Real Estate

Articles and Information about Real Estate

NetFinancial | Institutions | Loans
Colleges and Universities | Search Engines

Appraisal or Home Inspection?


People sometimes confuse a home inspection and an appraisal when they are in the process of buying a home.

Most mortgage applications involve an appraisal, which can be a physical inspection of the property plus a written analysis of similar homes that have recently sold in the area. An appraisal can also be what is known as a "valuation" and can be the result of pulling data from a database that compares home sales in the area, tax records and other information that will give the lender a range of value.

Since the true value of a home is what a willing buyer and a seller who is not in distress will agree on, the lender is typically just looking for verification that the sales prices can be supported by neighborhood data and the loan risk is minimized.

A Home Inspection, however, can be done at any time, but is especially helpful at the time of purchase to discover defects. The mechanical systems of the home (heating, plumbing, electrical, roof, etc.) are reviewed to see if they merit further investigation. Each area of the home is checked against standard forms and guidelines to see what problems might need correction.

Home Inspectors can be a trained professional, licensed to perform true, in-depth inspections, or they can be the assistant to someone who went to class and got "certified" and bought an ad in the phone book. Get several recommendations or work with a name brand service so you have somewhere to go with a complaint.

There is the chance that your realtor or your lender will advise you not to bother. Why? Because when you see the 25+ page form filled with notes about a cracked sidewalk or a 10 year old heat exchanger or a broken window with some moisture nearby, you might kill the deal. First time homebuyers are especially nervous about everything and will use any excuseto act on their buyer's remorse.

FHA, however, recommends a Home Inspection on every purchase and you have to sign a form stating that someone told you that. Their reasoning is that the Appraiser will never catch everything that's wrong with a house and they don't want the liability or hassle from you later.

What should you do? Get the inspection. Have a trusted family friend or parent who understands your temperment and who has owned a home go over it with you. Let them tell you which items will cause you real grief and which things are just minor annoyances.

The realtor and the lender both have commissions or fees riding on your deal. There may even be deals stacked around this one as the seller buys a house and that seller buys another house, etc. You need someone who knows you and is not easily frightened to look over the report and tell you the truth.

Judi Moore authors Ask The Underwriter at 2rHouse.org and personally answers questions from readers about FHA mortgages and mortgage advice in general.


MORE RESOURCES:

Johnson has magic touch for real estate
Chicago Tribune, United States - 18 hours ago
Canyon-Johnson, formed in 1998, has financed 31 real estate developments in 13 states, including Illinois, and Washington. It launched its third and biggest ...
Former NBA star builds a second career, and a fortune, in ... Austin American-Statesman
all 2 news articles


Real estate firm gets into gas biz
Bizjournals.com, NC - 21 hours ago
Bunnell Hill Development, part of Lebanon-based real estate company Henkle Schueler and Associates Inc., has opened two Big Mike's Gas N' Go locations, ...
Radio roots run deep: Palec mixes music with real estate Bizjournals.com
Multifamily property sales break dry spell Bizjournals.com
all 235 news articles


Gulf region increasingly attractive against global property trends ...
Al-Bawaba, Jordan - 4 hours ago
The report revealed that the value of the real estate capital market reached US$12 trillion in 2007, up 18% on the previous year. ...


New York Times

Lax Real Estate Decisions Hurt Starbucks
New York Times, United States - Jul 4, 2008
The company has long been known in the world of commercial real estate for its expertise at selecting prime locations and its fearlessness in establishing ...
Another major flaw in Starbucks (SBUX) management BloggingStocks
600 Starbucks to Close, Hope Anew for Fair Trade? Bay Area Indymedia
all 13 news articles


Pinellas failed to learn real estate lessons of 1920s
Tampabay.com, FL - 16 hours ago
It's an outline of the 1920s Florida real estate boom and bust. But historical amnesiacs can be mistaken for assuming it describes the real estate roller ...


Real Estate Investors & Small Business Owners will get their ...
Emailwire - 18 hours ago
COM, July 05, 2008 ) Romulus, MI--Richard White, real estate, attorney, and noted author will be one of the members of the panel. Markwei Boye, accountant ...
Mark Maupin Announces New Location for National Real Estate ... Emailwire
all 3 news articles


World's most expensive luxury real estate markets
Times of India, India - 15 hours ago
The housing boom, which spread across many of the world's finest luxury destinations, is finally tailing off. Still, prices in London, Monaco, Manhattan, ...


Ri8ng on real estate
National Post, Canada - 18 hours ago
With a CD due this fall, and a full-time job designing luxury homes, Sergio Galli, guitarist for the '80s rock band Platinum Blonde, is a hard guy to pin ...


Radio roots run deep: Palec mixes music with real estate
Bizjournals.com, NC - Jul 4, 2008
He's been one of metropolitan Milwaukee's most prominent commercial real estate brokers in recent years, handling some of the area's biggest deals including ...


Real Estate Transfers
Rocktown Weekly, VA - 20 hours ago
Brian H. and Kristin V. Augustine to Matthew L. Csady and Melanie K. Laliker, 201 E. Bank St., Bridgewater, Ashby District, $247450. ...

Real-Estate - Google News

Currency Trading | Investing | Leadership | Negoatiation | Real Estate | Stocks and Mutual Funds | Taxes
home | NetFinancial | Institutions | Loans | Colleges and Universities | site map
Search Engines | EZmatic | 0pops | GetSonic | TrafficFish | Health
© 2006