Appraisal services for Norfolk and Madison County homeowners

Check out the top seven reasons NE homeowners call on Hales and Associates:

Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using a real estate agent or selling the home on your own)
To challenge a NE property tax assessment
To lower your monthly mortgage payment by removing PMI
To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
To review another appraiser's report for verification
If property needs to be divided because of a divorce
Determine the true market value of property in question to settle an estate

Own a house in or near Norfolk, NE and need help deciding the value of it?
Contact Hales and Associates.

We at Hales and Associates understand the individual needs of a consumer seeking appraisal services. While our typical 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.

Pre-listing Services/For Sale By Owner

It's very hard to be objective about your house 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. In addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your house will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is a very important negotiating tool once you have an attainable buyer. It gives you something tangible to show your buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's price -- not just how much you think your house is worth. Interested buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to a seasoned appraiser's value estimation than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. A preferred way to cut costs for homeowners is getting 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 your lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. At Hales and Associates, we're experienced in helping clients just like you rid yourselves of unnecessary PMI insurance.

Challenging a property tax assessment

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if you live in an area that's going down or not appreciating as much as other properties nearby. That means you're paying more taxes than you should. The faster you take care of things like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. An appraisal from Hales and Associates is your strongest weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

If your house is in a declining area, your lender just may make the decision to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be be unfavorable to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also disadvantageous from a cash flow viewpoint. Hales and Associates can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with a professional appraisal.

We Also Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Do you need an expert to double-check your appraisal for verity, or do you need a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? We can go out and check the subject and comps in a field review. Or, if you need it ASAP, we can provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

Do you need a retrospective review of an appraisal report? Hales and Associates can help you with that. While usually requested by banks, you may wish to exercise this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.