Attention homeowners in Austin and Hays County: Need an appraisal?

Here are the top reasons TX homeowners use W.F. Smith Company:

  1. Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. To reduce their mortgage payment by removing PMI
  4. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  5. To review another appraiser's report for verification
  6. In the case of a TX divorce, where property needs to be divided
  7. Determine the true market value of property in question to settle an estate in Hays county or TX

Do you own a house in or near Austin? Do you need help deciding the value of your real estate?
Contact W.F. Smith Company.

We at W.F. Smith Company understand the individual needs of a customer after appraisal services. Our customary business clients get the appraisal process and the standard reporting formats. But as a consumer,you'll receive extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to better understand what we do and how we report our conclusions.

Pre-listing Services/For Sale By Owner (FSBO)

It's very hard to be objective about your own home because you probably have an emotional attachment to it. The professional appraisers at W.F. Smith Company will tell you what you need to know -- not just what you want to hear. We are objective. A professional appraisal is a crucial negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your home will attract buyers. The appraisal is something tangible to show your buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's value -- not just you saying how much your house is worth. Potential buyers assume you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be more likely to give credibility to an expert appraiser's value opinion than yours.

Need to remove PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) canceled from your mortgage loan is an attractive way to cut costs for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan amount is less than 80% of the value of your home, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We are qualified in helping people just like you get rid of unneeded PMI insurance.

Challenging property tax assessments

Your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued if you live in a local area that's going down. That only means you are probably paying more taxes than you should. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the quicker you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be. Getting an appraisal report from W.F. Smith Company is your chief weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

Your lender might just choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your house is near a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be be detrimental to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also inconvenient from a cash flow angle. W.F. Smith Company can help you reinstate your HELOC.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Have you just gotten a copy of your appraisal and you'd like to have a seasoned professional double-check it for preciseness 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 comparables in question in a field review. If you need it immediately, we'll provide you with a desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

Need a retrospective review of an appraisal report? We can We can assist you Even though this is typically requested by banks, you may need to utilize this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.