If you are looking for way to trim expenses, might I suggest the National Building Cost Manual published by Craftsman Books. A friend and fellow appraiser brought this source to my attention and I thought I would try it out. It comes in both book and software format.
I compared it to Marshall & Swift and liked what I found. Granted Craftsman's data is categorized a little differently and they have a little different idea of what constitutes "average quality", "good quality" etc. But when I matched up an example cost estimate as best I could, Craftsman's result was within a few percentage points of Marshall & Swift.
And here is the best part. It is roughly one-tenth the cost. I spent a total of $53 on both the book and software. Compared to over $500 for my Marshall & Swift annual subscription. Plus the book included not only residential, but many commercial, industrial and retail improvements.
Now it is not as exhaustively detailed as M&S, but for simple RCN calculations it appears it could be a real good, and less expensive alternative.
Friday, September 10, 2010
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Craftsman Book Co. offers appraisers a 20% non-expiring discount for products on their website www.Craftsman-Book.com. [Full disclosure - posted by a Craftsman Book employee]
ReplyDeleteThanks Gary. Appraisers are always looking to cut costs. This is a great way to do it.
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