For Homeowners

The top seven reasons Ohio homeowners call on Appraisal Keys, Inc:

1. Pre-listing appraisals (whether they’re selling the home themselves or using an agent)
2. Challenge a property tax assessment
3. To reduce your monthly mortgage payment by removing PMI
4. Reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
5. To review a different appraiser’s report for verification
6. In the case of a divorce in the state of Ohio, when real estate property needs to be divided
7. To settle an estate in Cuyahoga county or Ohio by determining the true market value of the real estate in question

At Appraisal Keys, Inc, we understand the individual needs of a customer in need of appraisal services. While our typical 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.

Pre-listing Services/For Sale by Owner

Since you have an emotional attachment to your own house, it’s often very hard to be objective about it. Professional appraisers, like the ones at Appraisal Keys, Inc, are objective. We’ll tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. In addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your property will attract many interested buyers, a professional appraisal is very crucial as a negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer. The appraisal is something concrete to show the buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party’s opinion of your house’s value — not just how much your house is worth. Potential buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be more likely to give credibility to an accomplished appraiser’s value judgement than yours.

Challenge Tax Assessment

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if your home not appreciating as much as other houses nearby. This only means you’re going to pay higher taxes than you should be paying. The sooner 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. Getting an appraisal from Appraisal Keys, Inc is your number one weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

Need to remove PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is a preferred way to cut costs for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan amount is down below 80% of the value of your house, in most cases you can apply to the lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. Appraisal Keys, Inc is experienced in helping clients just like you dismiss unwanted and unneeded PMI insurance.

HELOC recently frozen?

If your home is in a declining area, your lender may just decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) – even if your specific property has not declined in value. Not only can this be unsuitable from a cash flow point of view, but it can be detrimental to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. An appraisal from Appraisal Keys, Inc can help you reinstate your HELOC.

Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Have you just received a copy of your appraisal and you’d wish to have a seasoned professional double-check it for verity or do you want a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? We can go out and check the subject and comps in a field review. Or, if you’re in a rush, we can provide you with a desk review and verify as many facts as we can, using online data sources as well as our own files.

Do you need a retrospective review of an appraisal? Appraisal Keys, Inc can help you with that. While usually requested by banks, you may need to employ this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.