Online Home Valuation

Sources for determining your home's market value.

If you are planning to sell, the most important factor you'll need to know is how much your home is worth in the current market. How you go about determing your home's market value can be a significant factor in the amount of money you realize from the sale of your home. There are several means for determining a home's value. Here are some of the most often used methods:

The County Courthouse

If you are a "do-it-yourselfer", a trip to the local county or city courthouse property records deparment can assist you in determining a probable sales price for your home. Many property records departments now have their records available online making the process more convenient. Either way, what you'll want to find are the records for homes similar to yours in amenties, location style, square footage, etc. that have recently (within the last 12 months). By comparing recent sales records to your home, you can determine an approximate value. Keep in mind that many factors may influence the final sales price of your home including current market conditions, reasons for selling and the overall condition and "showability" and "curb appeal" of your home .

Free Online Valuation Estimate

Online Value Estimation tools can now deliver property value information instantly. Online valuations take sales informaiton from data repositories, generally tax records, and compile them to give you an idea or snapshot of the market around a given address or property location. Bloomkey^®'s Online Valuation Tool lets you select properties you feel are most comparable to your property to arrive at an estimate of market value.

For an Instant Online Home Valuation, click the button below...

Online Home Valuation

Online Electronic Appraisals

For a more detailed valuation, Electronic Appraisals are reports prepared from data gathered from tax record compiled from the property records department of your local county or city courthouse. These reports will give you loads of information about recent home sales in the area surrounding your property. Often Electronic Appraisals include community information and data about nearby industry, shopping, schools etc. To order an electronic appraisal of your home, CLICK HERE.

Online Eletronic Appraisal

Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) - Property Valuation

A CMA is a snapshot of the recent home sale market activity around your home. These are usually prepared by a REALTOR in anticipation of listing a home for sale. Generally a CMA is comprised of property listing data gathered from the REALTOR MLS. A CMA is not an appraisal of value, but rather an analysis of what recent homes sale activity has taken place in your market. It may contain value adjustments or it may simply provide you with the data from the MLS. CMA's provide a suggested list price based on comparable sales (homes that are similar in style, square footage, number of rooms, bedrooms, age, construction and amenities to the subject property)

National Association of HomeBuilders Price Estimator

The National Association of HomeBuilders (NAHB) has created an online estimation tool to assist sellers in determining the average price of a home with various features in different parts of the country. While this method is probably not a terrific measure of market value, it will give you an idea of what similar homes are selling for in your area. To access the NAHB Home Price Estimator CLICK HERE.

Professional Appraisal

Keep in mind that no two homes are exactly alike and many homes are so unique as to require a more in depth analysis for proper valuation. A formal appraisal is the most accurate (and most expensive $350-$500) method of determining property value. A trip to the County or City Property Records office can provide you with the same property sales data, however, trained professional appraisers familiar with your area are the most accurate source for obtaining an objective listing price for your property, expecially if your home is unique or in an area of dissimilar homes.

The method you choose to determine your home's value will depend on how dissimilar your home is from other comparable homes that have recently sold. If you live in a subdivision with many similar homes built by the same builder at around the same time, you may be able to determine a market value for your home by a less expensive means, like a trip to the County Courthouse of an Electronic Appraisal. If, however, your home is very customized or unique in terms of location, amenites, etc. you may need to hire a Professional Appraisal firm to assist you in determining value.

Bloomkey^® Gold and Platinum Member's CLICK HERE for a Seller's Net Calculator to assist in determining the about of money you'll realize after the expenses of your sale.

Excerpted from the RealtyThrift HomeSelling Guide available at: www.ihsrealty.com