Latest News
Philly AVI Confusion
Ever since the new assessments were released by the Philadelphia Office of Property Assessment (OPA) last month, our phones have been ringing off the hook with property owners wanting to engage our services. Believe me, I'm not complaining. It's a great problem to have. However, more … [Read More...]
New Philly Tax Assessments
The new assessment notices will be mailed out to property owners in Philadelphia beginning, today. This will, no doubt, send many property owners into a state of shock when they see the new assessment value that has been place on their property by the Office of Property Assessment (OPA). My … [Read More...]
Main Line WOW!
As an appraisers in the Philadelphia market, we often find ourselves looking at properties on the Main Line. Every now and then we have an opportunity to visit a property that is truly exceptional. Below are a couple of photos of a mansion that we were asked to appraise in Bryn Mawr. The … [Read More...]
Zillow vs Appraiser 2013
“Zillow told me that my home is worth…” Appraisers across the USA hear those words at least once a week from well-meaning homeowners. What many homeowners don’t realize is that Zillow, while a very useful tool, is not always the best indicator of the actual value of their home. A … [Read More...]
Philadelphia Rowhouse Manual
Perhaps you've seen this already but I thought I would share it with you anyway. Its a great little "manual" that was put out by the Philadelphia Planning Commission back in 2008. It provides a short history of the Philadelphia rowhouse throughout the centuries and gives insights on how they … [Read More...]
Neighborhoods
No Housing Recovery until 2014 Reports Appraiser News
In an email released this morning, AppraiserNews.com reported that there is mounting evidence that there will not be a housing recovery until 2014. They cite several recent articles and surveys that have been released by noted market analysts and research companies that follow the real estate … [Read More...]
Mount Airy Trends
Being located in Erdenheim, just outside the city limits, we are frequently asked to appraise properties in northwestern Philadelphia, especially Chestnut Hill, Mount Airy, Roxborough and Manayunk. The other day we received our first question for the Ask PAB! section of the site. It was … [Read More...]
Camden’s Woes
Walt Whitman once called Camden, "A City Invincible". Undeniably, Camden is far from invincible at this point; perhaps, “unprotectable” would be more appropriate. Despite last minute efforts, ongoing negotiations and political wrangling, the fact remains that, Camden, New Jersey, laid off … [Read More...]
TReND Distressed Sales Report
TReND, the Multiple Listing Service that serves the Greater Philadelphia Markets, does a great job of publishing timely and relevant reports about real estate trends in the Philadelphia area. Below is the report that they released this week showing the affect of Distressed Sales on the local … [Read More...]
The Roxborough Row
Philadelphia is known as a city of neighborhoods. When Philadelphians meet one another for the first time it’s not long before someone asks “what neighborhood are you from?” Neighborhoods can be as small as a few square blocks or cover large sections of the city. One such neighborhood … [Read More...]
Case Studies
Thousands Saved in Property Tax!
Appealing your tax assessment can be very appealing! One homeowner that we worked with this past September found this out first hand. He received a 43% reduction in his overall assessment. How does that translate into actual tax savings, you might ask? Well, in this case the house was … [Read More...]
Potential 32% Reduction!
A property owner in Whitpain Township contacted our office about doing an appraisal of his property for tax assessment appeal. As we do with all of our assessment appeal clients, we ran the public records on the property and searched for any prior MLS data on the house. This gives us a … [Read More...]
Another Reason to get a Pre-Listing Appraisal
Just the other day, I received a phone call from a Mortgage Broker friend of mine. Yes, appraisers and Mortgage Brokers are still allowed to be friends. He wanted my input on a situation in which one of his former clients found themselves. Let’s call them the Utley’s. (For the privacy of … [Read More...]
Manayunk, Philadelphia
We've received a number of calls from real estate agents in the Philadelphia market, including Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Chester Counties who have been inquiring about our Listing Appraisal Service. Many have asked to see some case studies. We thought it was a great idea and will be … [Read More...]
The Lanesborough
Purchase Decision – The Lanesborough, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia This was an interesting appraisal assignment. We were contacted by a perspective Buyer to help determine whether or not he was going to purchase the condo unit that he was currently renting. The unit was located on one of … [Read More...]
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