One of funny things about real estate is I get to see what’s in style with kids these days. The posters on the walls of teenage rooms are like an education in pop culture. I constantly run into Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and definitely characters from the Twilight series. Anyway, I came across a “Twilight Bus” while snapping comp photos in Galt a couple of days ago and this definitely caught my attention.

Oh the things I see. What do you think?

The question “How is the real estate market doing?” usually deserves more time than just 30 seconds. There’s definitely background research, information, and experience needed to answer this question properly. 

I wanted to take you through (in part) how I get this answer as a Certified Real Estate Appraiser in the Sacramento area. In the video below (or HERE) I analyze a portion of the Lincoln Crossing community in Lincoln, CA, and I’ll show you what goes on in my mind as I crunch numbers and explore the local market. I hope this video is helpful.

I’m very excited to announce the creation of a brand new real estate video website for the Greater Sacramento Region. I still have some things to tweak about the design and content, but overall the shell is ready to share with the world. Please have a look at www.SacramentoRealEstateTube.com and let me know what you think.

Sacramento Real Estate Tube is a place for consumers and agents to hear about the real estate market directly from local real estate professionals – by video. The goal is to have some conversation and provide videos that are resourceful, informative, and hopefully void of any used-car salesman vibe.

I only have about 15 videos up right now, and I hope to see that double in the next week. If you know someone in the Greater Sacramento Region who works in the real estate industry somehow, feel free to spread the word. This is a free service. There is no cost at all to post your videos.

Has a low appraisal destroyed one of your deals this year? We’ve been hearing so much about how real estate appraisers are “killing escrows” ever since the Home Valuation Code of Conduct came into effect last year. I’ve read and listened to countless horror stories from brokers, real estate agents, loan officers, and publications.

I’m not saying there aren’t legitimate complaints to be had about HVCC or certain appraisals. I simply want to provide a helpful resource to maybe clear things up a bit about what type of value appraisers are looking for in the market. My hope is that this article (linked below) will shed light on the appraisal process and give insight into the appraiser’s mind. It’s a good thing when appraisers and local agents can understand each other’s roles and mutually benefit one another.

PDF file: “Closing the Gap Between Sales Price and Appraised Value”

This article was published with permission and comes from Patrick Egger, a Certified General appraiser in Nevada with 35 years of experience in valuation, consulting and real estate studies. Comments are welcome below.