For many homeowners seeking help to stop foreclosure, refinancing their current mortgage is quickly becoming the option of choice, especially if they feel their home has enough equity in it to justify the decision. The only way this can be determined, however, is through a property appraisal. The problem with this is most home owners haven’t a clue as to their home’s real value as compared to the housing market where they live.

Don’t order a home appraisal prematurely unless you can stand the possibility of losing $300 – $500. First do some ground work to get an idea of your home’s approximate market value. Speak with a knowledgeable local realtor. Find one who has been selling homes in your area for a number of years and has a feel for the current housing market. Ask for a comparative market analysis. This will save you valuable time, not to mention money; both which you cannot afford to waste, especially if you are facing possible foreclosure.

Treat the refinancing as if you are selling the house (in essence you are, as you are buying it back). Make sure all the maintenance you can do is done; this includes clearing and trimming the yard to painting the house. Make a list of all home improvements – new windows, new floors, the finished basement, and any other item you feel has increased the value of the home. All this is necessary if you want the property to be valued as high as possible.

Keep in mind the lender is concerned with the property’s value as it relates to loan amount being requested. This is commonly referred to as LTV, or loan to value. The lower this number the more likely the lender will approve the mortgage loan. The lower percentage also allows the lender consider higher-risk borrowers, such as those with low credit scores, previous late payments in their mortgage history, high debt-to-income ratios, high loan amounts or cash-out requirements, insufficient reserves and/or no income documentation. The more you can do to improve the properties value the lower the LTV, and the higher your chances of being approved for the loan.

Once you are satisfied the numbers will work in your favor it is time to order the appraisal. Lenders normally order this using one of their own appraisers, but rest assured you will pay for it regardless of the outcome.

A home appraisal is really an opinion of the property’s market value. The home appraisal is a detailed report that looks at such items as the condition of the home, the neighborhood, what similar homes are selling for, and how quickly similar homes sell. Part of the process is a sales comparison that looks at other properties in your neighborhood and what they are selling for and then figure how they compare to your home.

And finally, don’t be caught off guard. Know what you options are if the appraisal doesn’t come in with the numbers in your favor. Be prepared to challenge the lenders appraisal with your own information. There’s a chance you can get them to reconsider, especially if the appraiser overlooked anything. If you’ve done all your homework you lessen the likelihood of squandering your time and money, neither of which you can afford to lose if you are refinancing to stop foreclosure.

Home appraisals

The value of a house, business, office location or rental property is calculated using a variety of methods and any given property’s value can be different depending on its intended use or on the reason for the valuation. Such methods to determine the approximate legitimate value for any property is called a home appraisal. The need for appraisals arises from the heterogeneous nature of property as an investment class: no two properties are identical, and all properties differ from each other in their location – which is one of the most important determinants of their value. Out of the many important procedures that you would undertake as part of a property purchase, appraisal comes out as a very critical aspect of the entire process, as it determines if the money you are paying to purchase the property is actually the correct worth of that property.

Appraisals are carried out depending upon the condition of the property. There is often the chance of confusing inspection with appraisal, but these are two different approaches to the same property. While inspection is more physical oriented, as it examines the structure and strength of the house, the appraisal is very financial in nature, as it calculates the worth of the house taking into consideration the amenities provided as well as the defects that exist in the house. The inspectors’ report is sometimes referred to by the appraiser to calculate the final value, though this is not a rule. Appraisals come in three different ways. This can either be the sales comparison approach, the cost approach or the income approach. Sales comparison approach, as the term suggests, is a comparison of recent sales of similar properties in the same locality, and this is taken as a basic criterion, from which the final price is derived. The cost approach is more apt for newly constructed homes, as the value of the house in terms of construction is added to the market value of the land and a final price calculated. The income approach is used to value commercial and investment properties. This is because it is intended to directly reflect or model the expectations and behaviors of typical market participants and hence, this approach is generally considered the most applicable valuation technique for income-producing properties, where sufficient market data exists to supply the necessary inputs and parameters for this approach.

Some important pieces of information that are part of any appraiser’s report are related to the property details like land measurements, evaluation of real estate market in the area, advantages and disadvantages of the property, availability of basic necessities like water, sewage lines or transport facilities as well as an estimate of average appreciation expected over a period of time.