Validate your Mountain home's value by getting your own appraisal

Whether selling Blue Ridge Ga real estate, a home on the other side of the world, or Dallas Texas real estate, the same rule goes into effect: Your potential buyers will most likely take issue with your asking price, no matter how much you think it's worth. It's just the way people are. After all, the size of the investment is enough to make anyone cautious. Nothing reassures buyers more than an uninterested third party certifying your home's value.

Since real estate dealings involve such a large amount of money, sellers do well to get the advice of real estate appraisers. Real estate appraisers have only one job to do. That job is to estimate the worth of a home and they don't have a vested interest in the home. Their job is to document an impartial estimate of the value, considering the condition and quality, of the home. An advance appraisal can help you get the highest value possible for your home because of how that appraisal will make the buyer feel about the home's true value.

While inspecting the home, the real estate appraiser evaluates the quality of the home's construction, the condition of the total property, and how dated (or outdated) the home may be. They assimilate data on the entire property by making observations and searching public records for the details of other properties, past sales and leases, and any other transactions.

Discuss in advance with the appraiser for a transfer of the appraisal to the new purchaser.

If used properly, an advance home appraisal is a tangible asset that is part of the home, but it loses its value to the seller as soon as the home is sold. Why not let the borrower use your appraisal? The borrower would save $250 to $500 (or even more), which, in turn, can help you increase your odds of actually having a meeting of the minds to begin with. In addition to reassuring the purchaser of your home's value, you will be able to get the cost of the initial appraisal back by giving it to the borrower. In addition to saving the buyer money, you also guarantee that the loan won't fall through because of a different (lower) appraisal, because if the borrower hires their own appraiser, there's always a chance that appraiser won't think the home is worth what they're paying. For a nominal fee, usually $25 to $50, you can have the appraiser rewrite the appraisal for the buyer.

Do keep in mind that sometimes the buyer's banks may not accept your appraisal and want to have their own appraiser do the work. So when choosing your appraiser it will pay to do your homework and check to see who local banks use. You also have a better chance of getting the banks to accept a trusted local appraiser. This usually will be more negotiable with a smaller home town bank than a big corporate bank who is less flexible in bending their terms.

In a real estate market with buyers as fickle as they are, sellers must use every tool available. Getting an advance home appraisal is a good, inexpensive bone you can toss into the deal to show your good faith and cooperative spirit as a seller. It not only raises the purchaser's level of trust in you, but it just improve your bottom line on the sale to boot.