PahRoo Appraisal & Consultancy

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It went very smoothly.  The representative came, did a thorough walk-though, took pictures, measurements, etc.  The appraisal was sent to us in a timely fashion, with ample explanation of why things were appraised the way they were.  We were very pleased and would recommend this company.

They were great about calling us back and providing honest estimates reguarding appraisals on several oil paintings for which we had little or no information from our mothers estate. He was able to give us some good information over the phone based on pictures sent and was honest enough to give us rough WAGs that enabled us to evaluate our options going forward. He could have easily charged us time and effort and had us bring the works in to be evaluated and we would have wound up at the same place a few dollars lighter for the effort. Instead he was very cordial and refused to accept commission on what he considered a curtesy. We were very grateful for the consideration and honesty in a vulnerable situation.

I got quotes from two different appraisal companies on Angie's List. PahRoo's price was significantly higher. We hired them regardless because Mike made a much better impression over the phone than the representative from the other company, in terms of being able to answer my questions and seeming knowledgeable.  We had a good experience with him. He arrived on a Saturday morning on time and we were satisfied with his inspection of the house. His reports were detailed and helpful.
We had one hitch in our dealings with him, and I'm not entirely sure it was his fault. I had thought he had told me that he would have the reports to us by the Wednesday or Thursday after his inspection on Saturday. When I hadn't heard from him the following Friday, I left a message. The next day, I realized that we needed the appraisal not only for income tax purposes by also for a property tax appeal that hadn't reached me before because of issues with our mail. It was due two days later.
I sent Mike an email telling him about our dilemma. He responded over the weekend, which was great, saying that he would do his best to get the report to us in time for the appeal deadline at the end of the day on Monday. On Monday, when I hadn't heard from his office by about 3PM, I called. I was told he was out of the office and not returning until Wednesday, and that the report couldn't be released until he reviewed it. When I explained my situation, his staff said they would try to track him down. They did, and they sent me the report just in time for my deadline, after a couple of snafus with sending it to the wrong email address.
So if I'm right that he said that I would have the appraisal report within 5-6 days, then I really had to struggle with them to get it to me. If I'm wrong, then they really hustled to help me out of a bind. I'm not sure which is true. But I would use them again regardless.

It went fabulous.  He arrived on time, sketched and measured the house, and took copious notes.  He is extremely knowledgeable about real estate and answered myriad questions for me.  I highly recommend them.

I contacted PahRoo by phone and they returned my call promptly to schedule an appointment.  Mike Hobbs was the appraiser.  He was late for the initial appointment and with delivering the final appraisal but he kept in touch via phone so you always knew what was going on. 

I have had five appraisals done in my lifetime, this was the sixth.

PahRoo's appraisal was put together as well or better than the previous five and at a competitive price. I would definitely use them again.

I thought the price was a bit pricey but worth it. The appraisal is extremely professional and thorough. The staff is capable of testifying in court and the documents can be used for legal purposes. They went out of their way to answer all of my questions before, during and after the appraisal.

Very easy to work with this company.

I first contacted PahRoo through their website, and Michael Hobbes responded promptly.  We agreed upon a day the following week.  Michael was on time and spent about an hour with my husband and me.  However, about half of that was basically schmoozing.  He struck me as very pleasant but a tad unprofessional.  I didn't want to be his buddy, just to get an accurate idea of how to price my home. He walked around the house, took measurements and photos, asked some questions.   I let him take some documents regarding the house--plat, title and such--which he said he'd get back to me within two days.  I believe they were returned five days later after we asked what happened to them.  The report was ready in just over a week.  It ran to 20 pages with photos.  The two other appraisals I'll mention below were 27 and 32 pages. I pointed out to Michael in an e-mail that his report indicated that the basement had no outside access and that the kitchen didn't have a garbage disposal, both not the case.  Also the narrative of his report stated that one room did not have a closet.  The closet in that room is about 30 square feet.  Michael never responded. I recognize that appraising real estate is inexact, but the value Michael put on the house was very low.  A report which a bank  had done nine months earlier when I was considering refinancing was $90,000 higher, 16% more than this one.  So maybe I'll accept that the market is down a bunch.  But then another interested party did a third appraisal on March 7, just two weeks later, and that one came in at a whopping $200,000, or 36%, higher than PahRoo said it was worth.  I really regret putting my money with PahRoo.

Michael was on time, very professional and affable. Report was a day late, but Michael kept me updated and included detailed explanations of current market environment. Very knowledgeable. Would use again and recommend!

Michael arrived on time for our appointment. His estimate matched his final cost. He was easy to work with, efficient, knowledgeable, and very helpful. I would recommend his services as a real estate appraiser.

Appraiser had forgotten the appointment and arrived about 40 minutes late. However, the written appraisal was completed on time. Quality of written report was a bit slipshod, but in fairness the appraiser was handicapped by the lack of comparable sales in the last 18 months. Overall I found the appraiser to be well qualified and experienced in this type of work, but a little disorganized.

It went well. Mr. Hobbs the appraiser and owner of the company did the appraisal himself and was able to answer any and all real estate questions that came up and there were many. It was an educational experience.

great, but just a couple of days slower getting me the estimate than originally estimated

Our appraiser was very understanding that we needed an appraisal and the report quickly and made it happen. He was very professional and did a great job with the appraisal. We scheduled the appraisal for the next day and received the report within about 2 days. He also gave us a referral to a real estate attorney that we needed. We would definitely use this appraisal company again.

This went great. He arrived on time and completed the job in a very professional manner. My appraisal was emailed to me on the day he promised. I would definitely use him again.

I called Parhoo and left a message on Sunday afternoon. Mike Hobbs called me back within the hour (did not expect that!) and we were able to schedule a full walk through for Monday morning. He was very thorough and took lots of pictures. In addition, he understood the real estate market (particularly Lincoln Park) very well.

I was seeking to get an appriasal to see what my place was worth in the current market. I had a very pleasant experience working w/Michael. We had some scheduling snafu's - but it really wasnt a problem. I provided information on the all of the improvements I've done to date, purchase price and my last appraisal which he found very helpful. I received a full comprehensive report about 3 days after the appraisal was done.

The experience with Michael from PahRoo Appraisals could not have been more pleasant. He called in advanced, showed up right on time and completed his appraisal in a professional manner. In addition I think his prices are a lot more reasonable then what I paid given the fact that the loan company was involved in my particular process. From what I understand a call to these appraisers directly saves the loan company's markup. Save yourself from the unprofessionals out there and call this guy.