![]() What Are the Components of an Appraisal?A home purchase is the most important transaction many may ever encounter. Whether it's a main residence, a second vacation home or an investment, purchasing real property is a detailed financial transaction that requires multiple people working in concert to pull it all off. You're likely to be familiar with the parties taking part in the transaction. The real estate agent is the most familiar face in the transaction. Next, the bank provides the money required to fund the transaction. And ensuring all requirements of the exchange are completed and that the title is clear to transfer from the seller to the buyer is the title company. So, what party is responsible for making sure the value of the property is consistent with the purchase price? In comes the appraiser. We provide an unbiased estimate of what a buyer could expect to pay — or a seller receive — for a property, where both buyer and seller are informed parties. A licensed, certified, professional appraiser from Coastal Property Appraisals will ensure, you as an interested party, are informed. Inspecting the subject propertyOur first task at Coastal Property Appraisals is to inspect the property to ascertain its true status. We must see features first hand, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location, and so on, to ensure they really are present and are in the shape a typical person would expect them to be. The inspection often includes a sketch of the property, ensuring the square footage is correct and illustrating the layout of the property. Most importantly, the appraiser identifies any obvious features - or defects - that would affect the value of the property. Next, after the inspection, we use two or three approaches to determining the value of real property: paired sales analysis and, in the case of a rental property, an income approach. ![]() Replacement CostHere, we gather information on local construction costs, the cost of labor and other factors to calculate how much it would cost to build a property comparable to the one being appraised. This figure often sets the upper limit on what a property would sell for. It's also the least used method. ![]() Paired Sales AnalysisAppraisers get to know the communities in which they appraise. They thoroughly understand the value of particular features to the homeowners of that area. Then, the appraiser researches recent transactions in the area and finds properties which are 'comparable' to the property being appraised. By assigning a dollar value to certain items such as square footage, extra bathrooms, hardwood floors, fireplaces or view lots (just to name a few), we adjust the comparable properties so that they are more accurately in line with the features of subject.
In the end, the appraiser reconciles the adjusted sales prices of all the comps and then derives an opinion of what the subject could sell for. At Coastal Property Appraisals, we are an authority when it comes to knowing the worth of particular items in Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County neighborhoods. This approach to value is typically awarded the most consideration when an appraisal is for a home purchase. Valuation Using the Income ApproachIn the case of income producing properties - rental houses for example - the appraiser may use a third method of valuing real estate. In this situation, the amount of income the property yields is taken into consideration along with income produced by comparable properties to determine the current value. Putting It All TogetherCombining information from all applicable approaches, the appraiser is then ready to stipulate an estimated market value for the property in question. Note: While this amount is probably the best indication of what a house is worth, it may not be the price at which the property closes. Depending on the individual circumstances of the buyer or seller, their level of urgency or a buyer's desire for that exact property, the closing price of a home can always be driven up or down.But the appraised value is often employed as a guideline for lenders who don't want to loan a buyer more money than the property is actually worth. At the end of the day, an appraiser from Coastal Property Appraisals will guarantee you discover the most fair and balanced property value, so you can make profitable real estate decisions. |