Question by Brand X: What arguments work best when challenging your house appraisal?
Should you show ONLY the lowest comps in your neighborhood or should you show a more honest average of all properties in your neighborhood? Am I entitled to pay as little as the least taxed person in my neighborhood or do I have to pay the ‘average’ amount (per sq foot)?

Also, do I have the burden to prove the appraised value of my house should be lower than they said or does the appraisal board have the burden to prove the value of my house increased as much as it did?

Best answer:

Answer by j
You should be able to request an appraiser walkthrough of your house. I know someone who was unhappy about the increase in the appraised value of his house, so he requested a walkthrough and the value was changed to somethng that he believed was reasonable.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Question by __HELLO__: Buying house with 100% down. Do I need an attorney? Where can I find checklist?
How do I make sure title is clear? How much does it cost? Anything else I have to keep in mind? I have no knowledge about buying a house.

Best answer:

Answer by john_stolworthy
I bought my home with cash. I would highly recommend hiring a lawyer. He or she can handle all the little details that most normal people don’t think about. Make sure you go to town hall and make sure the taxes are up to date, also. You can also get a realtor, preferably a ‘buyers agent’, to sort through the paperwork. A lawyer works ‘by the hour’. A realtor on a percentage of the sale price (or most do.)

What do you think? Answer below!

Afton Bungalow House Plan Exterior Rendering


Image by brenner_ron
Exterior view of house plan designed by Simply Elegant Home Designs. The home features a modern open floor plan within a modernized cottage exterior. You can obtain more information at www.simplyeleganthomedesigns.com

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Finding the Best House Plans for Your Future Home

Building their very own dream house is something most people fantasize about. After gathering the financial support and picking out the perfect piece of land, the most important part arrives; the planning. Although you might have a pretty good image of what you want your future home to look like, you won’t be able to get started without detailed house plans. The plans are probably the most important part of building a house – they give you an accurate preview of what it will look like and also give your contractor detailed guidelines. At monsterhouseplans.com you will find a huge selection of home plans to match all of your needs.

Regardless how detailed you’ve pictured the image of your future house, it’s always a good idea to look through some existing house plans. Browsing through plans of different homes has many advantages. First of all, you can be inspired by one of the plans you see and get some fresh ideas to combine with your own. If you’re not an architect, professional home plans can bring surprising features you never even thought of and that would blend in perfectly with what you want. Furthermore, browsing through home plans is a great idea if you don’t have a clear image of your future house. Looking at some innovative and professional drawings might just save you a lot of time if you find a house plan you fall in love with.

House plans are meant to give you a very clear picture of what your home will look like. However, before looking at plans you should establish a few specifics that will help you narrow down your search. Therefore, you’ll save plenty of time if you look only at the type of home you’re interested in. For instance, if you’re planning on building a European style home, you should also look at Mediterranean, Tuscan or Spanish home plans. It’s also a good idea to stick to a few guidelines you’ve established such as what you want your house to contain, how many floors are you looking for or which specific landscape features will influence your future home. Monsterhouseplans.com is the largest resource of professional house plans, with over 16,000 different plans to choose from.  

Good house plans are not only important to help you get a better idea of what your house will look like; plans can also help you by providing a detailed inventory. Having a pre-established inventory will help your contractor figure out just how much materials are going to cost. Furthermore, you can get a good idea on where you can upgrade materials to obtain better results. These days, you can easily find home plans on the web and even have them customized according to your preferences. Browsing through housing plans online is bound to save you expensive architectural fees and precious time. At monsterhouseplans.com you can find everything from Victorian home plans to contemporary home plans.

After saving money for years to build a dream house or a cozy vacation home you need to make sure that everything runs smoothly. The planning phase is probably the most important part of making your fantasy come true. If you want to save time and money you should browse through professional house plans on the web. The internet provides a wide selection and plenty of inspiring choices. Monsterhouseplans.com is where you’ll find the largest number of unique home plans.

Question by fancypinksapphire: Can I file to receive the first time home owners credit if I am on the title of my parents house?
I would like to buy a home before the tax deadline this April to receive the first time home owners tax credit but My mom bought a house 2 years ago and put my name on the title just in case something happens. I don’t pay rent and my name is not on the insurance or home owners. Can I still claim this as my first home?

Best answer:

Answer by Lassard
I don’t think so.

Give your answer to this question below!

A House Buying Checklist

A house buying checklist will keep you from forgetting something important, and help make the whole process a little less chaotic. It is perhaps best to put together your own list according to your own needs. Here are some of the items you will want to include.

___ Prepare to buy a house. Figure out the monthly payment you can afford, but also how much you want to afford, if you have other major goals. Take a look at your credit report. Take actions to improve your credit score. List what you want or need in a home, prioritizing each item it in case you can’t get everything.

___ Narrow the search to an area you like. Consider what you need to be comfortable. You can use online resources to investigate towns, and to check on crime rates. You can also read various local newspapers online to get a “feel” for a town. If you already know the town you’ll be moving to, start driving around to see which neighborhoods you like.

___ Get preapproved for a mortgage loan. Gather pay stubs, recent bank statements, tax returns, w-2 forms, and proof of other income. Visit several lenders. Have a list of questions about your loan options, and take notes. Get copies of any pre-approval letters. You can submit these with your offers, so the seller knows you are able to follow through.

___ Start shopping for a house. Look at online listings, in newspapers, and in real estate guides. Locate a real estate agent that’s active in the neighborhoods you like, and one who sells the types of houses you’re looking for. You may want to consider using a buyer’s agent. Be very clear about what you’re looking for. If an agent repeatedly shows you homes that don’t fit your criteria, find a new agent to help you.

___ Go see those homes. Have a good list of questions as part of your house buying checklist. Does the house have what you need? Does it feel good when you walk through it? Do you like the neighborhood? What problems does it have? A photo or written description will help you remember the home after looking at others. Carry and use a home inspection checklist, so you can take notes to pass along to a professional home inspector.

___ The decision. It may be best to look at six or more homes before writing an offer. Does this home have what you need? How does it compare to others you have seen? What is the appraised value, or at least the value indicated by the tax assessor. Why is the seller selling? Have there been other offers, and what happened with them (ask the agent)?

___ The offer. Don’t reveal your thoughts on possible negotiations to the agent. Make out your earnest money check to an escrow agent, or the real estate broker if they have an escrow account. Specify what stays with the home, and who will pay for each closing cost. Have contingencies in the offer for any necessary inspections.

___ Closing the purchase. Get inspections done as soon as you can after the offer is accepted. Watch the deadlines for any other contingencies in the offer. Make sure you have a written loan commitment from a lender. Set a closing date. Buy insurance for the house. Get a copy of the closing statement before closing. Have a cashiers check ready for the closing.

___ Moving. When the closing date is certain, transfer utilities to your name. Change your address at the post office. Pack. Hire a mover or arrange for a u-haul. Transfer your prescriptions if you are moving out of town. Register the kids in their new schools.

___ A final item on your house buying checklist: check out everything thoroughly when you arrive at your new home. Generally (and specifically in most contracts) it should be in the same or better condition as the day you made your offer.

What to Expect From a House Appraisal

Whether they are buying or selling a home, there will come a time when a person needs to enlist the services of a house appraisal. The home appraiser will come to the home and assess its market value so that the lender or the seller can find out the worth of a home to meet their needs. If you are the home owner whose home needs to be appraised, here’s what you need to know about getting your home ready for the appraiser’s visit.

Typical Length of an Appraisal

A house appraisal isn’t something that is going to take up your whole day. In fact, many house appraisals only take a few minutes to complete, although this can change depending on the size of the property. More property, more time. The appraiser is going to walk along the outside of your property and measure the square footage. This gives them a real measurement of how big the property may be. Then they will look around the inside, checking on how the features take up space and what, if any, renovations have been done to the home’s structure.

Cleaning Up Around the House

The home appraiser doesn’t care how clean the home is kept, unless it makes it easier or harder for them to see the space. They are measuring the property and the home, not its contents. You may want to make a good impression by having an orderly home, but having a cleaned up home won’t get you a better appraisal figure.

Listing Your Improvements

To boost your home value during a house appraisal, home owners often believe they need to point out all of the repairs and improvements they have made to the home. That isn’t needed. Appraisers are trained professionals who will certainly notice repairs and improvements. If they do miss anything, you may want to point it out, like new heating and cooling system.

You should also be prepared to answer questions that the appraisers may have while they are looking at your home. If you aren’t sure about repairs, have someone present who does have those answers for the appraiser.

The house appraisal process is much more passive than might be assumed. The home appraiser will come in, look around, measure and then leave. After they leave, they will also check on the market in your neighborhood and write up a detailed report. It is a quick and easy process, which helps find out the fair value of your home in order to help you with buying, selling, or refinancing

Belleville, ON December 21, 2006 — When the names of the mortgage industry’s “best and brightest” stars were announced, Belleville’s wn “House Team” — the Mortgage Intelligence/ Peter House Group — emerged as one of Canada’s top mortgage brokerages for Customer Service.

Lead broker Peter House was also on the exclusive shortlist for the top individual honour: Broker of the Year. The awards are given by the Canadian Mortgage Professionals (CMP): a national organization which oversees all mortgage professionals in Canada. The double-nomination of a single office is “exceptionally rare”, according to Stan Falkowski, Regional VP for Mortgage Intelligence.

“Surprised… and honoured,” was Peter House’s response to the unexpected announcement. The Canadian Mortgage Professional Awards (CMP Awards) were established to recognize and celebrate excellence across the entire spectrum of mortgage broking. There are twelve organizational and individual categories. The House team have been nominated for two: Best Customer Service and Mortgage Broker of the Year. The shortlist of nominees is very exclusive, according to Stan Falkowski.

“I think that this nomination honour will come as no surprise to Peter’s clients,” says Falkowski. “It’s certainly not any surprise to the hundreds of mortgage professionals who know Peter and his team and the work they do. They’re very highly regarded in this business. And Peter has really earned a reputation for his leadership and expertise in the industry.”

Peter House and his wife Debra have been serving the Belleville area with mortgage broker services for more than 12 years, and are well known in the community. Though mortgage brokers were once perceived as a “last resort” option for homebuyers, the industry has grown as Canadians begin to seek out independent professional advice on their mortgages. Almost one-third of all Canadian mortgages are now arranged through brokers. Peter notes that there are several reasons for the trend: including choice, rate, and more personalized service. He notes that his team have access to more than 60 different lenders, including the banks.

“I’ve been getting congratulatory messages since the announcement,” says Peter House. “It does feel like an honour. But we have always been very focused on providing personal service to our clients. It’s nice to see that recognized.”

Award winners will be announced at a national gala in February.