Everybody wants you to spend money on your house. They want you to fix it up, add-on, improve, rehab, renovate, or buy more amenities, sheds, decks or pools.
But what if you realized that most of the money you've poured into your house was lost; thousands of dollars that could never be recovered.
That's the scary story that I see every day as a real estate appraiser. Most of the time I arrive on the scene of the 'accident', with real estate carnage spread out in front of me.
There are a few key principles that will benefit every homeowner, no matter the specifics of your situation. I have a front row seat to enough real estate spending disasters and I am trying to save you from another one.
Interview with the Author:
.Q: Why did you write this book?
A: I have been appraising homes for 15 years and I seldom get to tell anyone the things they need to know about spending money on their home. Usually, I appraise homes for lenders and I have to be careful what I say because I am working for them not the homeowner.
Q: Why are the top questions homeowners ask?
A: How much does a house appraisal cost? How long does a home appraisal take? Do I have any recourse for a bad appraisal? What is a house appraiser looking for? I am renovating: How can I make my house appraise at a high value? Saving is important. How can I remodel and get the most money back? If the appraisal comes back in low can we renegotiate the purchase agreement? How long after the appraisal can we expect to close? We financed a house and it appraised for much less. What can we do? Are house appraisals higher or lower than the market value? What if the house appraisal sqft is less than the listing amount? What are our options if the appraisal is lower than the house I made an offer on? What is the house appraisal value with basement finished? The appraiser is coming to my house today. What should I fix or how clean should it be?
Q: What are your qualifications?
A: I have appraised roughly 6,000 houses, in four states, over the past 15 years and I currently own my own appraisal company as an FHA, State Certified appraiser. I have helped people with these situations; buying a house, selling a house, investing, refinancing, renovations, remodeling, adding on and just fixing it up.
Q: What is your intention for this book?
A: I want this to be financial guide for homeowners and those that want to buy a home, so that they save their hard earned money instead of losing it. People are concerned about being rich and making money but generally do not understand how much money they can lose by over improving their house.
Q: What are the main things you cover in the book?
A: I talk about how to fix a bad appraisal, how to get an appraisal for free (mostly), understanding what is a reasonable amount to spend when renovating or remodeling, what do to when the appraise comes for the inspection, what to know about buying and selling a house, what I have learned from investors and those that want to own rental houses, and especially what has actually happened in the field while I was appraising homes.
I call these Case Studies and I tell the stories of real events so you can avoid the mistakes of others.
I wish the best for you in your real estate appraisal journey.
Look for more at scott the appraiser com
About the Author: Scott Harpole is an FHA, State Certified, Real Estate Appraiser and has been in the appraisal business for 15 years. He has appraised more than 6,000 homes for 50 plus lenders and mortgage companies in four different states and has owned his appraisal company since 2008.
