Home Appraisals: electronic or in-person? Lenders often choose an electronic home appraisals vs. in-person appraisals because of cost Q: I really like and appreciate your "Real Estate Matters" column. About a week ago, you had a column about how to protect your home from someone trying to take out a fraudulent mortgage against it. In [...]
There is a high cost of low appraisals. If you are trying to do a cash-out refinance loan and your appraisal comes in too low, there could have to pay for a second appraisal or your loan application might not be approved. That's what happened to one of our readers. The High Cost of Low [...]
Should I get an appraisal before listing my house? Pros and cons to getting your home appraised before putting the property up for sale. Q: I think you’re doing a disservice to your readers concerning listing your home with real estate agents. The best thing a homeowner/seller can do is spend the $350 or $450 [...]
When you get a low appraisal in a hot real real estate market, it could kill your deal. But there are a few things you can do before having to lower the list price or kill the deal. Q: I heard Ilyce recently on WBEZ radio. I'm moving to Chicago from Minnesota and was blown [...]
Thinking about selling your home to a family member? Get a home value estimate first to double check your home's real market value. Q: Our parents left their home to me and my two sisters. The home is located in Oklahoma and was appraised at $49,000 three years ago. The home has a mortgage with [...]
When determining value of a commercial property, know the different methods available of how to value commercial property properly. Q: Our bank came in with an appraised value that is about one-third of what we originally borrowed from the bank in 2006. Our loan is coming due (we had a balloon loan) and we need [...]
If you have zoning issues you might not be able to get a HARP refinance. Check your zoning codes before trying to get an appraisal. Q: I own a duplex building near Georgia Tech which is rented to students. It's not the classic duplex with two equal sides. It has an upstairs, downstairs, and a [...]
