Aug 17th 2010 7:38PM
When Chris M. decided to list his home in upstate New York and move closer to Manhattan to ease his wife's commute to her new job, he ran into a major hurdle: "There was no consensus among the agents we spoke with about what our house was worth," he said. The solution? Hire a local appraiser to handle the job of evaluating... Continue Reading »
Aug 12th 2010 6:37PM
Video Transcript First impressions are everything in real estate -- a fact Paul Isolda, an appraiser with 22 years of experience, knows all too well. Isolda has seen every home staging disaster under the sun, from tacky cabinetry to dingy flooring. One discerning glance from him could mean a final appraisal worth... Continue Reading »
Mar 21st 2010 9:04PM
Do you feel like you're paying more than your fair share of property taxes? Well, you're not alone. Many homeowners believe their homes are over-assessed, especially after the housing crisis pummeled home values by 30 percent or so from their peaks. And guess what? A high percentage of homes really are over-assessed --... Continue Reading »
Mar 8th 2010 7:30PM
Spice Girl Mel B mistook a property appraiser parked outside of her Los Angeles home with a camera for a paparazzo and sic'd her hubby on him. The appraiser, Amada Aguirre, claims he was assaulted by Scary Spice and husband producer Stephen Belafonte while just trying to do his job. Apparently, he was scared enough to file... Continue Reading »
Feb 9th 2010 3:30PM
Heard of HVCC? It's not a heating and ventilation system for the home (that's HVAC), nor is it an infectious disease. HVCC is the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, a controversial set of guidelines established by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in May 2009. By setting up a sort of firewall between lenders and appraisers, in the... Continue Reading »
