has occurred, indicating a need for revising or updating existing appraisals. Such action is not considered an additional appraisal, and the needed information may be requested from the appraiser without obtaining ROW Division approval.
However, conditions may arise which did not exist at the time of the original appraisal, resulting in a change in values, i.e., a change in design, a parcel split, or a combination into new ownerships, all of which would require a new appraisal. When such changes occur, it is usually necessary to reappraise the property to determine new values for negotiation purposes. ROW Division approval is not required for securing such reappraisal(s) if they do not exceed the number of appraisals usually required. A statement should be made in the transmittal letter recommending the new value, and on the amendment to the original Form ROW-A-3, to indicate the circumstances which required the reappraisal, for example, “reappraisal due to change in design.” The fee for such reappraisal shall be renegotiated on an hourly basis and documented on an amendment to the original Form ROW-A-3 when the reappraisal assignment is made.
In some instances, complete new appraisals may not be required, but supplemental information is needed from the appraiser to support a revised value. This often can be accomplished by having the appraiser submit only certain revised sheets of Form ROW-A-5 to supplement his original report, including Page One. In this situation, the fee for furnishing the supplemental information will be a single payment predetermined in the same manner as the original fee. It is obvious that such a fee should be less than that for a complete new report since considerably less time will be needed to complete the assignment. This type of assignment will also be made on Form ROW-A-3 and the basis for determination of the fee documented thereon. A request to an appraiser for a substantive correction or revision of the report shall be made in writing and shall clearly set forth the reasons for the correction. The appraiser must provide a cover letter documenting the corrections.
Exceptions to the above will be made when minor changes in the parcel occur and when it is obvious that such changes will not have an appreciable effect on the parcel value, but only during the negotiations stage, not after the parcel has gone into eminent domain. In such instances during the negotiations stage, it is reasonable to assume that the additional or lesser amount of the parcel value may be determined by the staff appraisal reviewer in ROWIS on Form ROW-A-10, with proper explanation and attachments as necessary, using the same unit value as previously established in the appraisal processes.
In each of the above situations, the applicable recommended value entered into ROWIS will be necessary to show any change in the parcel or its value. Care should be taken to insure that TxDOT’s position is adequately supported by appraisal information.
When changes in design or access control occur after appraisals have been obtained, all work previously completed must be reviewed to determine if the valuation is in agreement with the revised design or if the appraiser should be requested to make a reappraisal. If the parcel has been acquired and the revised design constitutes an additional acquisition, the District should notify ROW Division. After coordination with the appropriate Divisions, the District will be advised as to appropriate procedure.