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Attention homeowners in Falls Church and Fairfax County: Get an Appraisal today!

Here are the top reasons Virginia homeowners use Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services:

  1. To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home on their own or using an agent)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. Remove PMI to reduce their monthly mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Verify another appraiser's report
  6. If real estate property needs to be divided because of a divorce
  7. Settle an estate in Virginia by determining the true market value of real estate
Need help deciding the value of your house in or near Falls Church, Virginia? Contact Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services.

We at Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services understand the unique needs of a customer in need of appraisal services. Our usual business clients understand the appraisal process and the usual "products" we deliver to them. But as a consumer, we'll be sure you get extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more clearly understand what we do and how we document the results of our analysis.

Pre-listing Services/For Sale by Owner

It's very hard to be objective about your house because of your emotional attachment to it. The professional appraisers at Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services 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 interested buyers, a professional appraisal is very valuable as a negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer. It's something concrete to show the buyer. An appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's value -- not just how much you think your home is worth. Interested buyers know that you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be much more likely to give credibility to an experienced appraiser's value assessment than yours.

Challenge a property tax assessment

If you live in a local area that is going down or not appreciating as much as other properties close to yours, your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. That means you are 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 an appraisal report from Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services is your chief weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

Need to remove PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is an attractive way to save money for homeowners. Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan is down below 80% of the value of your home. In most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan. Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services is experienced in helping people just like you dismiss unneeded and unwanted PMI insurance.

Was your HELOC recently frozen?

Your lender might just decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your property is near a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be bad for your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also annoying from a cash flow viewpoint. Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services can help you reinstate your HELOC.

We Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Do you need a seasoned professional to double-check your appraisal for preciseness, or do you need a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Ed Schmidt Real Estate Services offers field reviews where we go out and check the subject and comps in question. Or, if you're in a hurry, we can provide you with a 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. Even though most appraisal reviews are commissioned by lenders, homeowners that have reason to believe they've been the victim of mortgage fraud are wise to invest in a second opinion.