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Understanding the Appraisal Process in a Real Estate Sale
Rodriguez Law, P.L. • Apr 19, 2019

If you’re thinking about buying, selling, or refinancing your home in order to take advantage of a better interest rate, the appraised value of your property is an important number. An appraisal will help determine how much you will likely be able to get for your home if you sell, or in the case of an refi, which usually only allows a portion of the property’s value to be included in a new loan, will determine how much a lender will be willing to loan you, since the loan received from a refi usually only includes a percentage of the home’s value.


Appraisers are working on behalf of the lender and will assess the value of your property based on the value of similar properties in your neighborhood. Comparable properties usually must be located within a few miles of the property being assessed, must be of similar square footage, and should be built within 10 years or so of the property in question.

Do recent improvements elevate a home’s value?

While you may have made numerous improvements in anticipation of boosting the value of your home for a bigger profit when you sell, a new roof, a bathroom and kitchen remodel, or other new features that should give your home an edge over the comparable properties may not make much of a difference, which may be disappointing to hear.


When an assessor looks over your property, he or she will take measurements and photographs, and will also make notes of improvements. But real estate assessors base their final assessment on six different labels – poor, fair, average, good, very good, and excellent – along with square footage, location, and other considerations.


After using those ratings to determine the condition of your home, taking into consideration the improvements you’ve put into your home, they make that final assessment by comparing your home to the homes they’ve chosen as similar to yours, which are also given a rating, without being seen in person.


Even if your home is given a higher rating than the homes your assessor is comparing it to, you are not likely to recoup the entire value of the investment you spent making improvements.


For buyers, an assessment is required because lenders will not loan money for a mortgage if the property’s value is less than the sale price, a situation that would cause problems if the buyer defaulted on the loan because the bank couldn’t sell it for enough to cover the overall cost of the loan.

Contact a Florida Real Estate Attorney

If you have questions about why you need a home appraisal when it comes time to sell your home or property, contact real estate attorney Ricardo Rodriguez at Rodriguez Law at (305) 262-8226 today.

7 Benefits of Having an Attorney Help You Close on a Real Estate Purchase

By Rodriguez Law, P.L. • 19 May, 2019
If you have ever thought about NOT hiring an attorney for closing on a real estate purchase, unless you are paying cash, you are setting yourself up for a headache. Mortgages require more than a little bit of paperwork, enough so that you will be signing papers for at least an hour – with an attorney’s help. Without one? It’s a risk, and it may not be worth it, especially if you are buying a home. Having that massive amount of paperwork organized and ready for your signature is a great benefit, but it is hardly the only good thing about having an attorney who has your back during closing. Here’s why:

8 Items a Title Search Might Uncover

By Rodriguez Law, P.L. • 19 Mar, 2019
Buying a home or property is a major investment, often the biggest one of your life, and taking the right steps to ensure that the home is free from any encumbrances before you make the purchase will protect you and allow you to enjoy your new asset for years to come. Some of the most important things to think about include hiring an inspector to check for safety issues, making sure the property is priced fairly compared to other homes in the neighborhood, and doing a title search to determine that there are no limits on how you might use your land or if someone else’s name is attached to the home or property. A title search – which involves retrieving the court documents associated with the home or land, such as liens or easements – can prevent you from buying your dream home, only to find out that you have suddenly become the owner of someone else’s debt along with the home. While it is possible to determine whether or not your home is free from liens or other constraints on your own by going over courthouse files or visiting the assessor’s office in the county where the property is located to view records, title issues can be complicated, and hiring an experienced real estate attorney will not only save you a lot of legwork, but will also make sure that you don’t miss something on your own by ensuring that your home is free from legal issues. Title searches essentially determine whether or not the home you are buying is free from liens or can be legally sold by the person selling the home, in case ownership is disputed. Here are eight important things that a title search might uncover:

5 Possible Alternatives to Foreclosure

By Rodriguez Law, P.L. • 19 Feb, 2019
Millions of people fall behind on their mortgage payments each year – a sudden layoff, medical bills, or a hot water heater that dies mid-January, can all be financially catastrophic – leaving them afraid to check the mail for fear that a foreclosure notice might be waiting for them. If you’ve missed a few house payments and worry that you might soon be the recipient of an unwelcome foreclosure notice, there are some steps you can take now that might help you save your home and get your finances back on track.
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