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http://www.agent225.com/ - Greater Baton Rouge Championship Golf Course Lot in Denham Springs For Sale In Active Lifestyle Greystone Golf

Lot 13 is appoximately 0.37 Acre with 100′ of frontage and backs up to the Golf course. Enjoy the video below or here: http://youtu.be/XNdnTde5ZRo

Homes Near Lot 13!

About Greystone Golf. Greystone Golf Community is active lifestyle. An exceptional 350 acre community of single-family homes and town homes located on a championship golf course setting in Denham Springs. Homesites are located with golf course and lake views providing beauty, remarkable convenience and outstanding public schools. Active lifestyle theme includes Golf, Tennis, Pool and Clubhouse. Your Greystone home is the special place you have been looking for.

For Details, Visit: http://www.agent225.com/homes/25761-Wax-Rd/13985496/?index=13

This lot is professionally marketed with Darren James Real Estate Experts.

http://www.agent225.com/ - Championship Golf Course Lot in Denham Springs For Sale In Active Lifestyle Greystone Golf

Lot 12 is appoximately 0.36 Acre with 91.84′ of frontage and backs up to the Golf course. Enjoy the video below or here: http://youtu.be/XNdnTde5ZRo

Homes Adjacent Lot 12!

About Greystone Golf. Greystone Golf Community is active lifestyle. An exceptional 350 acre community of single-family homes and town homes located on a championship golf course setting in Denham Springs. Homesites are located with golf course and lake views providing beauty, remarkable convenience and outstanding public schools. Active lifestyle theme includes Golf, Tennis, Pool and Clubhouse. Your Greystone home is the special place you have been looking for.

This lot is professionally marketed with Darren James Real Estate Experts.

Motivated Seller In Denham Springs, Newer 3 Bedroom For $122,500 12203 Sundown Drive Rolling Meadow

Affordable 3 bedroom 2 bath home located just minutes from Denham Springs and the Town Of Walker. This home is also close to schools. The dining area has a cathedral ceiling with an arched window and opens onto the large living room. The living room has laminate wood flooring and a wood burning fireplace. The kitchen has ceramic tile flooring and an abundance of cabinets. The master bath is spacious and has a door that gives access to the large backyard. Click below for Details.

Marketed by Darren James Real Estate Experts. At the website link above, search “Sundown” for the details of this listing.

Tags: denham springs homes, denham springs homes for sale, denham springs houses, Denham Springs Real Estate, denham springs real estate agents, denham springs realtor, denham springs realtors

Can Denham Springs Real Estate Agents Talk To Home Appraisers During A Purchase Appraisal? In short, they absolutely can!

HVCC was retired yet the policies it set in motion remain in motion. Now, Dodd-Frank’s Appraiser-Independence Legislation is the rule of the day and there is a lot of confusion out there between both Home Appraisers and Real Estate Agents on communication! I just had an Agent this week contact me complaining about an Appraiser that came in short on an appraisal because the Appraiser didn’t understand the home on the river had 2 boat slips instead of just 1. This Agent didn’t understand that he could have spoken with the appraiser at the beginning to clear all facts up about this property.

The November 8, 2010 article in Live Valuation Magazine written by Larry Disney, Change to Appraisal and Appraiser Regulation Has Arrived – Are You Ready? sheds some light on this topic. The language in the new Dodd-Frank legislation appears to help the communication process between Agents and Appraisers and Sellers and Borrowers. For example, in this article, Mr. Disney states,

“The above language is not meant to imply that mortgage lenders, mortgage brokers, mortgage bankers, real estate brokers, appraisal management companies, employees of appraisal management companies, consumers, or any other person with an interest in a real estate transaction cannot ask an appraiser to consider additional information, including comparable sales; provide further detail, substantiation, or explanation for an opinion of value; and correct errors in the appraisal report.“

It sounds to me like Agents can communicate with home Home Appraisers.

I asked two (2) nationally known Home Appraisers these questions below:

At what point can the RE Agent talk to the appraiser regarding the purchase appraisal?

*When the initial appraisal inspection is setup?
*After the appraiser has inspected the property?
*If only at the initial setup, then can that agent provide their comps / support then to avoid an appeal later?
*What’s your policy or understanding on this?

*Was I wrong in what I’ve told this agent that asked me below:

I as an appraiser have always considered there to be 3 Real Estate Professionals in the deal: Listing Agent, Selling Agent and Appraiser. To avoid appeals, I ask for the Agent’s comps at the time I set the inspection up. Some Agents are offended that I do this because they take it as if I’m questioning them. I’m not questioning, just trying to give them their opportunity to “talk” to the appraiser before I go out for the inspection and avoid an appeal later. I think you should be proactive with Appraisers and take as much control of your deals as possible……and that’s done initially when the appraiser calls to set up the appraisal inspection. It’s a myth that Agents can’t talk to Appraisers, it’s just that the communication must take place before the appraiser inspection and not after the inspection.

Their two (2) responses I received are below:

In summary, one Appraiser stated that there has been a lot over reaction and that they try to talk to the Agents of most deals. If a value issue arises, the appraiser said he contacts them for their data, which could be before or after the inspection, without letting on that there is a value issue.

Washington State Appraiser, Dave Towne, Said:

“I’m with you on this. I sometimes will ask agents for their ‘cma’, saying “I want to be sure I understand how you priced this property at the time of listing. I want to be sure I don’t miss any properties that you may have considered.” I do this when I determine the price is too high based on comps I pre-research prior to inspecting.

Often, they don’t even have those in their file, and just provide listings at inspection time that support the price, but that are not necessarily comps from our perspective.

An appraiser has to be careful about accepting carte blanche properties provided by someone financially connected to the deal. But I don’t think trying to understand the preliminary pricing process is out of line. However, after the inspection and the report is complete/submitted, that’s not the time to complain – especially if the agent was uncooperative at the start.

We are supposed to ‘verify’ every sale. That involves communication with the players involved prior to report completion. Unfortunately agents sometimes have an adversarial attitude, and appraisers don’t do an effective job discussing this. I think you do, based on your info.

And anyone connected to the assignment can discuss aspects of the property with the appraiser in advance of report submittal, as long as there is no attempt to influence the value.”

What does the Home Appraiser’s Client Instructions Say About This Topic – The AMC’s or Appraisal Management Companies?

I reviewed three (3) recent appraisal orders for home purchases. These Appraisal Orders were 8 pages, 3 pages and 4 pages in length. None of these orders stated the Appraiser couldn’t communicate with the Agent. Two sets of the instructions read,

“Purchases require that you review the sales contract and state in report that contract was reviewed. Obtain contract from Agent/Contract or Contact AMC for help. Contract must be fully executed.” Fully executed means the contract must have ALL signatures or you the Agent hold up the deal!

“For Purchase transactions, if AMC does not provide you with the sales contract governing the transaction, you must contact us or the borrower/REALTOR to obtain it.”

Conclusion. It appears from ALL sources reviewed that Agents can communicate with Appraisers during a purchase transaction. My advice as a Home Appraiser is to provide the Appraiser with a list of relevant features, upgrades, your Sketch showing your measurements and a list of your supportable comps used to market the property. By providing your comps up front, you are avoiding an appeal after the appraisal is completed, which will also help speed the closing process.

Why Did I just state, “your Sketch showing your measurements”? Because in the month of May in my market, one deal did not appraise and another deal was very, very close simply because the Agents either did not measure the homes, simply copied a previous incorrect MLS listing or measured them incorrectly per the National “ANSI” Standards. The MLS Listings were incorrect by 173sf and 215sf. The 173sf error was in a market where homes were selling in the $121/sf range. If you have your own sketch, you can be sure that your listing is the right size, priced properly and be less questionable in terms of the appraisal.

AUTHOR’S BIO:

Bill Cobb is Greater Baton Rouge’s Home Appraiser frequently called upon by banks, homeowners, and savvy real estate investors to assess property values. A home appraiser with 20 years experience, Bill Cobb brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as a home appraiser.

Bill’s company, Accurate Valuations Group, serves Greater Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish, West Baton Rouge Parish, Western Livingston Parish and Northern Ascension Parish).

Contact Bill Cobb and Accurate Valuations Home Appraisal Group for your next home appraisal:
Office: 225-293-1500, Cell: 225-953-0638
Fax: 1-866-663-6065
info@accuratevg.com
http://www.accuratevg.com/

http://www.denhamspringsappraisers.com/ - Denham Springs Housing Trends: Plantation Park Update 2011: Increasing, Declining or Remaining Steady? Since the Federal Tax Credit Expiration in May 2010, the number of home sales has declined considerably. And, the number of foreclosures has also increased. With fewer sales and more foreclosures, this increases the percentage of the number of sales as foreclosures.

This is an on-going series into the decline of Greater Baton Rouge Home Values and why potential buyers should beware and not pay too much for “some” local overpriced listings. YES, there are overpriced listings in the Greater Baton Rouge Housing Market! Bill strongly recommends in this housing environment to obtain a Pre-Purchase Appraisal to gain ALL of the facts before making a local home purchase decision.

A recent home appraisal in and analysis of Plantation Park revealed this interesting finding. From 2009 through 2011 Year-To-Date, the median sales price declined from $110,000 to $95,500 to $82,125 based on 2 sales into 2011. Again, this is only based on 2 sales in the first 4.5 months of 2011. However, in 2009 and 2010, there were 9 total sales in each year. With only two (2) sales into 2011, it appears home sales are slowing.

FORECLOSURES. One statement I made in my report was this, “YES, REOs are a factor in this market as Plantation Park Subdivision has a history of REO Activity. According to GBRMLS, there have been “4″ REOs in Plantation Park since 1/2010. AND, there are 4 REOs currently listed in there.”

THE CORRECTION IN HOME PRICES – This is becoming the familiar “Stair Step Up and Stair Step Down”…..The Climb And Then Descent Of The Stairs In This Chart Below Visually Explains The Correction! And, so does the chart below it showing a major correction.

NOTE: Based on information from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS®\MLS for the period of January 1, 2009 to May 18, 2011. This information was extracted on 5/18/2011. YES, permission was granted by GBRMLS to use Subdivision Price Trends Chart Report!

AUTHOR’S BIO:

Bill Cobb is Greater Baton Rouge’s Home Appraiser frequently called upon by banks, homeowners, and savvy real estate investors to assess property values. A home appraiser with 20 years experience, Bill Cobb brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as a home appraiser.

Bill’s company, Accurate Valuations Group, serves Greater Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish, West Baton Rouge Parish, Western Livingston Parish and Northern Ascension Parish).

Contact Bill Cobb and Accurate Valuations Home Appraisal Group for your next home appraisal:
Office: 225-293-1500, Cell: 225-953-0638
Fax: 1-866-663-6065
info@accuratevg.com
http://www.accuratevg.com/

http://www.denhamspringsappraisers.com/ – Denham Springs Listings Services: Livingston Trace Subdivision 2011 Report. Accurate Valuations Group East recently completed a home appraisal in Livingston Trace and found these interesting housing numbers.

Livingston Trace is a local DR Horton development that has a history of the homes selling predominantly higher in price than some other competing developments, such as South Point, Woodland Crossing and Westminister Estates. It appears to be a newer and much smaller development with one entrance and the development and homes are well maintained.

2011 Shows Some Strength and Some Weakness!

A recent home appraisal in and analysis of Livingston Trace Subdivision revealed thes interesting findings.

2011. In 2011, there haven’t been any GBRMLS home sales reported. There are 10 active MLS listings and 3 FSBOBR.com listings for a total of 13 listings. The 10 MLS listings are from $145,000 up to $175,900. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. Of the 10 Listings, 6 have an Average Active Listing Price of $157,017 or $100.48/sf while 4 have an Average Pending Price of $165,450 or $87.31/sf. The 3 FSBOBR.com listings are listed from $145,000, $175,000 and $195,000. Remember that above we stated the four pendings average $87.31/sf? Well, the Average Sold Price in 2010 was $93.57/sf. $93.57/sf minus $87.31/sf is a decline of -$6.26/sf. We don’t know

2010. The MLS Chart below shows no 2011 sales and 6 2010 sales with a Median Sales Price of $176,200. However, the last MLS sale in 2010 took place on 5/28/2010, almost 1 year ago. With 13 total listings in 5/2011 and only 4 of them pending, it’s safe to assume that prices have declined as demand for housing has decreased. See the SMART chart below for proof of these statements.

The SMART MLS Analysis of the “Sub-Market” or those homes in MLS comparable to a 1,998sf comparable home did show a -7.6% DECLINE since May 2010, which is somewhat contradicatory to the above MLS trends chart. This decline is due to some foreclosures taking place in the comparable South Point, Woodland Crossing, Westminister Place and Forest Ridge Subdivisions. It will be interesting to see at what prices these four pending homes sell for in Livingston Trace. The current Listing-To-Sales-Price-Ratio in this study was 96%, down from 100% and 99% in months past.

NOTE: Based on information from the Greater Baton Rouge Association of REALTORS®\MLS for the period of January 1, 2008 to May 5, 2011. This information was extracted on 5/5/2011. YES, permission was granted by GBRMLS to use Subdivision Price Trends Chart Report!

AUTHOR’S BIO:

Bill Cobb is Greater Baton Rouge’s Home Appraiser frequently called upon by banks, homeowners, and savvy real estate investors to assess property values. A home appraiser with 20 years experience, Bill Cobb brings a wealth of knowledge to the table as a home appraiser.

Bill’s company, Accurate Valuations Group, serves Greater Baton Rouge (East Baton Rouge Parish, West Baton Rouge Parish, Western Livingston Parish and Northern Ascension Parish).

Contact Bill Cobb and Accurate Valuations Home Appraisal Group for your next home appraisal:
Office: 225-293-1500, Cell: 225-953-0638
Fax: 1-866-663-6065
info@accuratevg.com
http://www.accuratevg.com/

http://www.accuratevg.com/ - New SnapMount Tripod Mount For iPhone 4 User Video For Always On Tech Savvy Agent. Bill Cobb Appraiser recently began using the new SnapMount Tripod Mount For iPhone 4 and loves it. With his older plan, Bill has unlimited always on data. http://snapmountforiphone.com/

NOTE: The Advantage Of SmartMount is that when the iPhone 4 is mounted, ALL ports and features are available, such as power connection, volume controls, headset, etc..

In this video, Bill discusses the use of his 5000 watt 3 plugin inverter for power, Sunpak Clamp Pod Pro from B&H Photo Video Dot Com clamped to his Jotto Desk.

VIDEO

What Snapmount Allows Me To Do:
Listen to Always On Chris Smith Tech Savvy Agent Via iPhone iPod Feature
Use Google Talk To Communicate With Office Immediately Good Talk App
Use Maps For Real Estate
Check Email
Check Facebook

SnapMount would also be very helpful for more stable photograpy and shooting video tours when combined with the HDHat.com Video Stabilizer Bar.

Any questions, please inbox me.