As a homeowner or buyer you may want to understand the reason for having an appraisal completed for your mortgage transaction. If you are buying, selling, or refinancing a home the appraisal is an important part of your transaction and you will want to understand the process. Appraisals are used for many reasons, but most often they are used for mortgage transactions such as purchasing, selling, and refinancing. The appraisal you receive is an unbiased opinion of the value of the home.
For the purpose of a sale or purchase of a home the appraisal is needed to verify that the purchase price is suitable for the market area, features of the home, and trends of the market. A refinance appraisal is used to reassure the lender that the refinance amount is fair and they are not giving more money to the borrower than the home is valued at.
In the case of mortgage transactions the appraisal is ordered by the lender to protect the lenders interests. This is so the lender does not lend more money than they could potentially get back if the property was foreclosed on. All Real Estate appraisers are required to be licensed or certified and be familiar with the marketing trends of each area they appraise. The appraiser is also required to disclose if there is any conflict of interest such as knowing the buyer or seller of a transaction because it may influence the appraised value.
Having an appraisal is one of the first steps in the home sale closing process. In most cases when the home is appraised for at or above the contract price there are no problems and the sale is completed with no addendums. When the appraisal comes in below the contract price it can often slow down or cancel the transaction. In the case that the appraisal is low or high there is opportunity for the parties to renegotiate the contract price.
For the purpose of refinancing, the lender will not loan you more money than the home is worth, therefore you want the appraisal to come in at or above the refinance amount. If your property is appraised below value you can ask your lender if they will accept a second opinion from a different appraiser and if they do you can have your home re-appraised.
It is important to understand what an appraisal can do to your mortgage transaction so that you can be prepared for any situation and understand your options. We hope this information helped you understand the process a little better.
Brandlin Appraisals Inc. specialize in helping people who need appraisals for estate purposes, divorce, date of death, bankruptcy, FSBO’s and more throughout San Diego county. For more information please contact us at (760)741-7699, or visit our website at Brandlinappraisals.com, or email us at admin@brandlinappraisals.com
Mike Brandlin
San Diego, CA // Real Estate Appraiser
www.brandlinappraisals.com
(760) 741-7699
San Diego Real Estate Appraisal Services For:
* Divorce Appraisals / Marriage Dissolution
* Bankruptcy Appraisals
* Bail Bonds Appraisals
* Estate / Date of Death / Retrospective Appraisals
* Financial Planning & Trusts
* PMI Removal Appraisals
* Pre-Foreclosure & Short Sales
* Tax Assessment Appeals
* Pre-Listing, Pre-Purchase, FSBO’s
* Probate Appraisals
