Answers to your most frequently asked questions about the mortgage process.

1. What is an APPRAISAL? Frequently Asked Questions Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

2. Q: What is an Appraisal? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

3. Answer: An appraisal is an unbiased estimate of what a buyer might expect to pay (or a seller to receive) for a parcel of real estate. It is basically an analysis of sold properties around your area to determine the value of your home right now. Most lenders will accept an appraisal if it is done within the last 30 days. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

4. Q: What do Appraisers do? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

5. Answer: Typically, an appraiser is the professional that will provide a educated opinion on quality, value, or utility of a specific property. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

6. Q: How are Appraisers qualified to make valuation decisions? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

7. Answer: … … Appraisers must complete a university or correspondence course in order to obtain your Appraiser designation. These courses can take up to 4 years to complete. Appraisers, like mortgage brokers, must comply with rules set out by a governing body. Appraisers are governed by one of three professional associations: the Appraisal Institute ofCanada (AIC); the Canadian National Association of Real Estate Appraisers (CNAREA); and Ordre des Evaluateurs Agrees du Quebec (OEAQ). The function of the of these associations is to provide professional standards and educational requirements that appraisers must meet and maintain in order to be in good standing. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

8. Q: Where does an Appraiser get the information used to estimate value? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

9. Answer: One of the appraisers main roles if to gather information. There are basically 2 types of data they are looking for, specific or general. Information specific to the property is gathered from the property itself- such as location, condition, amenities, size, etc. This information is collected when the appraiser views your property. General Information is gathered from a number of sources. This data is used to compare to your homes data. Some sources appraisers use include, but is not limited to: The local MLS data on current listings and recently sold home that might be used as comparable sales and provide a sense of what the market is paying for similar homes your neighbourhood; Tax records and other public documents for verification of actual sales prices in a market; and In addition and most importantly, the appraiser leverages general data from his/her past experiences creating appraisals for other properties in the same market. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

10. Q: Who actually owns the Appraisal Report? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

11. Answer: My favourite question. ; The appraisal report is owned by the financial institution, which is the institution that requests the appraisal report. While the borrower may pay for the report as part of the closing costs, the lender retains the right to use the appraisal report or any information contained within. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewals

12. Q: What should I have available for the appraisers when they come? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

13. Answer: If available, please have the following documents ready: Recent Property Tax Assessment Bill A survey of your property; and If renovations have been completed, a list of renos and costs to complete them Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

14. Q: What are the steps of Appraisal process? Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

15. Answer: 1. Setting the appointment: 2. Property Inspection Expect a call from the appraiser within 24 hours to set up a time to inspect your property. The inspection of the property should take approximately 20 to 30 minutes to do. At the inspection, the appraiser will ask questions regarding the property such as its age, recent updates, age of roof etc. In most cases, the appraiser will be required to take photos of the interior and exterior of your home as well as your neighbourhood. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal

16. Answer: 3. Completing the report 4. The final report Once the appraiser returns to their office, data collection regarding the subject property continues. The appraiser will do an extensive review of MLS information in an effort to find the most appropriate comparable sales to establish market value. They will also collect other information in order to make any adjustments to the value, for example, if your house has a double garage and one of the comparable properties only has a single garage. Once all the information regarding the subject property and the most appropriate comparables is obtained, the appraiser reconciles the information in their report to arrive at a well reasoned final value of your property. Once complete, the appraiser will send a copy of the report to your lender as per their request. Martene Woodward Mortgage Consultant 866.932.8412 Edmonton Home Appraisal, Refinance, Equity Take Out, Edmonton Mortgage Rates, Mortgage Renewal