Attention homeowners in Sherman Oaks and Los Angeles County: Get an Appraisal today!

Here are the top seven reasons CA homeowners need FMW Appraisals:

  1. To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home themselves or using an agent)
  2. Challenge a property tax assessment
  3. To reduce a mortgage payments by removing PMI
  4. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Verify another appraiser's report
  6. If real estate needs to be divided because of a divorce
  7. To determine the true market value of property in question to settle an estate in Los Angeles County or the state of CA

Do you own a home in or near Sherman Oaks? Do you need help deciding the price of your real estate?
Contact FMW Appraisals.

We at FMW Appraisals understand the unique needs of a consumer seeking appraisal services. While our typical clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra service in the form of an explanation of the process and even special consumer-friendly reporting forms if the assignment allows for them.

For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) / Pre-Listing Services

It's very hard to be objective about your own home because of your emotional attachment to it. Our professional appraisers at FMW Appraisals are objective. We won't just tell you what you want to hear, we will tell you what you need to know. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your home will attract many interested buyers, a professional appraisal is very important as a negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer. It's something concrete to show your buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your house's price, not just you saying how much you think your home is worth. Potential buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be more likely to give credibility to an expert appraiser's value assessment than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. A fashionable money saver for homeowners is to get the PMI canceled from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. Once your mortgage loan amount is below 80% of the value of your property, in most cases you can apply to your lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. FMW Appraisals is experienced in helping consumers just like you rid yourselves of undesirable PMI insurance.

Challenging a property tax assessment

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if you live in a local area that's going down. That means you're most likely paying more taxes than you should. The earlier you take care of things like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. An expert appraisal from FMW Appraisals is your chief weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender might just make the decision to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is in or near a declining area. This can be be negative on your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also troublesome from a cash flow viewpoint. A professional appraisal from FMW Appraisals can help you reinstate your HELOC.

Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Do you need an expert to double-check your appraisal for precision, or do you desire a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? An appraiser from FMW Appraisals can go out and check the subject and comparables in question in a field review. If you need it immediately, we'll provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

We can also provide you with a a retrospective review of any appraisal you may have in your possession. Even though this is typically requested by banks, you may need to make use of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.