Birmingham Appraisal Blog

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Entries Tagged as 'Tom Horn'

How Shelby County, AL homeowners can find useful property information online

February 6th, 2012 by Tom Horn · No 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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I’ve Got A Copy Of My Appraisal, Now How Do I Read It?

May 2nd, 2011 by Tom Horn · 4 Comments · Uncategorized

I received a call from a homeowner the other day about an appraisal I had done on the home they just purchased.  They had gotten their copy of the report and was looking over it, but was having a hard time understanding where some information was, as well as what some of the abbreviations stood [...]

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Birmingham Alabama MLS Adds Square Foot Option to Listings

July 29th, 2010 by Tom Horn · 2 Comments · Appraisal, Appraisal Tips

The Birmingham Alabama MLS (Multiple Listing Service) has recently added an option for Realtors to list GLA (gross living area) for their listings.  The new feature will go live on August 2, 2010.  Realtors are given an option of entering GLA data obtained from an appraiser, building plans, or tax records. The first two sources [...]

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HVCC One Year Later:Are We Better Off?

April 6th, 2010 by Tom Horn · 6 Comments · Appraisal

Well, its been almost one year since HVCC has been in effect (come May 1, 2010 it will be 1 year).  The question everybody is asking is: Are we better off?  From my own experience as an appraiser I have to say “No”.  Since the HVCC was put into motion I have seen average appraisal [...]

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An Alternative to Selling in A Slow Market

March 25th, 2010 by Tom Horn · 4 Comments · Appraisal Tips, Market Trends

As an appraiser I estimate value.  My estimate is based on several different methods, however the approach that is usually given the most emphasis is the market approach.  This approach, which is also known as the sales comparison approach,  utilizes recent sales of similar homes within the subject property’s market area.  In today’s economic climate [...]

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Foreclosures Have Big Impact on Birmingham Home Sales

March 14th, 2010 by Tom Horn · 5 Comments · Market Trends

The Birmingham Association of  Realtors recently released sales data for the greater Birmingham market.  Over the past 14 months the data indicates that foreclosure sales have held fairly stready with small variations, while traditional sales have varied quite a bit.  The traditional sales were at a low in January then peaked around July and then [...]

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The Pre-Listing Appraisal: A Smart Choice in Today’s Market

March 1st, 2010 by Tom Horn · No Comments · Appraisal

People may think that I believe this because I am an appraiser, but it truly makes sense.  I have seen it happen numerous times.  A house is selling and everything has been done: contract, title, home inspection, etc. and the last thing is the appraisal.  Unfortunately sometimes the value just isn’t there, and the deal [...]

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