| |
| |
|
Real Estate Information |
|
|
|
Appraisal vs. Market Value: How to Avoid Pitfalls in the Sale of Your Home
When you sell your home, appraisers use comps (comparable market sales) of local properties sold within the last six months to value your home. With today's rapidly rising seller's market, six-month-old information is ancient history. Appraised value does not always equal the true market value, or what the home will sell for on the open market. Realtors will give you a comparative market analysis, an informal estimate of market value based on comparable sales. Lenders, on the other hand, will use the appraised value to determine a new mortgage amount. Some lenders require that the stated property value covers the mortgage amount plus their selling costs in case of foreclosure. For this reason, a sale may fall through if a home sells on the open market for more than the appraised value, which often happens in bidding wars over hot property. We learned the importance of securing a sufficiently high appraisal when we sold a rental property in Lake Elsinore, California. We listed the house for $234,700 on Friday. By Monday morning, we had three offers: $245,000, $255,000, and $260,000. We accepted the one for $255,000 because the buyers had $80,000 down, reassuring us that they had sufficient funds. As usual, the lender sent an appraiser to review the property. This busy appraiser didn't take the time to view all the upgrades we put into the custom-built home. Even worse, he used only comps from the local one-mile radius. Because this home is close to a shopping district, there were not many homes sold in this limited area during the six-month period. The appraiser used comps six months old; during this time housing costs in Southern California appreciated around thirty percent. Sales from six months previous should have gone up in value by $30,000 on a $200,000 home. This means that our home should have been worth $250,000 to $260,000, especially since buyers are willing to pay this price on the open market. To increase the value of this home, at the time there was not another three bedroom home listed in the area for under $250,000 (excluding manufactured homes). However, the appraiser valued our home for only $230,000 -- and we would have lost the sale if the offer did not include a sufficient down payment. Because a low appraisal can kill your sale, finding a buyer with a large down payment provides you with a safety net. You may also choose a buyer with strong credit who doesn't have to put a large percentage down. If you think that your home's appraisal could become a problem, make sure you don't include a clause in your sale's contract which states "subject to appraisal." How to Avoid Low Appraisals
What to Do When Your Selling Appraisal Comes in Too Low:
When you sell or buy real estate, remember that the certified appraisal is just one person's opinion of the value of your home. The opinion that counts for you is the buyer's: you want to be sure the buyer values your home above all others. Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette Fisher, All rights reserved. Jeanette Fisher, author of Sell Your Home for Top Dollar--FAST, Staging Houses for Top-Dollar Sales, Doghouse to Dollhouse for Dollars: Using Design Psychology to Increase Real Estate Profits, and other real estate and interior design books, teaches Design Psychology and real estate investing seminars. For information on Design Psychology, visit: http://designpsych.com/. For help selling houses, articles, and home staging tips, see http://www.sellfast.info/.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Things To Consider Before Buying a Condo Hotel or Resort Residence Resort home ownership, such as condo hotels and fractional shares is different from typical home ownership. So it is important to ask certain questions before signing the purchase agreement on a resort property. For Sale By Owner - Use This Tip To Sell Your Home Quicker and At a Better Price Your house is for sale by owner (fsbo), Along with columns of countless other FSBO's in the Sunday paper. This one little trick will enable you to have your Ad Noticed by more potential buyers. Reprint Rights and How To Use Them To Generate A Steady Income I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have a step by step guide for sellers and tenant buyers. However, many of you are missing out on other income streams that these step by step guides can generate. The Key to Real Estate Investing Success Revealed! How did you get into real estate investing? Did you read a book on it? Was it a seminar? A meeting of some sort with speakers dispensing real estate investing information, but really selling courses? Did you get really, really jazzed and pumped up by these simple ("not easy") concepts that were delivered to you in parable form from the stage by a charismatic speaker?Did you find yourself levitating to the back of the room, powerless but to slap down your plastic to buy the kits that were being sold there? Like, "Yes Mr. Ker we do take traveler's checks. Home Equity Loans - Beware of Appraisal Fraud A new report by the independent Demos group has revealed what may not be a surprise to many people - corruption is rampant in the home appraisal industry. The bust in the dot-com market of some five years ago has left would-be lenders with a surplus of cash to lend. Property Investing Secrets 1 When property investing, pay the seller their asking price but negotiate the terms under which you can buy property. You'd be absolutely surprised when property investing at how many sellers will help fund you into their property. Just Give Me Eleven Reasons to Buy in Dubai Buying overseas property is not always for the fainthearted but we think Dubai is an exception to this. Here are eleven reasons to buy in Dubai:1. Realities of Real Estate Investing If you are anything like me, you are always looking for a good way to work for yourself and make tons of money. Is this not the dream of millions of Americans? Of course it is, and I am willing to bet that you have considered getting into the real estate market at some point. Property Investing Secrets 8 Property Investing: A Buyer's Secret Weapon When Purchasing Real EstateMy friend, Roger, does property investing and is a licensed real estate agent. Recently he looked at a property in another state that was probably worth $225,000. Appraisal vs. Market Value: How to Avoid Pitfalls in the Sale of Your Home When you sell your home, appraisers use comps (comparable market sales) of local properties sold within the last six months to value your home. With today's rapidly rising seller's market, six-month-old information is ancient history. Branded Email in the Real Estate Industry Branded Email in the Real Estate IndustryYou're in the real estate industry, and that means you've got a brand. Chances are, you've spent quite a bit of money to build that brand, whether it's through franchising fees, marketing, websites, business cards, other print materials, advertising, yard signs, and/or through other means. Real Estate Bubble: Sophisticated Musical Chairs? The real estate bubble is a hot topic today; annual appreciation and housing prices have never been higher in most U.S. Use Targeted Decorating To Get A Higher Price For Your House This article will show you how to sell your home quicker, get a higher price for it by using smart decorating techniques.The secret is to make your home feel like "my home", for the buyer. No More Estate Agent Fees Follow a few simple guidelines, and marketing your own home can be easy. And it will save you thousands. How To Increase Your Homes Selling Price by $3,306.75 In The Next 33 Days According to the Federal Housing Finance Board:.. Stay Motivated With REI Till The Deal Comes I know many investors step into the game of real estate investing with high hopes of landing the deal that will turn their financial situation around and yes some do and this is not for you - this is for the investors still looking for that first deal!The best way starting out in this business, staying motivated and sticking to real estate investing has to do with one big factor!Keep your JOB - Yes you may be "Just Over Broke" but real estate investing comes with no guarantees of doing a deal in 30, 90, or 120 days as a matter of fact deals come and they go. real estate investing has its good times and it's bad times!You need a source of income and without it the likely hood of failure will soon follow!Having a stable income is the number one goal to having financial well being and your mental and emotional well being also. Directionals Move Properties One of the most effective and frequently overlooked methods of filling or selling a property is the use of directional arrow signs. I'm guilty of it myself, although usually I'm merely lazy instead of overlooking this great marketing technique. Free Tips That Will Dramatically Increase the Selling Value Of Your House (Part 1) Did you know that it's a proven fact that a properly maintained home sells substantially higher then a home that is dirty, depressed looking and clearly not maintained very well? When it comes to selling your house the statement "first impressions are the selling impression" couldn't be any more accurate. This article will highlight some quick tips that will increase the amount of money you can ask for you home when you're ready to sell it. Selling Your Home In The Winter In many parts of the country, selling a home during the winter months can be a challenge. Dreary, cold weather and the end-of-the-year holidays can keep buyers away and heighten fears of your home staying on the market longer than expected. 10 Easy but Essential Steps for Home Selling Success They say that the whole process of selling up, buying new and moving on is one of the most stressful series of events any of us goes through in a lifetime: and yet with careful planning, attention to detail and a clear focus, the whole process can be relatively stress free.While there will always be factors outside the control of any home seller, those factors that fall within their control sphere can proceed fluidly and smoothly when they take the time to plan and think one step ahead.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
