What Are the Components of an Appraisal?

Acquiring real estate can be the largest financial decision many people may ever make. Whether it's where you raise your family, a second vacation home or one of many rentals, purchasing real property is an involved transaction that requires multiple parties to see it through.

The majority of the participants are quite familiar. The real estate agent is the most familiar person in the transaction. Next, the bank provides the financial capital needed to fund the transaction. And ensuring all details of the sale are completed and that the title is clear to pass from the seller to the purchaser is the title company.

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.So, what party makes sure the property is worth the purchase price? In comes the appraiser. We provide an unbiased estimate of what a buyer might expect to pay — or a seller receive — for a property, where both buyer and seller are informed parties. A licensed, certified, professional appraiser from Timberbrook Appraisal LLC. will ensure, you as an interested party, are informed.

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The inspection is where an appraisal starts.

Our first task at Timberbrook Appraisal LLC. is to inspect the property to determine its true status. We must physically view features, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the location, amenities, etc., to ensure they indeed exist and are in the condition a typical buyer would expect them to be. The inspection often includes a sketch of the floorplan, ensuring the square footage is accurate and conveying the layout of the property. Most importantly, we identify any obvious features - or defects - that would affect the value of the property.

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

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Cost Approach

Here, we gather information on local construction costs, labor rates and other factors to figure out how much it would cost to build a property comparable to the one being appraised. This estimate often sets the upper limit on what a property would sell for. The cost approach is also the least used method.

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Sales Comparison

Appraisers get to know the subdivisions in which they work. They innately understand the value of specific features to the residents 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 being appraised. Using knowledge of the value of certain items such as fireplaces, room layout, appliance upgrades, additional bathrooms or bedrooms, or quality of construction, we add or subtract from each comparable's sales price so that they are more accurately in line with the features of subject property.

• If, for example, the comparable has an extra half bath that the subject doesn't, the appraiser may subtract the value of that half bath from the sales price of the comparable home.

• If the subject has an extra half-bathroom and the comparable does not, the appraiser might add an amount to the comparable property.

A valid estimate of what the subject could sell for can only be determined once all differences between the comps and the subject have been evaluated. At Timberbrook Appraisal LLC., we are an authority in knowing the value of particular items in Columbus and Franklin County neighborhoods. The sales comparison approach to value is most often awarded the most importance when an appraisal is for a real estate sale.

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Valuation Using the Income Approach

A third method of valuing approach to value is sometimes used when an area has a measurable number of rental properties. In this scenario, the amount of revenue the property yields is taken into consideration along with other rents in the area for comparable properties to give an indicator of the current value.

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Arriving at a Value Conclusion

Combining information from all applicable approaches, the appraiser is then ready to document an estimated market value for the property in question. Note: While this amount is probably the most accurate indication of what a property is worth, it probably will not be the price at which the property closes. There are always mitigating factors such as the seller's desire to get out of the property, urgency or 'bidding wars' that may adjust an offer or listing price up or down. Regardless, the appraised value is typically used as a guideline for lenders who don't want to loan a buyer more money than they could get back in case they had to put the property on the market again. The bottom line is, an appraiser from Timberbrook Appraisal LLC. will help you discover the most accurate property value, so you can make the most informed real estate decisions.

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