Need an appraisal in Columbia or Howard County?

Here are the top seven reasons MD homeowners need Astute Appraisals, Inc.:

  1. Find the right listing price (whether they're selling the home on their own or using a real estate agent)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. Remove PMI to reduce their mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  5. Review a different appraiser's report for verification
  6. In the case of a MD divorce, where real estate needs to be divided
  7. To settle an estate in Howard county or MD by determining the true market value of real estate in question

Need help deciding the price of your house in or near Columbia, MD?
Contact Astute Appraisals, Inc..

At Astute Appraisals, Inc., we understand the particular needs of a consumer seeking appraisal services. Our customary business clients get the appraisal process and the standard documents we provide. Being a regular person not in the real estate business that most likely doesn't look at appraisals on a regular basis,you will receive extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more fully understand what we do and how we report our conclusions.

For Sale By Owner/Pre-Listing Services

Since you have an emotional attachment to your home, it's often very hard to be objective about it. Professional appraisers, like the ones at Astute Appraisals, Inc., will be objective. We'll tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. A professional appraisal is a crucial negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your property will attract buyers. It's something concrete to show your buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your house's value, not just you saying 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 an accomplished appraiser's value judgement than yours.

Need to remove PMI?

A popular way to save money for homeowners is getting the PMI removed from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. PMI stands for "Private Mortgage Insurance". Once your mortgage loan amount is down below 80% of the value of your property, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. At Astute Appraisals, Inc., we're veterans in helping people just like you rid themselves of unnecessary PMI insurance.

Challenging property tax assessments

If you live in an area that is declining or not appreciating as much as other homes nearby, your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. This means you're most likely paying higher taxes than you should be paying. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the sooner you take care of things like this, the better off you'll be. An appraisal from Astute Appraisals, Inc. is your #1 weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

If your house is near a declining area, your lender just might make the decision to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be be unfavorable to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also inconvenient from a cash flow angle. An efficient appraisal from Astute Appraisals, Inc. can help you reinstate your HELOC.

We Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Have you just gotten a copy of your appraisal and you'd prefer to have a seasoned professional double-check it for preciseness or do you desire a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? An appraiser from Astute Appraisals, Inc. can go out and check the subject and comparables in question in a field review. If you need it in a rush, we'll provide you with a 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. Even though this is typically requested by banks, you may desire to employ this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your home.

Today's Rates

Mtg Loan Rate APR
30-yr Fixed 4.55% 4.7%
15-yr Fixed 4.01% 4.22%
1-yr Adj 2.76% 3.42%
* national averages

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