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Appraisal Documentation

CDU Score​

CDU stands for Condition, Desirability, and Utility. The CDU score helps determine how well a home is maintained, how appealing it is in the market, and how functional it remains compared to newer properties. A home's CDU will be one of the following: Excellent, Good, Average, Fair, or Poor.

CDU Classifications​

  • Excellent CDU: Describes new or nearly new homes, including updating and upgrading older improvements. All items such as plumbing, wiring, exterior, roofing, HVAC, paint, appliances, etc., that can typically be repaired or replaced have been corrected or recently built. Long-lived major components are functional and contribute toward an extended life expectancy. No functional inadequacies of any consequence are observed, and the property exhibits the highest level of desirability and utility.

  • Good CDU: Homes appear well-maintained but not new, with many having been overhauled or repaired as wear occurred. Little deferred maintenance is evident, and there is a high degree of desirability and utility.

  • Average CDU: Homes exhibit some evidence of deferred maintenance and normal obsolescence with age. Updates and upgrades may be needed, along with some refinishing and repairs. All major components are still functional and contribute toward an extended life expectancy. Desirability and utility are typical of comparable properties.

  • Fair CDU: Homes need considerable maintenance, refinishing, and renovation. Deferred maintenance is obvious and is starting to affect the major structural items, which may be starting to fail. Inadequate desirability and utility may also be affecting the property.

  • Poor CDU: Homes exhibit excessive deferred maintenance pervasive throughout the structure. Demolition and reconstruction may be more cost-effective than renovation and repair. While occupancy is not excluded, desirability and utility are minimal.

What to Do:​

  1. Review the above definitions of each CDU level and consider which category best fits your home.
  2. Review our HomeFacts report for your neighborhood to see how the typical home in your neighborhood is classified and see examples of homes classified at different levels in your neighborhood.
  3. If your home's CDU fits better in a lower class or is higher than similar homes with lower CDUs, identify the appropriate CDU in our appeals phase.
  4. Collect evidence to support a reduction in your CDU. Evidence can include photos of wear and tear, repair estimates, and any other documentation of deferred maintenance.
  5. Upload your evidence to FairAppraisal AI during the appeal phase.
  6. Note that arguing for a reduction greater than a one-level change in your CDU requires more significant evidence.

Quality Classification​

Quality classification refers to the evaluation of a property's overall construction quality, materials, and workmanship. It differs from a home's CDU because it only focuses on overall construction quality. For example, a well-constructed, brick home built at the turn of the century can have an Excellent quality class but a Poor CDU if it has been allowed to deteriorate with no maintenance.

Quality Classifications​

There are twelve classifications of quality:

  1. Class Low: Low-cost residences that meet only "minimum" building code requirements. New construction in this class is rare. Windows will be few and small. Porches and overhangs will be minimal. Exteriors will be inexpensive panels or siding. Usually, there will only be one exterior door. Plumbing and electrical will be minimal, with cheap fixtures. Roof slope and material will be minimal.

  2. Class Fair: Residences are best described by the word "adequate." Construction is no longer minimal but is considered adequate. The front elevation will have some inexpensive trim. Exteriors will include wood plank, stucco, and brick veneers on a portion of the house. Electrical and plumbing will be standard with cheap fixtures. Porches and overhangs will be similar in construction to the rest of the house. The roof pitch will be steeper, and the material will be standard grade.

  3. Class Average: Residences are more frequently encountered than houses of other classes. The quality of materials and workmanship is "acceptable." Houses in this class are usually mass-produced with stock materials. Roof slopes will increase, as will the overhangs and complexity of the roof style. Better fenestration and ornamental trims are found on the street exposures. House shapes will be rectangular to "L" shapes with some corners and indentations that add to the cost.

  4. Class Good: Residences may be mass-produced in "above average" or better residential developments or built for an individual owner. Good quality standard materials are used throughout. Some attention is given to architectural design in both refinements and detail. Exteriors have good fenestration with ornamental features and materials. Houses in this class are generally larger, with more complex shapes and roof styles than average-class houses.

  5. Class Very Good: Residences are typical of those built in "high quality" sub-divisions and are frequently individually designed. Many will resemble houses in the Good Class but will have more attention to detail and design. Exteriors will have good fenestration with custom ornamentation. Irregular shapes and angles are common with matching roof styles and large eaves and overhangs.

  6. Class Excellent: Custom, designer homes characterized by a high level of quality in materials and workmanship throughout. While not a mansion, the Excellent Class house is a very gracious residence. Special attention is given to the quality and quantity of features and ornamentation. Good and Very Good Class houses will have rooms with raised ceilings, while Excellent Class houses usually will have high ceilings throughout. The exterior will have well-designed, high-quality fenestration with custom ornamentation. Select brick, cut stone, and high-quality siding will be used. Metal and tile roof materials are typical.

  7. Class Special through 6: Luxurious homes built without regard to cost. Each is individually designed with the very best materials, workmanship, finishes, and appointments. Great rooms, media rooms, studies, and even observatories are typical in these classes. Multiple fireplaces are common. A bathroom count exceeding the bedroom count is typical. The very best fenestration, custom multi-story entries, and porte-cocheres are common. Most have metal or tile roofs with exceptional flashing, gutters, and downspouts. Determining the class level is often a matter of comparison. The higher classes will be populated by the largest houses with the most features. Historical and older houses will sometimes have an architectural pedigree. It is important to note that each mansion-quality house is unique in its design, and nationwide marketing is often employed to find the right buyer for a particular house.

What to Do:​

  1. Review the above definitions of each quality class and consider which category best fits your home.
  2. Review our HomeFacts report for your neighborhood to see how the typical home in your neighborhood is classified and see examples of homes classified at different levels in your neighborhood.
  3. If your home's class fits better in a lower class or is higher than similar homes with lower classes, identify the appropriate class during our appeals phase.
  4. Collect evidence to support a class reduction. Evidence can include photos of architectural features that are found in a lower class.
  5. Upload your evidence to FairAppraisal AI during the appeals phase.
  6. Note: arguing for a class reduction greater than a one-level change requires more significant evidence.