| Unless you have been living under a rock, you know | | | | appraisal is because you don't want to pay more than |
| that real estate prices have been rising fast. This | | | | what your home is worth. You can't rely on a real |
| country is in one of its biggest real estate booms, but | | | | estate agent to really care about you. An agent is |
| will it bust. If you are a real estate investor or just want | | | | going to find the home you want in the price range you |
| to buy your first home you need to understand what a | | | | can afford. They don't care if you get a good deal. |
| home is worth before buying. | | | | You must protect yourself before you make a lifetime |
| Frequently we think about all of the features we want | | | | purchase. So order a home appraisal before you buy |
| in a home and how much we can afford but we | | | | the home. If you use a home appraisal service the |
| rarely worry about how much the home we are | | | | cost will be about $300 dollars. A good alternative is to |
| considering is really worth. Think back to when you | | | | order a free online appraisal. There are several free |
| bought your last home, did your rely on the home | | | | real estate appraisal services on the web. Most of the |
| appraisal the bank ordered? If so you may have made | | | | services ask only a few questions about the home |
| a big mistake. The bank asks for an appraisal to get | | | | and give you a fairly accurate home appraisal in |
| an idea of how much the home is worth before they | | | | seconds. I always recommend that you use at least |
| make the loan. All the bank cares about is that your | | | | three of the free services before making an offer. |
| home appraises for close to what the loan amount will | | | | Since the services are free it doesn't hurt to average |
| be. If you are refinancing a home the bank is even | | | | the results from several real estate appraisals |
| more lax about this requirement. The bank knows the | | | | services. |
| numbers and they are in business to make money. | | | | Bottom line is you want to arm yourself before making |
| They make calculated risks, but what about you? Did | | | | one of the biggest purchases of your life. Make sure |
| you order your own home appraisal? | | | | you know the value of your home before you make |
| The reason you should always do your own home | | | | an offer. |