High-impact information types on market value : Property appraisers’ information sources and assessment confidence

This explanatory paper describes and analyses which types of information professional property appraisers perceive to have the most impact on a commercial property’s estimated market value, which information sources they primarily use, and how reliable they perceive the information sources to be. The paper also investigates whether appraisers’ perceptions differ depending on the location of the business. A sample of 67 authorised property appraisers in Sweden was surveyed using the repertory grid technique as a questionnaire tool (to investigate unconscious behaviour), and non-parametric statistics. Analyses of the data show that four types of information have the greatest impact on estimated market value: the local environment and location are perceived as reliable, and property appraisers have confidence in those assessments; rental income seems problematic, because the property owner is the major source of information; and property appraisers are not confident in assessments based on discount rates. This pattern holds for various geographical locations. High-impact information types on market value: Property appraisers’ information sources and assessment confidenc