Tag Archives: appraisal

A Solar Panel Tupperware Party

Posted on June 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Ever heard of Tupperware parties for solar energy? Neither had I—until last week, that is, when I received an invitation to attend one.

For years, Lora Berg and her husband, Karim Chaibi, had been interested in the prospect of solar energy for her own house. But the upfront cost to install a system of panels on her roof, seemed prohibitive.

When the family returned to their Chevy Chase house last year after several overseas tours, they revisited the topic.

“It turned out we were lucky to come back at the perfect time to enter the market,” Berg said. “I had never thought I could actually do this.” After some research with the help of DC Sun, a coalition of solar neighborhood co-ops, she found several companies that offered lease-type arrangements in which no large investment from the homeowner is required—or even none at all. She invited two. Both provided her with proposals (see below) for monthly energy costs.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Should You Get A Professional Appraisal Before Putting Your Home on the Market?

Posted on June 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Pricing a listing is one of the hardest— and perhaps most important — tasks in residential real estate.

Sellers can get it wrong in either direction: If the asking price is too low, the sellers might end up leaving money on the table; if it’s too high, they won’t tap into the right target group, will lose a lot of time and may then end up selling for even less.

Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com for your listing price questions.

Sometimes, the seller and the agent might not agree on a price. And even if they do, the sellers might look for some “objective” method to corroborate their number. That’s why our listing clients frequently ask us if it’s a good idea to get an appraisal before they put the house on the market. But should you?

Well, it depends on your reasons.

Chris Connors is a Bethesda-based independent appraiser whom I met years ago when he was working with a large credit union, and he often gets hired by potential sellers. Usually, the owners come to him because they have talked to several different agents and got very different suggestions for a price from them, he said.

Just a couple of days ago, Connors said he finished an appraisal on a house where the seller had previously interviewed two realty agents. The first one suggested an asking price around $800,000, the second one was closer to $1.1 million.

“The seller was quite angry with me,” Connors said, “when my report supported the first estimate, and I told him the other guy just wanted to get the listing.”

In cases like that, just like in limited-service or for-sale-by-owner situations, a full professional appraisal might be an important reality check. The same might be true for buyers who are not represented by an agent and need to make sure they won’t overpay.

For information and entertainment purposes only

Retaining Walls: Bad Design Could Lead to a Multitude of Problems

Posted on June 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

A badly designed retaining wall can lead to a multitude of problems in your yard.

Given the potential resale value of property, a garden design should always maximise land space to best capitalise on your investment.

On a sloping site, installing retaining walls will provide more usable level space. Not only is this great for families but it can add significantly to the value (contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com to help you determine what adds value to your property) of the property.

A retaining wall levels sloping ground by creating a rapid change in ground level. The wall must not only hold the earth back from collapsing, but also look good.

The most important part of the construction of retaining walls is the engineering of the foundation, all of which is underground.

Any retaining wall more than a metre high needs a builder’s permit to ensure structural integrity. A balustrade may also be required on the upper level for safety.

There are two types of walls – solid and porous.

Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only.

Tag Archives: appraisal

A Solar Panel Tupperware Party

Should You Get A Professional Appraisal Before Putting Your Home on the Market?

Retaining Walls: Bad Design Could Lead to a Multitude of Problems

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