I don't like it when companies ask the style of home. Ex; Ranch, Colonial, English, etc.. 10 times out of 10, I'm probably putting the wrong type.

LMAO. If you do not know what you are looking at then you should not be valuing it.

I have run into several situations where Ive been QCed over the difference between a ranch and a bungalow.

Hmmm. Maybe we should make a topic sticky to define each? Might help you with that. This one has the right title.

We only have few types of houses here in Nebraska. 2 story, ranch, split and bungalow cover it all....

I think it would be very beneficial to have posted information about this. I'm not always 100% sure of what I'm looking at and know that many other agents, including ones with lots of experience, have a hard time at this too.

Is there a resource (database, etc) on the web that covers this topic?

Finally, Blank Man, I agree that if you don't know what you are looking at, perhaps you shouldn't be valuing it. Luckily, in my market, the vast majority of the houses are of the same type, so it isn't a factor when valuating.

I did one the other day on a house that was circular. It was either an igloo, yurt or a flying saucer. Anyway, there was no selection on the form for any of those styles so I chose "other".

That must have been a fun one to comp out!

I live in the land of split level houses!! So most of the time there isnt much for me to decide its either a split or a ranch sometimes I get a 2 story but not often.Hmm what is a english?I agree there should be a post about all the different kinds.

When in doubt go with contemporary! It's the one size fits all of house styles.

Anyone got any comps for octagon houses? We have several of those around here. How about geodesics?

Octagon/Geodesic homes get dinged for functional obsolescence in our area. They are really rare here.

Sounds like a good idea!

Look at the following links for a good general selection with photos:

http://www.realtor.com/Basics/AllAbout/TypesStyles/Index.asp?poe=realtor

http://www.realtor.org/rmoarch.nsf/pages/archguide?OpenDocument

my personal when in doubt is bungalow...

Another good way that I did when first starting was take a companies list of styles then google them under images. ISeeing numerous pics that are all one style give you a really good idea of what that particular style looks like.

Nice....

Take $28 and buy this book so you won't look like a fool.

Amazon

I'm waiting for some company to add "McMansion" to their drop down list. We're starting to see more of them in this market, and quite a few making into REO.

OK, I'll bite and display my ignorance for the world to see: what's a "McMansion"?

If any of you that have questions about style are working with Farvv then go to the BPO MANUAL at the top of the page and look at page 17. Your answers are right there.

Some clients want a descriptive style (ranch, cape cod, greek revival, etc.) while others want a more basic description (1 story, 2 story, split level, etc.). Make sure you use the type of style description your client wants.