Section 2: The Review Appraiser
Anchor: #i1000563Qualifications of the Review Appraiser
Contract (PREAS) appraisers and staff appraisers that are credentialed as certified general real estate appraisers or certified residential appraisers by TALCB perform all appraisal review assignments for TxDOT that involve an opinion of value for real estate. The review appraiser also occupies the unique position of arbiter of the many issues presented in the appraisals. Since the appraisals provide the main basis upon which the state endeavors to determine adequate (just) compensation to acquire property, it follows that nothing less than the best possible effort is acceptable.
The appraisal reflects the appraiser's:
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- professional opinion of value; Anchor: #HXQJPRNC
- appraisal skills and abilities; Anchor: #BDBCWXUT
- knowledge of a specific property; Anchor: #UFGBSRYO
- professional judgment in application of recognized methods and techniques that apply to the appraisal assignment, knowledge of local financing, market conditions, market trends and other criteria.
Functions of Review Appraisers
The functions of the review appraisers are comparable in responsibility to other major functions of fieldwork. Review appraisers are responsible for:
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- appraisal work that is commensurate with the types of assignments permitted by the appraiser's state credential, Anchor: #GGRXJIMD
- advising fee appraisers, administrative reviews or technical reviews that involve an opinion of value must be prepared by appraisers that are credentialed as certified general or certified residential real estate appraisers, Anchor: #HTXSHBNB
- recommending reports to be released for negotiation, Anchor: #AKUKYJTG
- determining retention values, Anchor: #KQSFBYIL
- assisting in eminent domain cases, and Anchor: #BOLEUKQX
- furnishing appraisal support for acceptance of Special Commissioners' Awards and recommended settlements of eminent domain lawsuits.
In addition, ROW PD:
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- assists the engineering staff in highway location work, Anchor: #CRSOTNMA
- prepares estimated right of way costs on possible alternate routes and for programming purposes, Anchor: #EKPYXHYD
- acts in an advisory capacity where right of way costs relate to engineering matters, Anchor: #LXYEUWUI
- collects basic data on the costs of new construction, fences, and advertising signs, Anchor: #FHMYJQAJ
- maintains a file of comparable sales information on each right of way project, and Anchor: #LSAEAPQF
- assigns parcels to be appraised and creates work authorizations.
ROW Program Office Review Appraisers
The Appraisal Branch of the ROW Program Office is concerned with the review and processing of appraisals, management of Professional Real Estate Appraisal Service contracts, appointment of staff appraisers submitted and recommended for approval by the ROW PD offices. This branch is responsible for:
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- reviewing special case appraisal reports; Anchor: #UXIFMCNM
- reviewing the ROW PD analysis of the appraisals and their recommended values; Anchor: #KISMSHNM
- preparing review comments; Anchor: #VVENFLBH
- maintaining the statewide list of Department Certified Appraisers on TxDOT’s “Department certification for professional real estate appraisers” web page; Anchor: #QDALIFOL
- recommending for the ROW Division Director's
approval all retention values and the values of all properties to
be acquired for:
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- highway right of way purposes (Districts approve acquisition values. The ROW Program Office approves the sales value of surplus right of way.), Anchor: #PQTPXGEQ
- building and warehouse sites, Anchor: #LFAWRSWG
- storage and other maintenance uses, or Anchor: #VWTOLPFB
- borrow sources;
Anchor: #MPYSGWDB - assuring receipt of adequate documentation of appraised and approved values.