Birmingham Appraisal Blog

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Entries Tagged as 'FSBO Tips'

Are these FHA required repairs?

January 20th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, Education, FAQ's, FSBO Tips, Home Improvement, Realtor Tips

I was doing some work recently for a novice property investor and he was asking me some questions about FHA required repairs.  He wanted to prepare the house he just purchased so that if the buyers were going to use FHA financing there wouldn’t be any issues at the last minute to hold up the [...]

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Seller Tips: Picking The Right Comps To Help Narrow The Gap Between List Price and Sale Price

December 19th, 2011 by Tom Horn · 6 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FSBO Tips, Realtor Tips

After looking over a weeks worth of real estate sales data I have found a trend in some market areas.  That trend is the increasing gap between what a house was initially listed at and the final sales price.  This is one of the statistics appraiser’s  look at, and this week in one area I [...]

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The Media Is Now Confirming What Appraisers Have Been Reporting All Along

June 1st, 2011 by Tom Horn · 6 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FSBO Tips, Market Trends, Realtor Tips

When I first got into the appraisal profession the guy I learned from would always say: “Appraisers don’t make value, they report it”.  This is more true today than ever before.  Appraisers have been getting a lot of bad press, especially recently, because we are being accused of killing deals.  In my opinion, which I [...]

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Top 5 Condition Items A Buyer Should Be Aware Of

May 8th, 2011 by Tom Horn · 8 Comments · Appraisal Tips, FAQ's, FSBO Tips, Home Improvement

I had an opportunity recently to speak with Jim Waddell of AB Home Inspections.  Jim is a home inspector in the Birmingham, AL area.  He provides home inspections for various reasons but the one I talked to him about was the services provided to home buyers.  Jim does a lot of work with new home [...]

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Can A Pre-Listing Appraisal Be Used By The Buyer’s Lender?

March 31st, 2011 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · FAQ's, FSBO Tips, marketing, Realtor Tips

I’ve done several pre-listing appraisals recently and I got a question the other day that I wanted to share with you.  The homeowner wanted to know if a pre-listing appraisal could be used by the buyer’s lender to get their mortgage.  The short answer to this is “no”,  however this was not always the case.   [...]

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5 Value Related Items To Consider When Buying A Home

March 17th, 2011 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FAQ's, FSBO Tips

Are you in the market to buy a home?  Now is a great time because home prices are lower than they have been in a long time, and interest rates are good too.  I wanted to share some insight from an appraiser (me) that might help you make a better buying decision.  By paying attention [...]

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Appraisals Are Not Just For Mortgage Financing: Non Traditional Uses

March 9th, 2011 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · FSBO Tips, Legal Matters, Market Trends, marketing, Property Taxes, Realtor Tips

Most people only think about real estate appraisals when they are buying or refinancing a home. In truth real estate appraisals are used for many other “non traditional” uses.  Appraisals are required any time the value of real estate is needed.  The value may be as of the date it was inspected or it could [...]

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Shelby County Alabama Property Values Decline

May 23rd, 2010 by Tom Horn · 4 Comments · FSBO Tips, Market Trends, Property Taxes

Shelby County tax assessors recently released their latest reassessments for 2009 and the results revealed that property values have declined for the first time in many years.  Both ends of the value spectrum have been affected.  From starter home subdivisions like Ironwood to upscale neighborhoods like Greystone and Highland Lakes.  According to the report 80% [...]

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