Fort Worth Real Estate Appraiser
By Louie Latour
If you are in the process of refinancing your mortgage loan, your new mortgage lender may require an appraisal prior to approving your loan. Here is what you need to know about appraisals, including tips to help maximize the equity in your home.
Your home’s appraisal is a written estimate of the market value of your property. Mortgage lenders use the appraisal to determine how much of a mortgage you qualify for. When you are refinancing your mortgage, the appraisal will also determine how much equity you own in your home. If you will be borrowing against this equity, the lender will most likely require that you pay for a new appraisal prior to approving your loan.
The appraiser is a licensed professional that will do a market analysis of sale prices for similar properties in your neighborhood and evaluate the condition and amenities of your home. The appraisal will require a thorough inspection of your home inside and out.
When you are refinancing your mortgage your goal is for the appraised value to be as high as possible. There are a number of improvements you can make to your home that will improve the appraised value of your home; however, don’t go overboard. New carpet and a coat of paint will go a long way to improve the appraised value. What you don’t want to do is purchase top of the line appliances; these purchases rarely give you enough of a boost in your home’s value to justify the expense. The best thing to do is make sure your home is up to snuff with your neighbors as far as the amenities and add-ons you invest in to improve your home’s value.
When searching for a home appraiser, look for an experienced professional licensed in your area. Your realtor may be able to recommend a good one; if you are not able to find a recommendation try contacting the Appraisal Subcommittee. The ASC maintains a database you can access on their website to help you locate a licensed appraiser in your area. You can learn more about your mortgage and the appraisal of your home by registering for a free mortgage guidebook.
To get your free mortgage guidebook visit RefiAdvisor.com using the link below.
Louie Latour specializes in showing homeowners how to avoid common mortgage mistakes and predatory lenders. For a free copy of "Mortgage Refinancing: What You Need to Know," which teaches strategies to find the best mortgage and save thousands of dollars in the process, visit Refiadvisor.com.
Claim your free guidebook today at: http://www.refiadvisor.com
mortgage appraisals for dummies
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By Raynor James
A critical part of selling a home is the appraisal. Here’s how to plan for it.
You have a contract to sell your home and now the appraiser is coming. The appraisal needs to come in at a good price in order for your buyer to get his loan. What should you do?
The Appraiser Says
Appraisers typically tell people not to do anything special before they come. They tell the owner they see lots of houses and they can look past a little clutter and dust. “Don’t be nervous,” they counsel. Appraisers are sincere people. I’m sure they mean what they say.
I Say
On the other hand, appraisers are human. They respond to cleanliness and order and to good maintenance the same way buyers do. If you’ve let your hair down, get your home back into “show” condition before the appraiser comes.
Everything you know about a tidy approach to your home, well mulched flower beds, door knobs that are attached firmly and work smoothly, lack of finger prints, lack of clutter, and all the rest applies. Take a look at a “Uniform Residential Appraisal Report” form if you doubt me. The age of the home and the “effective age” are asked for under the “General Description.” Don’t you think how well your home appears to be cared for affects the number that appears under “effective age?”
The Uniform Appraisal Report requires information about materials (and their condition) used for floors, walls, trim and finishing elements, bathroom floors and wainscots, and for interior doors. Appraisers train themselves to notice these details. If yours are dusted, polished, and free of scratches and fingerprints, don’t you think you might be giving your appraisal a nudge in the right direction?
The Report also asks about kitchen equipment (refrigerator, range and oven, disposal, dishwasher, fan and hood, microwave, and washer and dryer). Do you think it’d be a good idea to have them clean and purring?
The Report asks about amenities such as fireplaces, patios, decks, porches, fences, pools, and sheds. If an appraiser is going to take special note of such things, shouldn’t they be swept, cleaned, and have paint in good condition? Also, clean out the gutters if they need it. If it should be raining on the day your appraisal is done, you want your house to handle the rain water well.
Let me share the “comments” section of an appraisal which got the owners what they wanted. I think it’ll give you a good feel for what you need to do. “The subject is well maintained and no physical, functional or external inadequacies were noted. Marketability is enhanced by hardwood flooring throughout a majority of the home, an updated kitchen, fresh interior and exterior paint, transom windows, built-ins, a front porch, a rear patio, a large storage shed, 4 fireplaces, etc.”
The appraiser is a human being. Make sure you do everything you can to appeal to them and you’ll get a good appraisal.
Raynor James is with the FSBO site - http://www.fsboamerica.org - FSBO homes for sale by owner. Visit our "sell my home" page -http://www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm - to sell your house yourself with a free 1 month listing.
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By Nicole Soltau
When you are considering purchasing a property; either for investment or personal use you will need to hire a real estate appraiser. If you are financing the purchase through your credit union or another financial institution will most likely be required to hire a real estate appraiser to perform an appraisal on the property. This is because your Credit Union wants to ensure that your dream home doesn’t become a nightmare and that the purchase they are financing is really worth the amount loaned.
In the best case scenarios the appraisal is returned indicating that the fair market value of the home meets or exceeds the sales price. The problem comes in when the appraisal indicates that the fair market value of the home is less than the sales price. In the latter case, the prospective buyer would either need to drop the deal or renegotiate the sales price with the seller.
As you can see, it is critically important that you find a reputable and competent real estate appraiser. That one appraisal can easily make or break a deal. Even if you are not financing the purchase through a lending institution it is still worth the effort to insure that the property you are investing in is really worth the amount of the purchase. If you should hire a less than competent real estate appraiser you find out the hard way later on that the property you purchased was not really worth the amount that you paid.
Real estate appraisers perform an evaluation of a property and then provide a written evaluation after consulting standardized checklists and comparing the property in question to county land value sources and sales information on nearby similar properties. The estimation of replacement costs is also taken into consideration. Finally, real estate appraisers must be able to verify legal land descriptions. As you can see, there is quite a bit of work involved in performing a competent real estate appraisal and it is important that each step be performed accurately.
You real estate agent will most likely be able to suggest a real estate appraiser but this does not necessarily mean this is the right person for the job; it merely means this is the person they most often work with. To get the job done right you need to find a real estate appraiser who is able to perform a completely objective evaluation.
Look for someone who has been formally trained and who possess a license with the state real estate commission to perform such appraisals. Also look for someone who possesses adequate experience in performing real estate appraisals and who is knowledgeable about the local real estate market. Some states require real estate appraisers to have experience as a real estate agent and to hold a current real estate license; even if your state is not one of these it may be a good idea to look for someone with these qualities anyway because they probably have their finger on the pulse of the local real estate market.
Like real estate agents, appraisers commonly specialize in certain types of real estate. Some specialize in commercial properties while others work only in residential properties. Some appraisers even specialize in only high end or luxury properties. Many consumers find it beneficial to select a real estate appraiser who specializes in the specific type of property they wish to have appraised. Finally, don’t forget to ask for references and/or recommendations from any real estate appraiser you consider.
Nicole Soltau is the President and Founder of CreditUnionRate.com.
The Leading Credit Union Directory.
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