An Overview of Appraisals

A home purchase is the largest transaction most will ever consider. Whether it's where you raise your family, an additional vacation home or a rental fixer upper, the purchase of real property is a complex financial transaction that requires multiple parties to see it through.


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Most people are familiar with the parties having a role in the transaction. The real estate agent is the most familiar entity in the transaction. Next, the lender provides the money necessary to bankroll the exchange. The title company ensures that all details of the transaction are completed and that the title is clear to transfer to the buyer from the seller.

So what party is responsible for making sure the property is consistent with the amount being paid? In comes the appraiser. We provide an unbiased opinion of what a buyer could expect to pay - or a seller receive - for a parcel of real estate, where both buyer and seller are informed parties. A professional Florida licensed appraiser from Appraising Greater Orlando, Inc. will ensure you as an interested party are informed.

Appraisals start with the home inspection

To ascertain an accurate status of the property, it's our responsibility to first complete a thorough inspection. We must physically see aspects of the property, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location, and so on, to ensure they truly are there and are in the shape a typical person would expect them to be. To make sure the stated square footage is accurate and document the layout of the home, the inspection often requires creating a sketch of the floor plan. Most importantly, we look for any obvious features - or defects - that would have an impact on the value of the property. This is not the same thorough comprehensive inspection that a certified home inspector would provide but rather a visual look for any suspect or obvious deficiencies.

Following the inspection, we use two or three approaches when determining the value of the property: a paired sales analysis, a replacement cost calculation, and an income approach when rental properties are prevalent.

Replacement Cost

Here, the appraiser uses information on local construction costs, the cost of labor and other factors to determine how much it would cost to construct a property similar to the one being appraised. This estimate often sets the maximum on what a property would sell for. It's also the least used method.

Analyzing Comparable Sales

Appraisers get to know the communities in which they work. We innately understand the value of certain features to the homeowners of that area. Then, the appraiser looks up recent transactions in close proximity to the subject and finds properties which are 'comparable' to the real estate in question. Using knowledge of the value of certain items such as upgraded appliances, additional bathrooms, an additional living area, quality of construction, lot size, we adjust the comparable properties so that they more accurately portray the features of subject.

For example, if the comparable has a storm shelter and the subject doesn't, the appraiser may subtract the value of a storm shelter from the sales price of the comparable home.
In the case where the subject has something such as an extra half bath that a comparable doesn't have, the appraiser might add the value of that bath to the comparable property.

At Appraising Greater Orlando, Inc., we are experts in knowing the value of real estate features in Winter Park and Seminole County neighborhoods. This approach to value is commonly awarded the most weight when an appraisal is for a home sale.

Valuation Using the Income Approach

A third way of valuing real estate is sometimes employed when an area has a measurable number of rental properties. In this situation, the amount of income the property generates is factored in with income produced by neighboring properties to derive the current value.

Arriving at a Value Conclusion

Combining information from all approaches, the appraiser is then ready to put down an estimated market value for the property in question. Note: While this amount is probably the best indication of what a house would sell for in an open market, it probably will not be the final sales price. It's not uncommon for prices to be driven up or down by extenuating circumstances like the motivation or urgency of a seller or 'bidding wars'. Regardless, the appraised value is typically employed as a guideline for lenders who don't want to loan a buyer more money than they could recover in the event they had to put the property on the market again. At the end of the day: An appraiser from Appraising Greater Orlando, Inc. will guarantee you discover the most accurate property value, so you can make the most informed real estate decisions.