House Appraisal: Not as Simple as it Seems

By Brant McLaughlin, published Apr 12, 2007
Published Content: 794  Total Views: 204,015  Favorited By: 28 CPs
Rating: 3.0 of 5
With regards to getting an appraisal on a house & property, there are some good tips that you can take your lead from. These house & property appraisal tips can give you help with getting the most accurate and most advantageous home appraisal value that you'll find.

To begin with, take into consideration online appraisals. Online house & property appraisals are inexpensive and quick, but they are all done online only, without any physical contact. As accurate as details have become on the Net, we're not there yet; what that means for you is the disadvantage to these is that no-one actually comes out and looks at your home through human eyes. Mortgage lenders strongly tend to steer away from online appraisals.

After that, consider that your lender most likely knows appraisers who have done excellent work for them in the past, appraisers who consistently uncover the best values through the use of strategic comps in the area and related matters. The appraisers in question would not only come with a recommendation, but they would also know your area like the back of their hand. Recommended appraisers are always preferable due to the fact that they you can trust them to be better than appraisers who are unknown to your lender or to you, and they come with testimony to their specialized expertise in that part of the country where you are selling or buying a house.

Whenever possible, you should always use an independent appraiser. This is because an independent appraiser is unbiased even if she has a close business tie with your lender. She really doesn't give a fig what the value of the house turns out to be; she is just going to get you the highest price possible no matter who you are and no matter whether or not you thought that the home could be valued at a lot more money than the value that it actually came in at. But this professionalism can turn to your advantage if you learn that the home in question is in reality worth a lot more than you thought it was.

Takeaways
  • Online home appraisals are inexpensive and quick, but they are all done online only.
  • Your lender most likely knows appraisers who have done excellent work for them.
  • Whenever possible, you should always use an independent appraiser.
Comments
Type in Your Comments Below - (1000 characters left)
Your name:

Submit your own content on this or any topic. Get started »
Most Commented On