A broker's price opinion is a report that is performed by a licensed real estate agent, broker or appraiser. It is similar to doing a CMA but most times the real estate professional gets paid to do a BPO. A BPO can be either an Exterior Drive-By or a Full Interior report. When doing a BPO, the real estate pro researches the ‘subject property,’ they take pictures of it, they also scope out the neighborhood as well as pull 6 comparable properties in their MLS. They then take all of this information, the pictures they took of the subject and their knowledge of the localreal estate market and they input it into a BPO form. The final BPO is used to support their professional opinion that will help determine the potential selling price or estimated value of a real estate property.
Involved parties
Broker price opinions are initiated by financial institutions. Examples are banks, mortgage companies, and loss mitigation companies. The BPO is performed by a real estate professional who is acting on behalf ofthe financial institution. Such a professional could be a real estate agent, a real estate broker, an appraiser, or other qualified person. Through BPO’s, real estate professionals can improve their skills in property inspection, market knowledge, evaluation, and property pricing. At a price of US $30–$100 per BPO, the work can provide side income or steady income for real estate agents. Agents may also create working relationships and a rapport with financial institutions. Some BPO agents work through a that provides a single point of contact to the client and oversight of agents and their reports.
a selling or purchase price for an individual property or a portfolio of home loans
Overview of the BPO process
A real estate agent or a broker is hired to complete a BPO report on a property. A BPO may be occasionally requested without a fee in hopes that the financial institution, bank, or lender will receive a sales listing for the property. The BPO professional then conducts the investigation. Many factors affect the price of a property:
characteristics of the individual property, such as structure type, size, room use, age, lot size, and parking
how the property fits into the immediate neighborhood
values of similar properties in the surrounding area
the amount of cleaning, repair, and preparation needed to make the property marketable
The result is a brief report, usually two or three pages in length. This report includes analysis of the property and neighborhood, photographs, comparable properties, and local and regional market information.
Types of BPO’s
A broker may do a drive-by BPO or an interior BPO. In drive-by BPOs, the professionals do not have access to the interior of the property; they rely on exterior appearance, neighborhood information, comparables, and other documentation. The interior BPO is more in-depth; it requires the agent to make contact with the borrower or point of contact to schedule inspection, and when arriving the agent looks the property over and notes all repairs needed to bring the property to average condition fair market value. A photo of the front, rear and both sides of exterior are taken, as well as a photo of each room of the interior, as well as all mechanicals and appliances. When completing the report, value is chosen for 30 day quicksale, and 60–90 day values, and a suggested list price for each is calculated based on market conditions and list to sale ratio for that market. The repaired fair market value is then reduced by itemized repair costs to find the as-is value.
;Automated valuation model In an automated valuation model, a computerized mathematical model evaluates basic features of the property, compares to area sales, and determines a rough value. The calculation takes into account information about property size, bedrooms, and bathrooms. An AVM is a basic evaluation – "just to make sure that the property value is in the right ball park" – and may be replaced by a full real estate appraisal. Because an AVM does not involve a site visit, it does not include factors such as condition or upgrades. ;Comparative Market Analysis An individual who is looking to sell or purchase a home might request that an agent perform a comparative market analysis to determine a reasonable listing price or offering price. The process of deciding a CMA price is similar to a BPO. However, a BPO – whether the exterior drive-by BPO or the full interior BPO – is more thorough than most CMAs. ;Real estate appraisal Unlike a BPO professional, a real estate appraiser must be licensed or certified in most countries. A BPO is less thorough than an appraisal. Only a licensed or certified Appraiser can execute a valuation or an appraisal.
