FHA rules for termite inspections

If you have ever bought or sold real estate with FHA financing you know that HUD/FHA loans are a little different than conventional loans.  In an effort to keep everyone updated I thought I would share some information HUD/FHA provided recently. FHA does not automatically require inspections to be made on all loans, however several […]

What are the best indicators of a recovery for the real estate market?

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 […]

Photos from the field- FHA repair item or not?

On one of my inspections recently I came across this empty pool.  The house I was appraising was not using FHA financing, however because FHA typically has more stringent requirements about the condition of a property I thought I might share the picture with you and ask a couple of questions: Do you think this […]

An interesting trend in the Birmingham, Alabama real estate market

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” […]

10 reasons NOT to get a pre-listing appraisal

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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