Attention homeowners in Salinas and Monterey County: Need an appraisal?

The top reasons CA homeowners hire Laura Conte:

  1. Find the right listing price (whether they're selling the home themselves or using an agent)
  2. Challenge a property tax assessment
  3. Remove PMI to lower a mortgage payment
  4. To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  5. Review another appraiser's report for verification
  6. In the case of a CA divorce, when property needs to be divided
  7. Determine the true market value of property in question to settle an estate

Own a home in or near Salinas, CA and need help deciding the value of it?
Contact Laura Conte.

At Laura Conte, we understand the particular needs of a homeowner after appraisal services. Our customary business clients get the appraisal process and the standard "products" we deliver to them. But as a general consumer,we'll be sure you get extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to better understand what we do and how we document the results of our analysis.

For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) / Pre-Listing Services

Since you have an emotional attachment to your own house, it's often very hard to be objective about it. The professional appraisers at Laura Conte will tell you what you need to know -- not just what you want to hear. We are objective. A professional appraisal is very valuable as a negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your property will attract interested buyers. The appraisal is something tangible to show your buyer. It's an independent third party's opinion of your house's value, and not just you saying how much your home is worth. Interested buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be more likely to give credibility to a professional appraiser's value estimation than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is a preferred money saver for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan amount is less than 80% of the value of your property, in most cases you can apply to your lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. Laura Conte is experienced in helping people just like you dismiss unnecessary PMI insurance.

Challenging property tax assessments

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if you live in a region that is going down. That only means you're probably 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. An appraisal report from Laura Conte is your perfect weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

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 house is close to a declining area. This can be be damaging to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also difficult from a cash flow viewpoint. Laura Conte can provide you with efficient appraisal that will help you reinstate your HELOC.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Would you wish a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you desire a professional to double-check your appraisal for accuracy? An appraiser from Laura Conte can go out and check the subject and comps in question in a field review. Or, if you need it ASAP, 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 you with a a retrospective review of any appraisal report you may have had in the past. While typically requested by banks, you may need to utilize this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your home.