"The appraiser was great—professional, thorough, and easy to work with. They explained the process clearly and made the whole experience smooth and stress-free. Highly recommend."
"Mark was very responsive, prompt and professional. I have two properties appraised by him and the job was completed in one week from the time of the initial communication."
Alan is the leader in providing our customers with the highest quality service in an honest, efficient, and professional way. Our pledge is to create successful relationships with our customers, employees and community by building trust, treating every project with the utmost integrity and exceeding expectations. We look forward to working with you!\n
Alan is the leader in providing our customers with the highest quality service in an honest, efficient, and professional way. Our pledge is to create successful relationships with our customers, employees and community by building trust, treating every project with the utmost integrity and exceeding expectations. We look forward to working with you!\n
""The appraiser was incredibly professional and efficient. She provided prompt service and a detailed appraisal report, showcasing her attention to detail. I was impressed by her professionalism throughout the process. Highly recommend her services!"
"Cindy helped us purchase a home in Alexandria when we were moving to the area from out of state. She was recommended by a colleague, and we were very happy with our experience with her. She is extremely energetic, and gives the impression that she loves what she does. Cindy listened to my initial ideas of the criteria we were looking for in a house, and once we started viewing houses she quickly picked up on what types of details my husband and I really liked and really disliked. She asked questions to clarify what type of compromises we might be willing to make, and when there were houses that seemed like good matches that we eliminated from our list, she asked additional questions in order to understand what the deal breakers were for us. She was very willing to point out potential issues and concerns in the houses we looked at - she was down on her hands and knees checking for damp, testing wood for rot, examining carpets, and looking at details of construction (like the type of cabinets and drawers in the kitchen). This honesty and engagement in the process is one of the things that we most valued about working with Cindy - we felt that if there was a big issue with a property, she would be sure to point it out to us. We absolutely felt that we could trust her to be our advocate at every step of the process. We were coming from out of town to look at houses, and Cindy spent one long Sunday and holiday Monday and another Sunday looking at houses with us. She worked really hard to arrange viewings at short notice and to fit the viewings into our constrained schedule. When we were ready to make an offer, she continued to work long hours to get the offer submitted quickly. She guided us in deciding how much to offer, and when the sellers responded and we were ready just to accept their counter, she pushed us to submit our own counter offer, which paid off, getting us a price that was much closer to our original target than we would have achieved without Cindy's help. After the inspection, Cindy helped us to put together and justify our request for a credit from the sellers to pay for needed repairs, and from there on out she checked in regularly up until the closing date. She, again, went out of her way to work with our travel schedule when we were arriving in town for the walk-through and closing, and after closing she checked in again a time or two to make sure everything was OK. I would certainly feel comfortable contacting her as a resource if any problems come up during our first few months in the house, and she has even offered advice as we prepare our old house for sale. We would definitely work with her again to buy or sell in the DC area."
"Mr. Murphy arrived promptly and went through the house with a "fine tooth comb"! He obviously has tremedous knowledge and carries all the tools necessary to investigate every corner of the residence, from the attic to the crawl space. We were able to proceed with the purchase of our home knowing there were only a few very minor issues to deal with. We were also very impressed with his appraisal value for our home. It came within dollars of the bank's appraisal. Mr. Murphy is knowledgeable, efficient and helpful. We are most pleased with his service.
"Marketplace Homes has managed two residential rental properties for me, and everything has always been very easy. They coordinate showings, negotiated rent with tenants, and hired contractors as needed at each property. I would use them for any rental property I have in the future!"
Foundation cracks won’t always affect your appraised value. All foundations crack due to normal settlement, so hairline cracks that aren’t leaking or uneven from side to side are unlikely to have an impact on your appraisal. Structural cracks, on the other hand, often lead to a reduced appraised value, especially if the underlying problem will cause the issue to worsen over time.
Yes, the age of your home can impact its value. However, age is just one of many factors that will have an effect. An older home may be perceived as needing more work and maintenance, but if you’ve kept up with repairs or done any renovations, this will increase its value. Buyers will also consider the size of the house, location, and how nearby homes are priced. Lastly, value also depends on whether it’s a buyer or seller’s market.
As a seller, it might feel tempting to skip the appraisal, especially in a hot market that sees a lot of all-cash offers. While you can technically forgo it and hope for an all-cash offer, you’ll likely have a very tough time selling without an appraisal.
In addition to protecting lenders from risk, appraisals also protect buyers’ investments. As such, it isn’t typically recommended for buyers to skip appraisals.
Ideally, you’d never pay more than the appraised value for a home, but there are some instances where it makes sense to do so. For example, if your current living arrangements are no longer viable and you need a place to move into quickly, paying more than the appraised value might be in your best interest to secure a new home. Additionally, if you’re buying in a hot market, overpaying for the home might be necessary to overcome the competition.
While there’s technically no limit to the dollar amount you can borrow for a home addition, the standard limit is around 80% of the value the addition is expected to add to your home. That means you could feasibly borrow up to $80,000 if an appraiser determines that the addition or bump out will add $100,000 in value to your property. You might also be limited by your debt-to-income ratio or credit score.
The Midland, VA homeowners’ guide to property appraisals
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
Home appraisals are an important part of buying or selling a home and getting a mortgage loan. Learn more about home appraisal costs and what they include.
FHA loans are backed by the government and come with specific FHA appraisal guidelines and requirements. Learn what an FHA appraisal entails in this guide.