Birmingham Appraisal Blog

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Entries Tagged as 'shelby county'

If you want an FHA loan, you’ll have to do these 5 things

May 21st, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FAQ's

If you’re getting an FHA loan and want to make sure the appraisal goes off without a hitch make sure you pay attention to these 5 items.  If you don’t then it could delay the loan and your closing.  The appraiser has to make note of the items listed below, and if he/she cannot then [...]

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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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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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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 [...]

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Six years of sales activity in the Brook Highland subdivision, Shelby County, Alabama

January 23rd, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

I like to share market data I get when I do appraisals in different areas.  I’ve included sales from the Brook Highland subdivision in the Inverness area of north Shelby County.  The sales are from January 2005 to December 2011.  The graph charts the median sales price for each quarter for all seven years. The [...]

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A Look At The Absorption Rate In Pelham, Alabama, Ballantrae Subdivision-Pt. 2

January 4th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 6 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

We took a look at the entire Pelham, Alabama market with the last blog post I wrote.  Today we are going to narrow things down a bit to the subdivision level and even a certain style of home.  Of the 222 sales that occurred in Pelham, AL from 12/15/2010 to 12/15/2011, 59 sales occurred in [...]

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A Look At The Absorption Rate In Pelham, Alabama, Pt. 1

January 2nd, 2012 by Tom Horn · 11 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends

You may have heard the term “Absorption Rate” before but not really know what it means.  The absorption rate is a measure of  how long it will take to sell the current inventory of homes in a given market.  This market can be on a large scale such as for the entire country, or it [...]

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A Look At The Market For Lake Front Homes In Shelby County, Alabama in 2011

December 23rd, 2011 by Tom Horn · 6 Comments · Market Trends

I recently finished an appraisal assignment on a lake front home in Shelby, Alabama and thought I would share with you my findings.  As in other sectors of the Birmingham, AL area real estate market, lake front home have experienced a decrease in sales volume.  Check out the numbers below going back to 2005. As [...]

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Birmingham, Alabama Home Sales-Most Expensive Home Sale YTD-November 2011

November 21st, 2011 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Market Trends, Photos From The Field

It’s been a while since I looked at the most expensive home sale in the Birmingham, Alabama area.  I took a break from this subject for a while but then discovered this was a pretty popular search topic for readers of my blog, so  I decided to revisit the “most expensive home sale” and see [...]

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