Do You Need An Appraisal On Your Home? Hudson View Makes it Quick & Easy….

A home appraisal is necessary when settling estate taxes, in the divorce process, when disputing property taxes for a reduction, or when mortgaging your home.  Your attorney, your town’s assessor, or your lending institution will always require a house appraisal.  We can help in each of these scenarios and many more.

The process is always the same.

The Valuation Expert who performs the appraisal completes a thorough inspection of the property and decides on the final value of the home.  This is done in large part by comparing the subject property to similar properties that have sold recently in the immediate vicinity.  These similar properties are called comparables or “comps” for short.

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    4 Basic Steps For An Appraisal

    Below is a general overview of the valuation process.  However, please bear in mind that each property is different and thus requires a different amount of time, effort, resources & analytical methods in order to produce an expert appraisal with a proper valuation.

    An Appraisal Request

    The lending institution who is providing your mortgage loan starts a real estate appraisal request.  The passage of the Dodd-Frank Act has changed the way home appraisals are ordered by your banks and mortgage companies.  The lender has little or no contact with the house appraiser, so there is no “undue influence” on the appraiser to evaluate the house at a certain price.

    Lenders are no longer allowed to choose a specific appraiser.  Still, it can (and should) require a local expert who is familiar with the market conditions in the area.

    The cost of property evaluation is usually the responsibility of the buyer.  Traditionally, it is paid at closing, as part of the closing costs.

    Inspection of Property

    The appraiser will contact the seller’s agent to set a time for the evaluation process to take place.  This is a good time to verify the appraiser’s credentials.  local.  Also, with the advent of mobile technology, it’s easy to check the internet and popular social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, Twitter, Instagram, etc.  You can also search the Appraisal Subcommittee’s website at https://www.asc.gov/National-Registries/FindAnAppraiser.aspx

    During the inspection of the property, the home appraiser goes through the entire house, creating a floor plan, evaluating the state of the property, and observing any updates or deficiencies, such as a renovated kitchen or an obsolete bathroom.  They also notice the general state of the neighborhood, which will certainly factor into the development of the property’s estimated market value.

    Comparable Properties

    Once the appraiser has finished inspecting the house, he or she obtains recent sales information from the MLS and public records.  Next, the appraiser compares those homes with the subject property and narrows the search to the most similar indicators of market value.

    This is most easily done in a more recently constructed subdivision, where there are only a few different house styles to choose from.  Comparing the home to an exact or nearly exact copy of the property in question that has sold in the past 30-90 days is the best way to determine what the house is worth.

    But not all households have an exact or even a near duplicate with which to compare.  It is also possible for a similar sale to have transferred so far back as to lose relevancy in today’s swift and efficient markets.  When this happens, the appraiser must take into account other factors, such as location, lot size, square footage, condition, and amenities.

    Final Appraisal Report

    Once the appraiser has inspected the home and compared it to recently sold properties in the area, the expert will write up a report, giving an estimate of the value of the home in written form.

    The report will include which specific addresses they used as comparable properties to value the home, along with a description of the actual subject property, maps marking the location of the home, pictures of the property, and the general condition of the current real estate market trends in the neighborhood.  The report must be written in a manner that can be understood by the reader.