New Requirements As I write this post the Birmingham, Alabama real estate market is a little over one month away from making it a requirement that local agents report accurate square footage on their MLS listings. In the past this was not mandatory and in August of 2010 agents were given an option to add […]
5 take aways from the 2014 Alabama Realtors Winter Conference
January 30, 2014 By 2 Comments
I recently had the opportunity to participate in the 2014 Alabama Realtors Winter Conference. I was part of a panel, along with commercial appraiser Mark Barrs (that’s he and I in the photo), that was put together to answer appraisal related questions that agents might have. It went well and I appreciated the chance to […]
A new law homebuyers and agents should be aware of: It could prolong your closing
January 23, 2014 By 4 Comments
On January 18th a new law went into effect that could potentially prolong loan closing dates because it will require lenders to provide a copy of the appraisal or other valuation tool used to make a loan decision to their customer as soon as it is completed or 3 days prior to the closing, whichever […]
Clearing the air- A look at exactly what real estate agents and appraisers can talk about
December 6, 2013 By 4 Comments
It seems there is still some confusion about what real estate agents and real estate appraisers can talk about. Many believe that there can be no discussion between the two and others still have no idea that it is unethical to suggest to an appraiser that a home should appraise for a certain amount. The […]
What qualifies as “finished” basement area?
November 15, 2013 By 24 Comments
I was asked a question this week about what qualifies as “finished” basement area in a home. An agent was going to list a home and the basement area had some partitioned sheetrock walls in the basement. The homeowner wanted to count this as finished area, so the agent wanted to get clarification on how […]
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