A professional appraisal is usually required when you are either selling or buying a property or a home. An appraisal is not just required, to have a professional come and do one can be costly for you also.  There are a number of factors that influence the price of a professional appraisal done on your property. Depending on the type of property you are getting appraised or the value of it, a professional appraisal can cost from a wide range of costs.

First, you need to find out what type of appraisal you would need.  There are different types of appraisals that can be done. The most commonly used appraisal is called the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR). There are also shorter appraisals that can be done called “Drive By Appraisals”. These can be less expensive than the URARs, for those on a budget.  Although, some banks and lenders do not accept these appraisals for your loan, so you should find out what they will take before you decide on which to get.

The type of property is one of the factors that can affect the cost of your appraisal. A professionally done appraisal of single family homes will typically cost you less if you are selling your own home. Multi-unit properties, however, will run you a bit more than single family homes due to size.  The cost can also depend on where the location of the property is.  If the property is hard to get to or there are less appraisers around, the cost will most likely increase.  

Even though you are trying to find the value of the property, it is also one of the factors in determining your appraisal cost.  The higher the value of your property, the more the cost will increase.  Although, the cost may not be dramatically different until you pass the $500,000 mark.  The cost will most likely be around $300-600 for that valued less than that. Any property that is valued more, though, you will expect to have to pay more for the appraisal.

Lastly, what the property will be used for will affect the cost.  For properties that are used to rent out and generate income will generally cost more than an appraisal done for a home.  An appraisal of a rental property would usually include a rent survey as well as an income statement for the property.  For example, the cost of a single family home that is under $500,000 will cost around $300-450, while a rental property with similar value will probably cost around $400-550.

For more information about property appraisals, please visit http://www.alberreappraisalgroup.com

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Carmel Valley is a master-planned community located in northern San Diego County within the state of California. The community of Carmel Valley within San Diego is not to be confused with the Carmel Valley region in Northern California.

Carmel Valley lies within the 92130 Zip Code. There are approximately 34,471 residents in this Zip code and 12,387 households. The median age of the population is 35.16 years.

TEMPERATURE

The temperature in Carmel Valley is relatively moderate. The warmest time of year occurs in August during which temperatures reach an average high of 72°F. The coldest time of year occurs in December with average temperatures falling to 56° F.

HOME AND REAL ESTATE PRICES

The housing options in Carmel Valley include single-family homes and properties, condominiums, townhouses, and apartments. The price of housing is as follows:

·One bedroom townhouse / condo starts in the high $200,000s

·Two bedroom townhouse / condo starts in the high $300,000s.

·Three bedroom townhouse / condo starts in the low $500,000s

·Three bedroom single-family house starts in high $500,000s

·Four bedroom single-family home starts in low $700,000s

REAL ESTATE MARKET TRENDS

As with most products and services in the United States, price shifts in the real estate industry are subject to the forces of supply and demand. Whether it’s a buyers market or a seller’s market, it is useful to evaluate home sales data for the most recent month available (June 2006), compared against the same period in the previous year (June 2005).

The median price of single-family homes reached $1,080,000 in June 2006, which was a 13.74% increase over June 2005. In contrast, the median price of condominiums and townhomes decreased to $580,000, which was a 7.2 decline from the year before.

Homebuyers and home sellers should keep in mind that the data above is simply a snapshot in time. Therefore, the data must be evaluated over a longer duration to understand enduring market trends.

SCHOOL INFORMATION

There are two School Districts that serve residents of Carmel Valley. The Solana Beach School District covers the elementary schools in the northern part of Carmel Valley, and the Del Mar Union School District covers the southern region.

Students in Carmel Valley schools undergo annual testing to evaluate their academic performance. The results of these tests are combined by the California Department of Education into a composite score known as the Academic Performance Index (API), which has a range of 200 to 1000. The statewide goal for schools is to achieve a score of 800 or above.

Based on the most recent data available as of July 31, 2006, the highest-ranking elementary school in the Carmel Valley area was Sage Canyon Elementary (API = 963), followed by Torrey Hills School (API=950), Carmel Creek Elementary

(API=946), Solana Pacific Elementary (API=945), Ashley Falls Elementary (API=943), and Carmel Del Mar Elementary (API=917). Carmel Valley Middle School earned an API of 931. For high schools, Canyon Crest Academy had an API=842, and Torrey Pine High had an API =821.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Alpine is a community situated in the eastern region of San Diego County within the state of California. There are approximately 19,227 residents in this Zip code (91901) and 6,597 households. The median age of residents is 38.92 years.

TEMPERATURE

The temperature in Alpine is relatively moderate. The warmest time of year occurs in August during which temperatures reach an average high of 76°F. The coldest time of year occurs in January with average temperatures falling to 54°F.

HOME AND REAL ESTATE PRICES

The housing options in Alpine include single-family homes and properties, condominiums, townhouses, and apartments. The price of housing is as follows:

·One bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the low $200,000s.

·Two bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the low $200,000s.

·Three bedroom townhouse/condominium start in the mid $300,000s.

·Two bedroom single-family homes start in the mid $300,000s.

·Three bedroom single-family homes start in the mid $400,000s.

·Four bedroom single-family homes start in the high $500,000s.

REAL ESTATE MARKET TRENDS

As with most products and services in the United States, price shifts in the real estate industry are subject to the forces of supply and demand. Whether it’s a buyers market or a seller’s market, it is useful to evaluate home sales data for the most recent month available (June 2006), compared against the same period in the previous year (June 2005).

The median price of single-family homes in June 2006 was $597,500, which represents a 10.2% decline from the previous year. The number of homes sold in June 2006 was 17, which was down 37% from the previous year.

Homebuyers and home sellers should keep in mind that the data above is simply a snapshot in time. Therefore, the data must be evaluated over a longer duration to understand enduring market trends.