Birmingham Appraisal Blog

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Entries Tagged as 'Thomas Horn'

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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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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What’s the value of a pool in my neighborhood?

April 4th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FAQ's, Home Improvement

This is a question you may have asked yourself at some point.  Have you ever dreamed of having one built but don’t know it’s value in your area?  Every neighborhood is different, and some areas will give you a bigger return on your investment than others.  Swimming pools are always used by appraisers as examples [...]

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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” [...]

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10 reasons NOT to get a pre-listing appraisal

February 8th, 2012 by Tom Horn · 10 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips, FSBO Tips, Realtor Tips

1. It costs too much money- Really? If you think about the fact that by pricing the home correctly you could cut the marketing time down and reduce marketing costs, this becomes a no brainer.  In addition, the modest cost would probably not exceed future price reductions that you may need because it was priced [...]

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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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Can I use the tax assessment on my house to set a list price?

February 2nd, 2012 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal

I was asked this question the other day by a reader of my blog and I thought I would share it with you in case you had the same question.  This person was going to list their home for sale and they wanted to know if they could use their tax assessment to come up [...]

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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 [...]

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I Can Help Birmingham, AL Realtors With Their Sales Meetings

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

If you are a Realtor in the Birmingham, AL area I would like to help you with your sales meetings by providing appraisal education to your agents. I have spoken in the past at local real estate offices about how to read an appraisal, how we come up with comparables, why we sometimes must use [...]

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