Comments on: Austin Property Tax Appraisal Map 2008

By: Austin REALTOR Sam Chapman

Austin REALTOR Sam Chapman — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 12:44:49 +0000

People also need to know that sites like Zillow and others that offer estimates of value are not accurate about actual market value. Too many people rely on these sites as well as TCAD and dont’ understand about Texas being a non-disclosure state.

By: DW

DW — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:46:10 +0000

I bought my house last year in austin. My house was appraised this year by traviscad and the sqft information is lower than actual. Is it better to leave it that way since my appraisal is less now because of lesser sq ft or is it better to get this fixed to avoid other kind of hassles later if any.

By: Observer

Observer — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 21:17:59 +0000

“”"”"I can’t think of a good reason to hire an appraiser unless it’s required for a bank loan.”"”"”"

I can think of another reason. You would need to hire an appraiser if your house appreciated in value and now you have 20% or more equity in it to drop PMI

By: krocek

krocek — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:20:14 +0000

And along those lines – what sorts of fee-based services do realtors provide outside of acting strictly as buyer/seller agents? Or are they allowed to do anything at all.

By: krocek

krocek — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:18:40 +0000

Thanks, Steve. Do realtors provide CMAs for a fee without being signed as agents? Seems like it might not be worth their while. If not, then perhaps people going the odious FSBO route should contact an appraiser to get an idea of the market value of their home.

By: Steve Crossland

Steve Crossland — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:10:19 +0000

Hi Krocek,

An appraisal by a licensed appraiser should arrive at a similar value as a Realtor CMA, but not always. The appraiser has strict guidelines to follow and are not able to apply as much subjectivity and market knowledge to the valuation as we sometimes do as Realtors.

I can’t think of a good reason to hire an appraiser unless it’s required for a bank loan.

Steve

By: krocek

krocek — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 16:01:38 +0000

Here’s a good time to ask something I’ve been wondering. I’m clear on the difference between a realtor’s CMA and the tax assessor’s appraisal. What about when appraisers are hired by lenders to evaluate a house for a buyer? (I purchased my house from a friend without a realtor, so I haven’t experienced the full gamut of the homebuying process). I see that our lender’s appraiser used the “Universal Residential Appraisal Report” – Fannie Mae Form 1004. Is this what you would use as well? Is there any value added getting a CMA from a realtor vs. an appraiser? Or is it just a service you provide as an agent for the seller vs. the appraiser providing for the lender.

Also, then – how much divergence do you usually see between your CMA for a seller and the lender’s appraisal provided to the buyer?

Thanks,

John