Appraisal services for Livermore and Alameda County homeowners

Here are the top seven reasons CA homeowners order from Heather Balthazar:

To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home on their own or using a real estate agent)
Challenge a property tax assessment
To lower your monthly mortgage payment by removing PMI
To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
To review another appraiser's report for verification
If property needs to be divided because of a divorce
Settle an estate in CA by determining the true market value of property in question

Own a house in or near Livermore, CA and need help determining the value of it?
Contact Heather Balthazar.

We at Heather Balthazar understand the individual needs of a homeowner looking for 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.

For Sale By Owner (FSBO)/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 Heather Balthazar, will be objective. We'll tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. A professional appraisal is a very important negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your home will attract interested buyers. It's something concrete to show your buyer. It's an independent third party's opinion of your property's price, and not just how much your house is worth. Potential buyers know that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to an experienced appraiser's value report than yours.

PMI Removal Appraisals

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) eliminated from your mortgage loan is a popular way to cut expenses for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan is below 80% of the value of your home, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI canceled from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We are experts in helping homeowners just like you remove undesirable PMI insurance.

Challenging Alameda county's assessment of your property

If you live in an area that is going down or not appreciating as much as other homes close by, your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. That means you're most likely paying more taxes than you should. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the earlier you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be. Getting a professional appraisal from Heather Balthazar is your best weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

Was your HELOC recently frozen?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender just might make the decision to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is in a declining area. This can be be negative on your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also difficult from a cash flow angle. Heather Balthazar can provide you with an expert appraisal to help you reinstate your HELOC.

Do You Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Have you just accepted a copy of your appraisal and you'd wish to have a seasoned expert double-check it for precision or do you desire a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? In a field review we will go out and check the subject and comparables. 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.

Need a retrospective review of an appraisal report? We can help with that too. Even though this is usually requested by banks, you may want to use this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your home.