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Quote of the Day

"Whenever men take the law into their own hands, the loser is the law. And when the law loses, freedom languishes."

Robert Kennedy








 




 
Featured Property Articles

Burnings Bushes ....Brilliant Fall Foliage
Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) A deciduous shrub from the Staff-Tree Family (Celastraceae) Burning Bush, a non-native species from China and Korea, has escaped from the ornamental plantings into neglected urban and rural areas. It travels by way of its ...

Do It Yourself: Drip Irrigation System
Installing an irrigation system in your yard can help make maintenance easier. After all, you will not have to hand set sprinklers all day and try to remember where you have already watered. A sprinkler system, however, is not a project for the average ...

Title Insurance – Examples Of Problems And Advice
What is title insurance and why should any buyer get it when purchasing a home (single family, townhouse, condo, apartment, or whatever format your home purchase takes)? Doesn’t the attorney or settlement company handling the closing see to it that you ...




Mortgage Qualification Problems – Low Appraisals
 
The real estate market in the United States is undeniably hot, hot, hot. This toward pace has resulted in an odd mortgage qualification problem – low appraisals. Here are your options if you get a low appraisal amount.

Appraisals

An appraisal is simply an effort by a qualified person to put a value on a property. The process involves a review of the property, other properties in the area and so on. Mortgage lenders always require appraisals, so you have to deal with appraisal problems if you are going to get the home.

Let’s assume you have perfect credit, make a ton of money and ready to put down a solid down payment. You are happy, the lender is happy and the only thing left to do is get the appraisal. Unfortunately, the appraisal comes in well below the price you have agreed to pay for the home. Now what?

First, you need to take a deep breath. Buying a home is an emotional process. Try to step back from the process and objectively analyze whether you are paying too much for the property. If you still want to proceed, take the appraisal to the seller and see if you can get the price lowered. A solution should be possible, but be prepared to walk away if it


isn’t.

Second, perhaps the fair market values of properties in the neighborhood are dropping. We are beginning to see the market cool off, perhaps more so in your particular neighborhood. If this is the case, kiss the appraiser in thanks for keeping you out of a bad deal.

Finally, the appraiser may simply be wrong. Appraisers are human and make mistakes. They may not know the neighborhood well. There are a variety of reasons you can get an appraisal that is “off.” If you suspect this is the case, check to make sure the appraiser is comparing the property to comparable homes in the neighborhood. If all else fails, have your own appraisal done for comparison purposes.

Ultimately, a low appraisal should be viewed as a potential red flag. If nothing else, you should take a closer look to make sure you aren’t getting a bad deal.






Property News

Land Securities in £750m sale of division to streamline business - yorkshirepost
Land Securities Group is to sell its Trillium outsourcing unit for £750m, streamlining its business and bolstering its balance sheet amid miseries in the UK property market. Trillium, which manages the property of large public and private sector ...

Former Lee home to be restored - The Chronicle Herald
HONG KONG (AP) — The Hong Kong government has agreed to preserve a former home of late martial arts legend Bruce Lee and turn it into a tourist attraction, an official said Wednesday. The house where Lee lived from 1972 to 1973 is currently used as ...

Spanish jobless tops 3 million and hits 12-yr high - International Herald Tribune
Spain's number of jobless leapt more than expected in December to top 3 million for the first time in over 12 years and the government said unemployment would swell further in 2009. The number of people out of work jumped by 139,694 people, the ninth ...

Feds testify that Gulf Shores arson suspect Tommy Lunceford tied to ... - Everything Alabama Blog
MOBILE, Ala. -- Federal prosecutors in Mobile spent 3½ hours today marshaling evidence against a Gulf Shores businessman accused of burning down a building he was leasing to a restaurant -- including suggestions that he may have been involved in ...

Dem Lawmakers To Focus On Budget, Flood Recovery - KCCI.com
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Democratic legislative leaders said a budget crunch and demands of funding flood recovery efforts will likely draw most attention during the upcoming legislative session. Speaking Wednesday at a news conference, the Democrats who ...