Attention homeowners in Council Blfs and Pottawattamie County: Need an appraisal?

The top seven reasons why Iowa homeowners hire Behrens Appraisal Services:

  1. To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge a property tax assessment
  3. Remove PMI to lower their monthly mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  5. Verify another appraiser's report
  6. In the case of a divorce in the state of Iowa, when real estate needs to be divided
  7. Settle an estate in Iowa by determining the true market value of a property
Need help deciding the value of your house in or near Council Blfs, Iowa? Contact Behrens Appraisal Services.

We at Behrens Appraisal Services understand the special needs of a customer after appraisal services. While our typical business clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra customer service in the form of an explanation of the process and even special consumer-friendly reporting forms if the assignment allows for them.

For-Sale-by-Owner (FSBO) / Pre-Listing Services

It's very hard to be objective about your own home because you most likely have an emotional attachment to it. A professional appraiser is objective and will tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. A professional appraisal is a very important negotiating tool once you have a potential buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your property will attract interested buyers. It gives you something concrete to show the buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's value -- not just how much your home is worth. Interested buyers assume you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be much more likely to give credibility to a qualified appraiser's value opinion than yours.

Challenge property tax assessments

Let's say your house is not appreciating as much as other homes close by -- your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. This means you're most likely paying higher taxes than you should be paying. The earlier you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. An appraisal report from Behrens Appraisal Services is your number one weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

Appraisals to cancel PMI

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. A preferred way to cut costs for homeowners is to get the PMI removed from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. Once your mortgage loan is down below 80% of the value of your house, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. Behrens Appraisal Services is experienced in helping people just like you do away with unneeded PMI insurance.

Was your HELOC recently frozen?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender might just choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your property is in a declining area. This can be destructive to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also inconvenient from a cash flow angle. An appraisal from Behrens Appraisal Services can help you reinstate your HELOC.

Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Would you prefer a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you want a seasoned expert to double-check your appraisal for verity? An appraiser from Behrens Appraisal Services can go out and check the subject and comparables in a field review. Or, if you're in a rush, we can provide you with a desk review and verify as many facts as we can, using online data sources as well as our own files.

We can also provide you with a retrospective review of any appraisal report you may have in your possession. Even though most review work is commissioned by lenders, homeowners suspecting they've been the victim of mortgage fraud are wise to invest in a second opinion.