In my last post, I discussed why location is still the most important factor in real estate. Today, we'll dig deeper and look at a few real examples of neighborhoods. If you're wondering how an appraiser chooses his or her comparable sales, this is a must-read. Example #1 So let's say I'm appraising a home [...]
Even if you didn't grow up in a real estate family like me, you've no doubt heard the question, "What is most important when it comes to real estate?" The answer, of course, as we've had it drilled into us countless times, is location, location, location. According to a New York Times article, the phrase has [...]
In the third installment of our FHA Friday Blog Series, we're going to take a look at the crawl space inspection. Similar to the attic inspection discussed last week, the crawl space inspection provides a wealth of information about the home, and is an important part of any FHA inspection. What does FHA expect [...]
Happy Friday! And welcome to our second installment of FHA Friday – our blog series on common FHA appraisal issues and practices. Today we’re going to briefly discuss the attic inspection. What is involved in an attic inspection? Does the appraiser need to enter into and walk around in the attic? Why is an attic [...]
So we're starting a new blog series called 'FHA Friday'. We're doing so much FHA appraisal work right now, we thought it might be helpful to discuss some of the FHA-related appraisal issues we find. If you have an FHA, USDA, or even VA appraisal related question, feel free to let us know! Today, [...]
Are you planning on listing your home this Spring? If so, you should do two things: hire a Realtor, and get a Pre-Listing Appraisal. More and more, I am doing appraisals for individuals selling their home on their own. While some have done this with much success, it can be an extremely costly (in [...]
Spring is finally here! Well, technically. We’ll still probably get some snow in a week, but hey – birds are chirping and grass is growing! What better time to start thinking about getting your home ready to sell than the spring? Here are just a few tips for getting your home ready to show to [...]
Realtors and homeowners, here is a list of the top five changes to the FHA appraisal guidelines. If you plan on obtaining FHA financing, or have a buyer/seller you’re currently working with, you need to know this! The list is not exhaustive, but is simply meant to outline a few of the more significant changes [...]
We prepare ourselves for a lot of things. A job interview. A wedding. A night out with our spouse. The birth of a baby. A huge test. But how many homeowners actually take time to prepare for an appraiser coming? You might be surprised to know that I’ve seen more than my fair share of [...]
“I have a purchase agreement for $100,000 on my home. That’s market value, right?” Oh, if I had $1 for every time I heard that. I might still be writing this blog post, but I would be beachside, instead of in front of my office computer! Just because someone has a contract on their home [...]
