A Description of the Appraisal Process

Getting a house is the most significant financial decision many people might ever encounter. It doesn't matter if it's where you raise your family, a second vacation home or an investment, the purchase of real property is a complex transaction that requires multiple parties to make it all happen.


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Most people are familiar with the parties taking part in the transaction. The most recognizable entity in the exchange is the real estate agent. Then, the mortgage company provides the money required to fund the deal. The title company makes sure that all requirements of the sale are completed and that a clear title transfers from the seller to the buyer.

So who makes sure the real estate is consistent with the amount being paid? In comes the appraiser. We provide an unbiased estimate of what a buyer could expect to pay - or a seller receive - for a property, where both buyer and seller are informed parties. A professional Illinois licensed appraiser from Greater Midwest Appraisals, LLC will ensure you as an interested party are informed.

Appraisals start with the home inspection

Our first duty at Greater Midwest Appraisals, LLC is to inspect the property to determine its true status. We must see features hands on, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location, amenities, etc., to ensure they really are there and are in the shape a reasonable person would expect them to be. To ensure the stated size of the property is accurate and document the layout of the house, the inspection often entails creating a sketch of the floor plan. Most importantly, we look for any obvious features - or defects - that would affect the value of the property.

Back at the office, an appraiser employs two or three approaches when determining the value of the property: a paired sales analysis, a replacement cost calculation, and an income approach when rental properties are prevalent.

Replacement Cost

Here, the appraiser analyzes information on local building costs, labor rates and other factors to figure out how much it would cost to build a property nearly identical to the one being appraised. This figure usually sets the upper limit on what a property would sell for. The cost approach is also the least used method.

Sales Comparison

Appraisers can tell you a lot about the subdivisions in which they work. We innately understand the value of particular features to the residents of that area. Then, the appraiser researches recent sales in the area and finds properties which are 'comparable' to the subject being appraised. By assigning a dollar value to certain items such as square footage, additional bathrooms, hardwood floors, fireplaces or view lots (just to name a few), we add or subtract from each comparable's sales price so that they more accurately portray the features of subject property.

If, for example, the comparable property has a fireplace and the subject doesn't, the appraiser may subtract the value of a fireplace from the sales price of the comparable home.
However, in the case where the subject has something such as an extra half bath that a comparable doesn't have, the appraiser might add the value of that bath to the comparable property.

At Greater Midwest Appraisals, LLC, we are an authority when it comes to knowing the value of particular items in Peru and La Salle County neighborhoods. This approach to value is usually awarded the most weight when an appraisal is for a home exchange.

Valuation Using the Income Approach

A third method of valuing a house is sometimes applied when an area has a measurable number of renter occupied properties. In this scenario, the amount of income the property generates is factored in with other rents in the area for comparable properties to give an indicator of the current value.

Reconciliation

Analyzing the data from all approaches, the appraiser is then ready to state an estimated market value for the subject property. It is important to note that while this amount is probably the most accurate indication of what a property would sell for in an open market, it may not be the price at which the property closes. Prices can always be driven up or down by extenuating circumstances like the motivation or urgency of a seller or 'bidding wars'. But the appraised value is often used as a guideline for lenders who don't want to loan a buyer more money than they could get back in case they had to put the property on the market again. The bottom line is: An appraiser from Greater Midwest Appraisals, LLC will help you get the most fair and balanced property value, so you can make wise real estate decisions.