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approach provided the best indication of value. Respondent does
not challenge this point. Mr. Reyman based his appraised values
on his analysis of the sales of six comparable properties, the
selection of which respondent also does not challenge.
In reaching his valuations for Parcels 1, 2, and 3, Mr.
Reyman made certain adjustments to the sales prices of the
selected comparables to account for differences from the subject
parcels being valued. First, he made a "land mix adjustment" to
reflect the differences in the soil composition of the comparable
properties as compared to each subject property, based on the
county-adjusted corn suitability ratings32 (CSRs) of each of five
classes of soil that might be present in a parcel. Using
formulas that allocated a comparable property's purchase price to
its various soil types based on their relative values (in
accordance with their CSRs), the land mix adjustment employed by
Mr. Reyman resulted in adjustments to a comparable property's
sale price based upon whether it had a superior or inferior soil
composition in comparison to the subject parcel.
Respondent argues that Mr. Reyman's land mix adjustments
were overly complex and therefore unreliable, but we find the
32 A corn suitability rating (CSR) is a State government
estimate of Iowa soil production potential stated as a
standardized index number. The CSR index rates each kind of soil
in Iowa for its row-crop production potential; county-adjusted
CSR ratings, which provide more precision than State CSR ratings,
account for local differences in climate and rainfall.
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