Better Living Appraisal Services, LLC

05/28/2024

Good luck to Treynor, St. Albert, and Lewis Central girls soccer teams today at the IGHSAU girls state soccer tournament! Southwest Iowa is cheering loud and proud!!!!

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05/25/2024

Congratulations to the Treynor, St. Albert and Lewis Central girls soccer teams on making it to the State Tournament! We are excited to have you representing Southwest Iowa on the biggest stage for your season! Good luck, we are rooting for you!!

04/04/2024

Potential buyers, this post is for you. In this turbulent time of limited supply and higher mortgage rates than in the past, now might be the time to be extra thorough going into the buying process. It has always been tradition to make an offer and once accepted, the appraisal process begins during the financing stage of purchase. Due to the limited supply of properties on the market, there is a potential for buyers to overpay for a property, thus creating a smaller equity position from the beginning as well as increasing the possibility of a property not appraising out to the contract price. Hiring an appraiser to provide a third party non-biased value to a potential buyer can help give peace of mind that the offer made is supported by market data which can limit the possibility of the appraisal coming in under the contract price.

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04/03/2024

Assessment Appeals:
Once a year, county assessor offices give residents a chance to appeal their property assessment if they feel it is inaccurate. Assessment values impact every property owner as the assessment sets the amount of property tax a property owner is responsible for paying to their local government. Assessments can be high, low, and most times accurate/reasonable. If you feel there is a discrepancy between your assessment and actual value, give our office a call or send us a message. We can complete an appraisal on your property based on a full interior and exterior inspection, and help you confirm an accurate value to ensure a fair tax bill.

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04/02/2024

An emerging trend with the lack of housing inventory on the market is tenant purchases from current owners. This transaction eliminates moving expenses as well as competition for the limited properties on the market, along with also eliminating any commission fees. Our office can provide tenants a professional non-biased third party value to present to property owners for the potential of purchase. Give our office a call at 712-322-4023, email us at [email protected], or send us a Facebook message.

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01/26/2024

There are several types of estate appraisal assignments/options when trying to value an estate. 1. A pre-listing estate appraisal will provide a value to list and sell a property after someone's death with a market value usually as of the date of inspection. 2. An estate tax appraisal is used by the estate to determine the amount of tax levied against usually the net value of an estate before any funds/assets are distributed to heirs. 3. An estate trust appraisal can be performed at different times depending on the individual situation. An appraisal may be performed during the formation of the trust while the person is still living to help establish an original value. An appraisal can be performed after the trust has been established to update the value, with both instances providing current market values. A third trust appraisal can be performed after death with the effective date and value based on the date of death. 4. An probate estate appraisal can also be performed when there is no will in place with the effective date of the appraisal being the date of death.
Whatever your situation, our office can provide a current or retrospective value on real estate during the estate process.

01/24/2024

As of this morning 1/24/2024, there are currently 76 active listings in Council Bluffs. The median days on market for these listings is 41 days. If you are thinking about, or needing to sell your home, having an accurate market value for your property is vital to shortening the marketing time. We cover Southwest Iowa and Southeast Nebraska and appraise properties including single family urban homes, 2-4 family income properties, and acreage properties. The appraisal process consists of an interior and exterior inspection of your property with the final report comprised of the most recent and comparable sales data in your neighborhood, while adhering to Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Give us a call or send us a message to discuss your individual appraisal needs.

12/06/2023

As of 12/06/2023 there are 111 active listings of single family homes in Pottawattamie County, 77 of which are located in Council Bluffs. 30 year mortgage rates are just under 8% for conventional financing and just under 7% for FHA financing. If your home has been on the market for an extended period of time, or you are contemplating putting your home on the market, a current appraisal could be beneficial to clarify if your list price is accurate in today's current real estate climate. Send us a message or give our office a call, and we can discuss your current situation and provide you with an opinion of market value backed by Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

10/12/2023

Portfolio Management:

Whether you are just starting to build a real estate portfolio, or you are a seasoned veteran in real estate investment, having an appraiser provide independent valuations of the properties in your portfolio can update the current health of your investments. Better Living Appraisal Services, LLC performs appraisal services for single family residential homes as well as 2-4 family income properties. Contact our office and let us bring your valuations up to date.

10/10/2023

Pre-listing valuation:

The time may come when you want/need to put your house on the market and choose to sell for sale by owner. A GPAR (General Purpose Appraisal Report) will provide an accurate and supported market value based on the most recent comparable data in the area, while following all USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) guidelines. Send us a message or call our office at 712-322-4023 to discuss the best options for your individual situation.

02/28/2023

Divorce:

Divorce is a challenging time with many family decisions to be made, including division of assets. An appraisal from Better Living Appraisal Services, LLC provides a current market value based on the most recent sales and listing data available from local multiple listing services which in turn, produces an appraisal that adheres to USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice).
Send our office a message or give us a call at 712-322-4023 so we can discuss your situation and provide the best appraisal solution to give you peace of mind with one part of a life changing experience.