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 [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Alabama'
When is a bedroom NOT a bedroom?
May 18th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, FAQ's
Tags:Alabama·bad floor plan·floor plan·functional utility·jefferson county·Real Estate Appraisal·Real Estate Appraiser·shelby county
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 The statue was originally made for the Liberty National Life Insurance Company in downtown Birmingham, however in 1989 it was moved to its current [...]
Tags:Alabama·home value·jefferson county·jefferson county appraiser·jefferson county market trend·liberty park·liberty park market trend·market trend·property value
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 [...]
Tags:Alabama·Alabama Real Estate Confidence Index·Appraiser·Birmingham·forecast·housing statistics·jefferson county·Real Estate·shelby county·Thomas Horn·Tom Horn
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 [...]
Tags:Alabama·highland lake·home value·house value·inventory·market trend·Price trend·property value·shelby county
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 [...]
Tags:absorption rate·Alabama·Alabama Appraiser·Alabama Market trends·Alabama Real Estate Market Trends·Birmingham·days on market·home sales statistics·house sales statistics·Market Statistics·Market Trends·Sales Statistics·Thomas Horn·Tom Horn
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 [...]
Tags:Alabama·Alabama Appraiser·Alabama Market trends·Alabama Real Estate Market Trends·Birmingham·home sales statistics·house sales statistics·Market Statistics·Market Trends·Sales Statistics·Thomas Horn·Tom Horn
What are the best indicators of a recovery for the real estate market?
March 2nd, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · FAQ's, Market Trends
In a recent article by the Alabama Center For Real Estate (ACRE) it was reported that January 2012 residential home sales in the state of Alabama were up 17.6% from a year ago (2011). This announcement followed up the news that 2011 saw an increase of 2% over 2010. Great news, right? Of course any [...]
Tags:Alabama·Birmingham·market health·market recovery·Market Statistics·Real Estate·real estate market·real estate recovery·recovery
An interesting trend in the Birmingham, Alabama real estate market
February 13th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends
I have noticed an interesting trend in the Birmingham, Alabama real estate market. The trend involves the segmentation of the market in various areas, but mainly where foreclosure activity is prevalent. I noticed it most recently in the Centerpoint area of Birmingham. The segments include the following: foreclosures “normal sales” and flip properties The “normal” [...]
Tags:Alabama·Appraisal·Appraiser·Centerpoint·flip·flipper·Foreclosure·investment·property trends·property value·renovate·REO·Short Sale·Thomas Horn·Tom Horn
How Shelby County, AL homeowners can find useful property information online
February 6th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal
I would like to share with homeowners in Shelby County, Alabama how they can find useful property information online. Have you ever wanted to find out exactly how big your lot is? Ever wondered where your house sits on your lot? How about finding out what school system the house you want to buy is [...]
Tags:Alabama·Appraiser·county website·lot dimensions·lot size·property information·school system·shelby county·Thomas Horn·Tom Horn
Appraising In The Aftermath Of A Tornado-Birmingham, Alabama
January 30th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 4 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FAQ's
How do you appraise a home that has been destroyed in a tornado? That is the question I got from a friend recently after I told him I had gotten some assignments in the storm devastated areas of Birmingham, Alabama. I thought that since he was curious about this that others may be also. I [...]
Tags:Alabama·Birmingham·disaster·insurance·insurance appraisal·retrospective·retrospective appraisal·storm·Thomas Horn·Tom Horn·tornado
