Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)

  1. Challenge Salt Lake County's assessment of your property value
  2. Remove PMI to reduce your monthly mortgage payment
  3. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  4. Review another appraiser's report for verification
  5. In the case of a divorce in the state of Utah, when real estate needs to be divided
  6. Determine the true market value of the property in question to settle an estate in Utah

We at Timberline Appraising Inc. understand the unique needs of a homeowner looking for appraisal services. Our business practices and reporting formats are relatively routine to our business clients like banks, attorneys, and CPAs. As our valued client, you'll receive extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more clearly understand what we do and how we report our conclusions.

For Sale by Owner/Pre-Listing Services

Since you have an emotional attachment to your home, it's often very hard to be objective about it. Professional appraisers, like the ones at Timberline Appraising Inc., will be objective. We will tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your house will attract interested buyers, a professional appraisal is a very important negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer. It gives you something concrete to show the buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your property's value -- not just you saying how much your house is worth. Potential buyers know that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be more likely to give credibility to a professional appraiser's value assessment than yours.

Challenge Salt Lake County's assessment of your property

Let's say your house is not appreciating as much as other homes nearby -- your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. That only means you are most likely paying more taxes than you should. The sooner you take care of things like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. When challenging your property tax assessment, getting an expert appraisal from Timberline Appraising Inc. is your perfect weapon.

Appraisals to cancel PMI

A popular way to cut costs for homeowners is to get the PMI eliminated from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. PMI stands for "Private Mortgage Insurance". Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan amount is down below 80% of the value of your home. In most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI removed from your loan. We are experienced in helping folks just like you rid yourselves of unwanted and unneeded PMI insurance.

HELOC recently frozen?

If your home is in or near a declining area, your lender might decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be harmful to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also inconvenient from a cash flow viewpoint. Timberline Appraising Inc. can help you reinstate your HELOC.

We Also Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Would you prefer a second opinion without the added expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you want a seasoned expert to double-check your appraisal for verity? In a field review we will go out and check the subject and comparables in question. Or, if you're in a hurry, we can provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can, using online data sources as well as our own files.

We can also provide a retrospective review of any appraisal you may have had in the past. While typically requested by banks, you may desire to employ this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.