Birmingham real estate appraiser Tom Horn gives top 5 things an agent can do to get a listing ready for the appraisal inspection.| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
I was recently presented with the opportunity to be a guest blogger for McKissock. Check out my latest post about state coalitions.| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
Geographic competence in appraising has become a hot topic over the last couple of years. It refers to an appraisers knowledge of a market and his/her ability to produce an accurate and reliable report. One way to measure this is by looking at someones experience of working in an area. Take a look below at […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
This is a question I hear all of the time. It seems like such a simple question but the implementation of various laws several years ago has confused real estate agents about whether they are allowed to provide sales comparables to the appraiser. Many believe they cannot even communicate with the appraiser, but this is […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
A "Head and Shoulders" inspection is a requirement of FHA appraisal but many don't know what this is. Real estate appraiser Tom Horn explains what it is and why it's important.| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
Have you ever wondered how accurate the Zillow “Zestimate” really is? Whenever I am doing appraisals I have homeowners tell me what their Zillow “Zestimate” is. I am sure they are hoping that my appraisal is similar to that number (if it is high), however the two could be close, but more times that not […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
Over the past several years appraisers and real estate agents have had a confusing relationship. When I say this I am mainly talking about an agents understanding of exactly what they can and cannot talk to an appraiser about. I thought I would approach this topic from a qualifications point of view and look at […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
A concerned agent called me the other day worried about what would happen if the appraiser could not find comps for a house that she was selling. I assured her that even though it looked like there were no comps, there probably were if you looked a little more. This provided a good opportunity to […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
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 […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
I was recently asked by a real estate agent if a sunroom could be included in the gross living area of a home. The is the explanation I gave them.| Birmingham Appraisal Blog
I spoke recently at a local Realtor group about how Realtors could “think like an appraiser”. By being on the same page as the appraiser I believe that there will be fewer value issues on the back end of the sales transaction. By following similar methods as appraisers to arrive at their list prices, Realtors […]| Birmingham Appraisal Blog