Attention homeowners: Real estate appraisal services for in Birmingham and Jefferson County

Check out the top seven reasons why AL homeowners need Appraisal Associates:

To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using a real estate agent or selling the home on your own)
Challenge a property tax assessment
To lower their monthly mortgage payment by removing PMI
To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
Review a different appraiser's report for verification
In the case of a AL divorce, where real estate property needs to be divided
Settle an estate in AL by determining the true market value of real estate in question

Do you own a house in or near Birmingham? Do you need help determining the price of your real estate?
Contact Appraisal Associates.

We at Appraisal Associates understand the individual needs of a customer in need of appraisal services. While our typical clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra customer service in the form of an explanation of the process and even special consumer-friendly reporting forms if the assignment allows for them.

For Sale By Owner/Pre-Listing Services

Since you have an emotional attachment to your house, it's often very hard to be objective about it. Our professional appraisers at Appraisal Associates are objective. We won't just tell you what you want to hear, we will tell you what you need to know. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your house will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is a very valuable negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer. It's something tangible to show your buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's price -- not just how much you think your house is worth. Potential buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to a seasoned appraiser's value opinion than yours.

Need to remove PMI?

A popular way to cut costs for homeowners is to get the PMI canceled from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. PMI stands for "Private Mortgage Insurance". Once your mortgage loan is below 80% of the value of your property, in most cases you can apply to the lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We are seasoned in helping people just like you dismiss unnecessary PMI insurance.

Challenging a property tax assessment

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if your house is not appreciating as much as other homes nearby. This only means you are probably paying higher taxes than you should be paying. The quicker you take care of a matter like this, the better, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. When contesting your property tax assessment, getting a professional appraisal from Appraisal Associates is your perfect weapon.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

If your property is in a declining area, your lender may choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. Not only can this be troublesome from a cash flow angle, but it can be damaging to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Appraisal Associates can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with an expert appraisal.

Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Have you just gotten a copy of your appraisal and you would prefer to have a seasoned appraiser double-check it for preciseness or do you desire a second opinion without the added expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? In a field review we'll go out and check the subject and comparables. Or, if you need it immediately, we can provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

Need a retrospective review of an appraisal report? We can help with that too. While typically requested by banks, you may need to make use of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.