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Maroochydore property valuation questions, and why the nearest sale misleads.

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Acceptance & compliance

What is a property valuation?+

A registered valuer's signed opinion of what a property was worth on one nominated day, with the comparable sales and the reasoning set out beneath it. The sales matter as much as the conclusion, which is why they are attached rather than described. In Maroochydore that list is the whole argument, because the nearest sales are frequently not the ones that describe the property.

What is the difference between a property valuation and an agent appraisal?+

An appraisal is a free selling estimate given while an agent is competing for a listing, and nobody puts a name to it. A valuation is independent of any sale, speaks as at a stated date, rests on settled sales and carries the signature of the valuer who reached it.

Who is qualified to prepare a property valuation?+

In Queensland, a valuer registered under the Valuers Registration Act. The registration number goes on the report alongside the name, and that is what allows somebody else to act on it.

Timing & process

Will the ATO and an SMSF auditor accept the report?+

Yes. A valuer independent of your fund prepares and signs it, SISR 8.02B is the standard it is written to, and the comparable sales are attached rather than summarised, so an auditor can follow the figure back to its evidence. Where a Maroochydore fund asset is not the same sort of property as most of what surrounds it, the report says which sales were used instead of the nearest ones and why.

Who signs the report?+

The valuer who formed the opinion, named with their qualification and registration number. Not the model that assembled the sales, and nobody signing on their behalf. The name goes to the choice of comparables as much as to the figure. (from $550).

Is an Automated Market Assessment enough for tax purposes?+

No. Nobody signs it, so there is no independent opinion for an auditor, an accountant or a revenue office to act on. It is built for deciding. A signed desktop report usually goes out the same business day; the Automated Market Assessment arrives the next one.

How long is a property valuation valid for?+

It is effective as at its date rather than open-endedly. Where the organisation receiving it applies a currency period, that period is what counts, and your adviser will know which. A good deal of the Maroochydore work is written to a date years back, where currency is not the question at all and the only live issue is whether the evidence matched the property.

Pricing & orders

Are the prices really fixed?+

Yes. $169 for signed desktop reports, $79 for Automated Market Assessments. Inspection valuations start at $550, with the exact price confirmed at checkout before you pay, never after.

Why is the valuation different from the price a property is advertised at?+

An advertised price is a marketing position, often a range set to attract interest. A valuation reports settled evidence. In Maroochydore the two part company easily, because a campaign can lean on nearby results that came from quite a different sort of property.

How long does a property valuation take?+

A signed desktop report is usually ready the same business day. Where the matching Maroochydore sales are few and have to be sought further out, the valuer says so early rather than at the end. An Automated Market Assessment arrives the next business day.

Is market value the same as the value on my council rates notice?+

No. A rates notice generally carries a land value, the ground on its own with nothing built on it, struck for rating at a date the council chose. A valuation covers the whole property at the date you need it, and in a suburb this mixed what stands on the land is most of the difference.

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