Don't get too fancy. Be precise. Be concise. Don't stick extra stuff in your report just to try to impress your client or other intended users. Ask yourself does every item need to be included? Be painfully honest with yourself. Maybe you were bowled over with your own sparkling repartee, but does it really serve a purpose?
Don't throw in a GRM approach if it doesn't really make sense. Don't bother with a cost approach that will have marginal application on your subject property. Under the SCOPE OF WORK RULE you have the power to decide which approaches are relevant and which are not. Just explain your decisions to include or exclude approaches.
Be careful with your technical lingo. If you use technical terms, please define them in the report. Don't take a reader's competence in the real estate field for granted.
On the flip side, make sure any information that is relevant and germane is included. Is there a pre-existing, but currently nonconforming, use of the subject property? Explain the situation. What happens if the structure is partly or wholly destroyed? Can it be rebuilt? Under what conditions? Perhaps it may be appropriate and necessary to copy and include the appropriate section of the zoning ordinance in your appraisal report.
