Attention homeowners in Lancaster and Lancaster County: Get an Appraisal today!

See the top seven reasons why PA homeowners need Smoker Appraisal Services:

  1. Pre-listing appraisals (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. Remove PMI to cut their monthly mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  5. Review a different appraiser's report for verification
  6. In the case of a PA divorce, where property needs to be divided
  7. Settle an estate in PA by determining the true market value of real estate in question

Do you own a home in or near Lancaster? Do you need help determining the price of your real estate?
Contact Smoker Appraisal Services.

At Smoker Appraisal Services, we understand the particular needs of a homeowner looking for appraisal services. Our customary business clients are used to the appraisal process and the customary reporting formats. But as a consumer,we'll be sure you get extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more fully understand what we do and how we report our findings.

For Sale By Owner/Pre-Listing Services

It's very hard to be objective about your house because you probably have an emotional attachment to it. A professional appraiser is objective and will tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your property will attract interested buyers, a professional appraisal is very important as a negotiating tool once you have a potential buyer. It gives you something concrete to show your buyer. The 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 assume you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be far more likely to give credibility to an accomplished appraiser's value report than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

A popular way to cut costs for homeowners is getting the PMI canceled from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. PMI stands for "Private Mortgage Insurance". 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 removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We are qualified in helping consumers just like you rid yourselves of unwanted PMI insurance.

Challenging a property tax assessment

Lets say your home is not appreciating as much as other homes close by -- your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. That only means you're most likely paying more taxes than you should. The sooner you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. Getting a professional appraisal from Smoker Appraisal Services is your #1 weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender might just choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is close to a declining area. This can this be difficult from a cash flow standpoint, and destructive to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Smoker Appraisal Services can provide you with an expert appraisal that will help you reinstate your HELOC.

We Also Provide Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Would you prefer a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you need an expert to double-check your appraisal for verity? Smoker Appraisal Services offers field reviews where we'll go out and check the subject and comps in question. If you're in a hurry, we'll 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 We can assist you While usually requested by banks, you may want to take advantage of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your home.