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CB Real Estate Review of Barrington Appraisal Group
Barrington Appraisal Group

Barrington Appraisal Group review: Low Ball Appraisal 9

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10:34 am EDT
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If Christopher J. Smith, MRA shows up at your door to do an appraisal for a re-finance of your home, do not let him in and call the mortgage company and DEMAND another appraiser.

This clown came and did an "appraisal" for my home and low balled the amount to 30% below standard market. I paid for my own appraisal and low and behold it was worth more than this idiot stated.

He compared my home to homes 10 miles away, in different sub-divisions etc etc.

This ### is a lackey of the banks and if you are trying to save money by re-financing to a lower intrest then don't count on this guy to give you fair value for your home.

You have been warned.

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The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

9 comments
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GrHjr
US
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Mar 05, 2010 7:11 pm EST

Ask him to say hello when he walks in the door. All he can say is, get "Get out of my way... I know what I am doing." That is what he said to me. Then low-balled my appraisal by $50K. This man will cost me money. How do I know he low-balled me? Had an appraisal done two weeks before. $50K higher.

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Jeff8976
Jacksonville, US
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Apr 22, 2010 4:18 pm EDT

I have had multiple appraisals from this individual who has caused nothing but issues. His values do not correctly reflect the current market. His phone number does not answer and only gives a busy signal. Does not reutrn emails. Extremely poor service and.

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MtgDiva101
Jacksonville, US
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Jul 06, 2010 11:47 am EDT

I am not sure what you people are talking about! Been in the business for a long time and I have used this company on several occasions. Had good customer service and solid appraisals that the banks can use... Plus, they are only ones left; which tells me when everyone was aggressively pushing value and trying to make as much $$ as possible; BAG’s values are accurate, fair and not pushed (unlike the ones that caused a majority of the mortgage implode)> Sounds to me like you are realtors just trying to make a buck and not trying to protect your clients best interest or homeowners who bought an overinflated house and trying to pass that debt on to the next person!

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dt423
Elkton, US
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Dec 06, 2010 8:25 pm EST

I recently had Mr. Chris Smith from Barrington Appraisal Group appraise my property. I understood there was going to be a significant drop in my home value from the time I purchased, but Mr. Smith made some glaring errors in his appraisal that are unacceptable. First, an appraisal is supposed to be made based on comparable sales. My property is not a distressed property and yet all of the comparables were made to distressed properties. He labeled two sales as "resale" and when I did research on each of his comparables, I found that both of those properties had gone into foreclosure. Of the 6 remaining comparables, only one of them was a non distressed sale. The tipping point was that he neglected to use the sale of a home that was two houses down from us as a comparable. That home sold more recently than many of his other comparables and was actually a "resale". I understand that the USPAP does not have specific rules about comparables. However, comparables for a non distressed property are supposed to be made to properties within "Arms Length". Short sales and foreclosures are definitely not arms length transactions. To wrap it up, when comparing our home to other homes currently on the market he again used all short sales. Besides that, he devalued our home below their asking values based on the theory that the closing price of those homes will be less than asking. In my exerperience, the closing price for a short sale is rarely below the asking price and often the bank rejects the asking price and the closing price ends up higher. That's my two cents. If you are going to use Mr. Smith for an appraisal I'd recommend you check his work with a fine tooth comb. I believe he took the easy way out and only used comparables he had on file instead of actually searching my local market for comparables.

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beachbum56
Jacksonville Beach, US
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Jan 11, 2011 5:19 pm EST

Mr. Smith has a pre-determined outcome in mind and he doesn't let the facts get in the way.

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beachbum56
Jacksonville Beach, US
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Jan 11, 2011 5:23 pm EST

I am in the business. 25 years of Real Estate Building, Development, and Financing. Mr Smith does not take the time to understand markets within the area and he will never consider facts that are contrary to his preconceived notions!

Do not let him in your home!

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Dissatisfied_in_ST_AUG
US
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Mar 10, 2020 10:20 pm EDT

3/10/2020
This

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Dissatisfied_in_ST_AUG
US
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Mar 10, 2020 10:21 pm EDT

This company and in particular this appraiser is a joke. When people look to refinance a home it is a serious undertaking. Chris decides it's his place to decide what values "seem" appropriate to him. His complete disregard of comparable properties and current housing market appreciation trends, demonstrates his lack of training, expertise, common sense or a combination of all three. By law, the mortgage company cannot select or contact the appraisal company. However, you have the right to decide who will conduct your appraisal. If this appraiser or any appraisers from this company show up at your door, do not let them in. Send them on their way and let your finance company know they need to send another appraiser.

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Romy Shaw
Jacksonville, US
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Oct 21, 2020 10:11 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am filing a formal complaint thru the DBPR and a lawsuit against Barrington and Mr. Johns. If you would like to join in please feel free to reach out to me. This appraiser does not deserve to have a license. There are glaring mistakes and commissions. He purposely diminishes value to cause personal and financial harm. I do not want him to do to anyone else what he has done to us. I have a 23-year career and his appraisal is the worst I have ever seen.