Posts from — July 2009

Today is July 2nd and do you know what that means? You can now dispute your property taxes if you feel the Assessor did not get it right this year. If you plan to contest your property taxes in a county near the Sacramento Region, then you must do so between now and November 30, 2009 (Sacramento County) or September 15, 2009 (other counties such as Placer).  

If you would like assistance in disputing your residential or commercial property taxes, you can hire us as a consultant for a very affordable and reasonable fee. We serve home owners in multiple counties and in cities such as Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, West Sacramento, Davis, El Dorado Hills, Stockton, Tracy, Fairfield, Vallejo, Patterson, Los Banos and many others. Please see our property tax appeal website at www.SacramentoTaxAppeals.com  Remember, the first step is to call us at 916-595-3735 to discuss your situation. Let’s figure out if filing an appeal this year looks like it makes good economic sense for you. We work with home owners all the time and it would be our privilege to assist you.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com July 2 = Today = First Day to Dispute Property Taxes in the Sacramento Region

I am making it a habit to answer some of the questions that people are asking on search engines to find this site. The following was typed in yesterday: 

“Is a dishwasher required by FHA”

Great question. The answer is “yes” or “no” depending upon the situation. If the kitchen does not have a place for a drop-in dishwasher, then HUD does not require one to be present. However, if there is an alloted space for a dishwasher in the kitchen cabinetry, then there must be a working dishwasher present. 

“Intended user on an estate settlement real”

I have to go out on a limb here to fill in the blanks. My guess is that you were looking to find out who the intended user is on a real estate appraisal for an estate settlement. The answer is simple. The intended user is whoever the client and appraiser decide it to be when the appraiser takes on the assignment. When an estate settlement appraisal is ordered, figuring out who the intended user is and what the intended use will be are some of the very first items discussed and clarified between the appraiser and client. It is most typical during estate settlement to have the intended user be the home owner or heir as well as a specified CPA or attorney.

“Date of death appraisal”

A “Date of Death” appraisal is usually a retrospective valuation based on the date a certain person passed away. It is very common for home owners or heirs to need appraisals like this for inheritance or estate settlement purposes. Usually an attorney or CPA directs a home owner to hire an appraiser during situations as such. You can read more on a previous post HERE.

“HVCC loan officers can choose appraiser”

On May 1, 2009 something called the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) came into effect. HVCC basically means that loan officers and brokers cannot order appraisals directly from appraisers any longer when a conventional loan directed toward Fannie Mae is at hand. However, loan officers and brokers CAN order FHA appraisals directly from appraisers. Anyone doing an FHA loan can choose the appraiser they work with. Why is this? Because HVCC relates to loans that are geared toward Fannie Mae, and HUD is a separate entity from Fannie Mae. I wrote more about this subject HERE and HERE.

“Water park stone creek rancho”

I don’t have photos of the spray park at Stone Creek Park, but I highly recommend this family-friendly park in Rancho Cordova off of Zinfandel & Spoto. See www.crpd.com for details on local parks in Rancho Cordova.

I hope this was helpful. Please let me know if you have a need for clarification or any further questions.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Answers to Questions from Search Engine Inquiries Yesterday on the Lundquist Appraisal Blog

I put together a video to let local home owners know we are available to handle bankruptcy appraisals in the Sacramento Region. If you are going through the bankruptcy process, your attorney will likely direct you to hire a qualified real estate appraiser to produce a credible valuation of your house. If you find yourself in this situation, please contact us at 916-595-3735 or info@lundquistcompany.com

If you subscribe by RSS and you were unable to see the embedded video, click HERE.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Bankruptcy Appraisal Service in the Sacramento Region: A Video from Lundquist Appraisal

I shot this video below earlier while in the field in between inspections. There are quite a few people searching for information on the “Capital Village” neighborhood in Rancho Cordova and this site is getting a good amount of hits on the subject. I figured it would be relevant then to shoot a little informative video about this Rancho Cordova subdivision.

Let me know if you have any questions about Capital Village. You can contact me at 916-595-3735, www.lundquistcompany.com.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com A Video Tour of “Capital Village” in Rancho Cordova: June 2009

I have a stats program that enables me to see how people get to this website through search engines. Since I get to see some of what people are searching for, I make it a point to answer questions that others are asking, and I try to give a bit more information than what I have previously posted. There are way too many inquiries to respond to each one, but I hope the information below is helpful for you. 

Search:  “Anatolia Rancho Cordova Vacant Lots”

There are indeed vacant lots in Anatolia. Like many construction sites, local builders in the Sacramento Region have halted future building until the market rebounds. There are still patches of new construction though in pockets of the Greater Sacramento Region, but the pace of construction is very slow compared to the rapid building five years ago. I happened to snap a shot of a vacant site in Anatolia last week while in the field and I’ll share it here. How convenient!!! I am glad to connect you with a local Broker or Agent if you are interested in purchasing a lot or group of lots.

Search:  “How to obtain appraised value of property”

That’s a good question and the answer depends upon what type of property you are considering. Are you talking about personal property or real estate? I don’t handle personal property (though the Antiques Road Show is fun), but if you are interested in obtaining a valuation for your real estate, give me a call at 916-595-3735. You can also order online if that is convenient for you.

Search:  “How does unemployment affect the economy”

I track unemployment trends on a regular basis. Firstly, I would recommend for you to take a look at the Employment Develompent Department website to gain a sense of some of the most recent data. This comes in very handy if you are looking for information on a particular city in Sacramento County (or Solano, Placer, Yolo…) or even a Census-Designated Place like Gold River or Foothill Farms.

I am not an economist, but there is a basic principle at work here. If more people are losing their jobs, there will be more people not able to afford to purchase products in the marketplace (or afford their mortgage payments eventually). The natural progression of an increasing unemployment rate logically concludes in a more distressed marketplace with less revenue for businesses and a very likely increase in foreclosure properties unless there is some sort of legislation, government interference or act of God.

Search:  “Independence at Mather”

I won’t re-hash an entire description on the Mather subdivision referred to as “Independence at Mather” because previous blog posts will do the trick for you very well. In case any veterans who were stationed once at Mather Air Base would like to see what their former barracks now look like, take a glimpse at the images below. It’s a long way from what it used to be, huh? Veterans, thank you for your service to our country.

Well, that was sort of a shotgun approach to giving insight on a few search engine inquiries. Please let me know if you have any further questions. I am always willing to help when I can.

www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com Answers from Search Engine Inquiries Yesterday