The role of the appraiser is to provide objective, impartial, and unbiased opinions about the value of real property—providing assistance to those who own, manage, sell, invest in, and/or lend money on the security of real estate.  

Job Description. A real estate appraiser estimates the value of a single building or piece of land. His or her job is similar to that of an assessor, who instead considers the values of several properties at once. An appraiser may specialize in either commercial or residential property.  

An appraiser's job is to determine the current value of a property. Most of the work is done on-site where the appraiser will: Conduct a room-by-room walk-through to determine interior condition. Walk the length of the property to determine exterior condition.  

The Appraisal Process and How Appraisal Values Are Determined. Because the appraisal primarily protects the lender's interests, the lender will usually order the appraisal. ... A property's appraisal value is influenced by recent sales of similar properties and by current market trends.  

What home appraisers look for: What's the general condition of the house? An appraiser will evaluate and comment on: The materials and conditions of the foundation and exterior walls, the roof surface, screens, gutters and downspouts. The materials and conditions of the floors, walls, and trim.  

The lender will order an appraisal. They are almost always required when a home loan is used. The appraiser will visit the property and compare it to recently sold homes to determine its value. The lender wants to know if the house is worth what the buyer has agreed to pay for it.  

A property's appraisal value is influenced by recent sales of similar properties and by current market trends. The home's amenities, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, floor plan functionality, and square footage are also key factors in assessing the home's value.  

At its most basic, under the 50% FEMA Rule, if an improvement is “substantially damaged” or “substantially improved”, it must be brought into compliance with the flood damage prevention regulations, including elevating the building to or above the 100-year flood elevation.  

Selling a home in a flood zone is typically more challenging than selling other types of properties. These homes are located in areas that are designated as “high risk” by FEMA because of their low elevation and risk of flooding. ... In some flood zones, it is nearly impossible to find affordable flood insurance.  

Substantial improvement means any combination of repairs, reconstruction, alteration, or improvements to a building, taking place during a five year period, in which the cumulative cost equals or exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the building prior to improvement.  

An area designated AE presents a 1 percent annual chance of flooding. ... Because flood zone AE is prone to flood, property owners with mortgages from federally regulated lenders in these zones must buy flood insurance if they live in a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  

The FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Use the MSC to find your official flood map, access a range of other flood hazard products, and take advantage of tools for better understanding flood risk. FEMA flood maps are continually updated through a variety of processes. Effective information that you download or print from this site may change or become superseded by new maps over time. For additional information, please see the Flood Hazard Mapping Updates Overview Fact Sheet  

Pinpointing your home's value is the first major step in dividing a house during a divorce. A home appraisal performed by a licensed appraiser is your best bet for making sure the house gets split fair and square, so that everyone can move on with their lives.  

Forcing Ex-spouses to Sell Any one of the owners of a real property can file a partition lawsuit compelling its sale. The division of real property owned by a divorcing or now divorced couple isn't usually possible, so a court-ordered sale is the normal end result.  

When you divorce, an appraisal of the property held by one or both partners is usually necessary to determine the value of the real estate that will be divided as part of your divorce property settlement. This type of appraisal is commonly called a divorce appraisal.  

But most lenders require that you have at least 20 percent equity in your home before they'll refinance. To determine if you have enough equity, your lender will again order its own appraisal of your home. Though you'll have to pay for this appraisal, you will not be able to select and hire your own appraiser.  

What home appraisers look for: What's the general condition of the house? An appraiser will evaluate and comment on: The materials and conditions of the foundation and exterior walls, the roof surface, screens, gutters and downspouts. The materials and conditions of the floors, walls, and trim.  

If one spouse decides to keep the house in divorce, refinancing gives you a way to access the equity in the home so one spouse can buy out the other. There are some mortgage during a divorce, but armed with the right knowledge, you can protect yourself financially and do what's best for your family.  

Chapter 7 Wipes Out Mortgage Debt Specifically, you won't be responsible for any portion of the home loan when you surrender the house. ... A Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharge will wipe out an obligation to pay back a mortgage deficiency. As a result, after bankruptcy, you'll be free of any mortgage-related liability.  

If your home is worth more than the balance of your mortgages and other liens on the property, then you have equity. Home equity is considered an asset in your bankruptcy. ... In Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you have to pay the value of your nonexempt assets to your unsecured creditors through your repayment plan.  

Nonexempt property—usually luxury items—is either lost in Chapter 7 or kept and paid for through the Chapter 13 repayment plan. You won't lose all of your property when you file for bankruptcy. Bankruptcy exemptions allow you to protect property that you'll need to work and live.  

When you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you do not lose any property to the bankruptcy trustee (including your home), nor does the bankruptcy filing affect your mortgage. However, although you won't lose your home through the Chapter 13 bankruptcy process, you can still lose your home through foreclosure.  

Before listing your home, an appraisal is just another opinion of your home's worth. You can use your money however you want, but don't think the value will be transferrable to the buyer. The buyer will not use that appraisal because the lender will order another appraisal from their end.  

The lender requires an appraisal when a borrower is financing a home. The buyer usually pays for it, but this upfront cost is negotiable and could be paid by the seller.  

Be sure to have any safety equipment installed and working properly. ...
Walk around your home before the appraisal with a critical eye. ...
Inform your home appraiser of any home improvements you have done on your home. ...
Do some sprucing up. ...
Do some research on other homes in the neighborhood. ...
Clean your heart out.  

The buyer is usually required to pay the apprasial fee up-front and it is owed even if the lender does not move forward with a loan. While the seller may have agreed to pay all closing costs, if the closing does not occur and the property is not conveyed, the seller is not required to pay your apprasial fee.  

Typically, the buyer pays for a home appraisal. The buyer can pay up front at the time of the appraisal or the appraiser's fee can be included in closing costs. Yet while the buyer usually pays for the appraisal, he or she doesn't order the appraisal.