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Loosening The Knot

Appraisal Buzz

Striving to look through the microscope of empirical thought, we must not forget that our subject is more than real property, it is real people. Imperfect though our efforts may be, we must work to untie the knot of each transaction and of the real estate market as a whole.

Sellers 379
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Is Your “Crazy” Neighbor Lowering Your Home’s Value?

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

Could being located next to a property that is an eye-sore cause a loss in market value to your home? Part of our work as appraisers is to consider whether situations like this are influencing the market value of the home we are appraising. Of course, that’s not the same as market value.

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Understanding Zillow’s Square Footage is Important!

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

FINISHED SQUARE FOOTAGE On more than one occasion some who have read my appraisal reports felt that my opinion of value was too high. They felt that way because of sales they saw on Zillow that appeared to be comparable and sold for less than my opinion of the market value of the property I appraised. That’s okay.

Appraisal 406
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3 Things An Appraisal Should Tell You That You May Not Know

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

With the massive amount of technology available to anyone who can access the internet, you might wonder why bother getting a real property appraisal? Slap a few sales in a report, and make a few guesstimate adjustments to come up with their opinion of a property’s value? That can have a big impact on market value.

Appraisal 354
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The Difference Between Pricing a Property and Appraising It

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

They will analyze market conditions and they will look for comparable sales that have sold in the area of the subject property in recent months. They then use a price-per-square-foot method to determine the asking price for the property. If they end up too high, the home will likely sit on the market until the price is reduced.

Appraisal 302
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Arm’s Length or Another Type of Sale? The 7 Sale Types Explained

McKissock

Sales due to a job relocation, estate settlement, foreclosure, or divorce may sell for less than the property’s market value. Remember, in general, market value is defined as the most probable price a property should bring in a competitive and open market. Non-arm’s length sale. Arm’s length sale.

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What’s in a Sales Contract? Insights from a Seasoned Appraiser

McKissock

For a typical “as-is” Market Value assignment with a straightforward contract with no contingencies or conditions, there is probably nothing that an appraiser actually needs to see. If a property appraises for $200,000 for a refinance, then it is still a $200,000 property for a sale transaction.