The Analytics on Appraisals

The Analytics on Appraisals

What is an Appraisal?

An appraisal is a document provided by an appraiser (the person who conducts the appraisal report) that provides a professional estimate of the value of your home.

Appraisals are conducted by a third-party appraiser who is completely objective in their process. Appraisers do not work in favor of the lender nor the borrower. They simply conduct the appraisal and produce their findings.

Appraisals are most often conducted two ways. The first way an appraiser can conduct an appraisal is by noting comparables. Comparables, or comps for short, are properties within the neighborhood of the home you’re buying that are similar to yours. The appraiser will use the values of the similar properties nearby to determine the value of your home. The second way is by estimating how much it would cost to replace your home should it burn down or be otherwise destroyed. The appraisal will compile all of the findings of the appraiser including:

Comparisons with homes near the subject property
Notes about the real estate market in the area as a whole, including the ages of the homes and the average selling prices of the homes nearby
Notes about the appearance of the inside, outside, and surrounding area of your home
Notes about any visibly unfavorable characteristics about the home like cracked concrete or damaged windows
Pictures of everything that adds value to the home including, bedrooms, appliances, and fixtures

Why Lenders Need Appraisals

Lenders do not want to dish out more than the actual market value of the subject property. An appraiser’s goal is to determine that value. With this figure, the lender knows how much the property will sell for if you default on your loan. They also know how much they can lend to you without taking a loss if you default.

For example: If the subject property is appraised at $150,000 – that’s how much it will sell for on the open market. If your lender gives you a loan of $175,000 and you default on your loan, they now have to try to sell the home at a higher amount than what its appraised for, which can be difficult. If they end up selling the home for the actual market value, they’ve just lost $25,000. It is for this reason that lenders usually give a loan amount that is at or under the appraised value.

Why Borrower’s Need Appraisals

Appraisals are usually buyer paid and can be paid for at closing or during the application process. If you’ve signed a contract to buy a new home for $200,000 and the appraisal comes back valuing the home at $150,000, you should negotiate with your lender to lower the loan amount because you’re paying more for the home than it’s actually worth.

Overall, appraisals are a measure of protection. They ensure that neither party is lending or spending too much during the purchase process of a home.

When doing your research, always be sure to cite great sources! Check out the sources for this article below!

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/why-does-the-house-need-an-appraisal.aspx

https://www.thebalance.com/mortgage-101-series-understanding-the-appraisal-process-2395231

https://www.thebalance.com/facts-about-residential-real-estate-appraisals-1797691

https://www.thebalance.com/appraisal-process-when-buying-a-home-2395235

WHITNEY RUSH, VALLEY WEST MORTGAGE

Stop Assuming. Start Asking.

How many times have you made financial assumptions? Once? Twice? A billion times? The fact of the matter is that we all make financial assumptions in our daily lives. We assume that we are not financially stable enough to buy our dream home or to even pre-qualify for a mortgage loan. Making financial assumptions has to do with some kind of rash decision we made when we were younger. We really wanted the new iPhone and decided that it was worth over drafting our bank accounts for. We've all seen those really persuasive commercials that tell you "Now is the best time to buy".

It's no secret that what you do in the past may come back and bite you in the future. That's a part of life. Its called a learning curve. Why should that stop you from finding out if you are eligible for a home loan? The answer is quite simple. There are several factors that impact your chances of obtaining a home loan. Not every rash decision you have made in the past will effect your chances. The only way of finding out if you are eligible for a home loan is to ask a lending professional. That's where Valley West Mortgage comes in.

Just because you have a low credit score, a recent car payment and a few student loans, does not automatically disqualify you from becoming pre-qualified for a home loan. Although all three of those scenarios may count against your debt to income ratio, also known as DTI, it does not mean that you are out of the game. As long as you have a decent credit score and you can prove that you are able to repay your loan back on time, you may potentially qualify for a home mortgage loan.

Not being able to repay a mortgage loan is one of the top reasons why most home loan applications are denied. Instead of financial assumptions, you should reach out to a mortgage lending professional by calling or simply filling out the contact form below, to see if you can be considered for a home loan today.

Note: Not all applicants will qualify for a home loan. There are several factors that are taken into consideration for determining if one may qualify for a home loan. Please consult a mortgage lending professional if you have any questions.

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Falling rates help everyone

Las Vegas - It's going to happen again and again and Valley West Mortgage will keep reporting on it. Rates keep getting lower and lower. That couldn't make us any happier. Please Note: The actual interest rate you were quoted last week will have changed this week. Based on raw data from more than 20 leading lenders as well as feedback from the MBS Live community, the average Best-Execution rate, before rounding to the nearest eighth, hit its lowest level on record, 3.81%. Although 3.81% is closer to 3.75% than 3.875%, we won't declare 3.75% to be the Best-Execution champ until the average from our lender survey falls to 3.75 or lower, and we're not there yet. Please call your Local Mortgage Lender to find out more details.

Last week, we noted a high degree of stratification in rates as lenders responded to the bond market rally at different paces. This continues to be the case today, but perhaps to a slightly smaller extent. When we say that rate offerings are more stratified, we're talking about various lenders offering increasingly different rates to the same type of borrowers. Among some lenders in our survey, best-execution rates are still at 4.0%, while the bulk have moved down to 3.875% and 3.75%. The important point here is to not believe everything you read about mortgage rates these days, unless the source examines multiple lenders and offers the caveat that they can only report averages while individual experiences may vary.

For instance, several lenders are priced WORSE today than Friday. It's far more important to be working with someone you trust in a process that is more likely to hit its deadlines than to go overboard in pursuing the lowest possible quotes. In the current market, overfocus on lowest possible rates can lead to delays which can result in a higher rate than the one you were originally trying to avoid!

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