Owning, buying, and selling in Lancaster and Lancaster County

At Lancaster Appraisal Group, we understand the particular needs of a consumer after appraisal services. While our usual clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get an extra level of customer service in the form of an explanation of the process and even special consumer-friendly reporting forms if the assignment allows for them.

The top five reasons why Pennsylvania homeowners need Lancaster Appraisal Group:

  1. Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home themselves or using a real estate agent)
  2. Challenge a property tax assessment
  3. Remove PMI to cut your mortgage payment
  4. To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Determine the true market value of the property in question to settle an estate
Need help deciding the price of your home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania? Contact Lancaster Appraisal Group.

 

Pre-listing Services/For Sale by Owner

Since you have an emotional attachment to your home, it's often very hard to be objective about it. The professional appraisers at Lancaster Appraisal Group will tell you what you need to know -- not just what you want to hear. We are objective. In addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your home will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is very important as a negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer. It's something concrete to show your buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's value -- not just how much you think your house is worth. Interested buyers know that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be more likely to give credibility to an experienced appraiser's value assessment than yours.

Challenging property tax assessments

If you live in a region that is going down or not appreciating as much as other houses close to yours, your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. That means you're probably paying more taxes than you should. The earlier you take care of a matter like this, the better, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. Getting a professional appraisal from Lancaster Appraisal Group is your best weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

Need to cancel PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) canceled from your mortgage loan is an attractive way to save money for homeowners. Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan amount is less than 80% of the value of your house. In most cases you can apply to the lender to have the PMI canceled from your loan. At Lancaster Appraisal Group, we're seasoned in helping people just like you delete unneeded and unwanted PMI insurance.

Was your HELOC recently frozen?

Your lender might choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your house is in a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. Not only can this be difficult and inconvenient from a cash flow viewpoint, but it can be destructive to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Lancaster Appraisal Group can help you reinstate your HELOC.