I recently had my home appraised with this company. I had done many permanent upgrades in my home and yard, such as 2 large covered patios with colored, stamped and sealed concrete; granite kitchen and island with full backsplash; fully landscaped front, back and side yard using 4-6 inch river rock and desert hardy plants and trees; attic with pulldown ladder for extra storage; stainless steel appliances; 18 inch porcelain tile and baseboards installed on the diagonal and slate throughout 80% of the home; Custom patented stain glass window; AC and heating replaced with superior Maytag 12 seer with 10/20 warranty; Andersen Permashield sliding glass doors; new 10 year smoke alarms with 10 year batteries; custom closets in the bedrooms, and much more!
It was described as being well maintained with a ONLY a mention of granite!! The pictures they took did NOT in any way do the home and yard justice! A picture of an old smaller hot water heater with cloth straps and stickers all over it, which was NOT MINE ,was included in the appraisal! Mine was a top of the line Bradford White 50 gallon only a 18 months old with metal straps.
I was disgusted and contacted them about all this and requested another appraisal which was denied. Two patios were not mentioned nor were they drawn in with a dotted line on the groundplan. The lender would not have been favorably impressed....
Every realtor that saw my home believed the appraisal would come in higher than the listed price! Two homes smaller than mine, with smaller yards on the same street and same block with nowhere near the upgrades as mine sold the day after mine for just $,6,000 less. Another smaller home with a half patio, again with far less done to it, sold a few doors away for $13,000 MORE just 4 days after my appraisal.
MY ADVICE: Avoid this company like the plague, and find out who the borrower's lender is if you are selling , because the lender chooses the appraisal company! Think about that for a minute... read more