Attention homeowners: Real estate appraisal services for in Seattle and King County

The top seven reasons why WA homeowners hire Ward Valley Appraisal:

  1. To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home on their own or using a real estate agent)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. Remove PMI to cut a monthly mortgage payment
  4. To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Verify a different appraiser's report
  6. If real estate needs to be divided because of a divorce
  7. Determine the true market value of real estate in question to settle an estate

Do you own a house in or near Seattle? Do you need help deciding the price of your real estate?
Contact Ward Valley Appraisal.

We at Ward Valley Appraisal understand the individual needs of a homeowner looking for appraisal services. While our typical business clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra customer 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

Since you have an emotional attachment to your house, it's often very hard to be objective about it. Professional appraisers, like the ones at Ward Valley Appraisal, are objective. We will tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your property will attract interested buyers, a professional appraisal is very crucial as a negotiating tool once you have an attainable 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. Interested buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to a seasoned appraiser's value conclusion than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. An attractive way to cut costs for homeowners is to get the PMI canceled from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan is less than 80% of the value of your home. In most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI canceled from your loan. We're experts in helping customers just like you remove undesirable PMI insurance.

Challenging King county's assessment of your property

Lets say you live in an area that is declining -- your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. This only means you are going to pay higher taxes than you should be paying. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the quicker you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be. An appraisal from Ward Valley Appraisal is your strongest weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender may decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is in or near a declining area. This can this be unsuitable from a cash flow viewpoint, and unfavorable to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Ward Valley Appraisal can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with an expert appraisal.

We Also Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Do you need a veteran appraiser to double-check your appraisal for preciseness, or do you need a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Ward Valley Appraisal offers field reviews where we go out and check the subject and comps in question. If you need it immediately, we'll provide you with a 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. While typically requested by banks, you may need to make use of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.