Birmingham Appraisal Blog

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Entries Tagged as 'Appraisal'

When is a bedroom NOT a bedroom?

May 18th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, FAQ's

A homeowner asked me a good question the other day about the appraisal I had done on her home.  They had been using one of the rooms in the house as a bedroom for their child, but in the appraisal I was not able to count it as a bedroom.  She asked me why. My [...]

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10 years of sales in the Liberty Park subdivision of Vestavia Hills, Alabama

May 15th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

Liberty Park is an upscale subdivision located in the city of Vestavia Hills, Alabama.  It is well recognized because of the Statue of Liberty replica that is located at its entrance.  The statue was originally made for the Liberty National Life Insurance Company in downtown Birmingham, however in 1989 it was moved to its current [...]

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How NOT to dispose of peeling paint for an FHA appraisal

May 9th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, Photos From The Field

I wanted to share a photo with you that I took recently of a home I was appraising.  It was for an FHA appraisal of an older house built prior to 1978.  You may wonder why the year 1978 is so important, so I will tell you.  It was in 1978 that lead paint was [...]

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A look at 10 years of unemployment in Shelby County, Alabama

May 7th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

An announcer on the radio several days ago stated that interest rate are at their lowest level ever, going back to when they began keeping records.  This is very good news for home buyers but it makes me wonder if it will have a significant impact on home sales.  Interest rates have been low for [...]

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So, How IS The Birmingham, Alabama Real Estate Market??

April 30th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 4 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

Funny you ask.  I get asked this question a lot and I have my own thoughts, but it’s nice to know that other professionals agree.  In addition to experiencing the local Birmingham market from a first hand experience, I read a lot of market data to assist me in my real estate appraisal business. Local [...]

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What 5 Years of house sales can tell us about property values in the Highland Lakes subdivison of Shelby County Alabama

April 19th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

The Highland Lakes subdivision in Shelby County, Alabama is not unlike other neighborhoods around Birmingham.  It has also been effected by the slowdown in the real estate market and the downward trend in property values.  Over the past 5 years the total number of sales have decreased as well as the number of home sales [...]

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Then and Now: Comparing Alabama’s Peak Years To The Current Market-Part 2

April 17th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

In my last post I looked at how the current real estate market in the Birmingham, Alabama area is performing compared to peak years in the past by analyzing the median price and number of sales that have occurred.  Data has been taken from reports published by the Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE).  This [...]

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Then and Now: Comparing Alabama’s Peak Years To The Current Market-Part 1

April 11th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

As a real estate appraiser in the Birmingham, Alabama market I am very interested in how the housing market is performing.  While we still have a long way to go to reach the levels we attained years ago, I do believe 2012 will turn out to be a year that shows positive trends in that [...]

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Hey, why didn’t the appraiser include my basement in this appraisal?

April 9th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FAQ's

I got a phone call out of the blue last week from a person who had recently had their home appraised for a refinance loan.  The bank had given him a copy of the home appraisal, and after looking at it wondered why the appraiser had not included his fully finished basement.  He wanted to [...]

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I’m participating in a Birmingham, AL home selling seminar this month

April 6th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, Education

I just wanted to share with you that I have been asked to participate in a home selling seminar this month in the Birmingham, AL area.  Terry Crutchfield with RE/Max Advantage is putting it on and has asked me to talk about recent market trends in the Birmingham, AL area and the latest in appraisal [...]

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