Need an appraisal in Oakland or Alameda County?

See the top 7 reasons CA homeowners use Matthew O'Conner:

  1. To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge Alameda county's assessment of your property
  3. To cut your mortgage payment by removing PMI
  4. Reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. To review a different appraiser's report for verification
  6. If real estate needs to be divided because of a divorce
  7. To settle an estate in Alameda county or CA by determining the true market value of property in question

Need help determining the price of your house in or near Oakland, CA?
Contact Matthew O'Conner.

At Matthew O'Conner, we understand the special needs of a homeowner in need of appraisal services. While our typical clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get an extra level of customer service in the form of an explanation of the process and even special consumer-friendly reporting forms if the assignment allows for them.

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

It's very hard to be objective about your home 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 selling price so your home will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is a crucial negotiating tool once you have a potential buyer. The appraisal is something concrete to show the buyer. It's an independent third party's opinion of your home's value, and not just how much your home is worth. Potential buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to a seasoned appraiser's value estimation than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is an attractive way to save money for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan is below 80% of the value of your home, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. At Matthew O'Conner, we're seasoned in helping clients just like you rid yourselves of undesirable PMI insurance.

Challenge Tax Assessment

Your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued if you live in a region that is going down or is not appreciating as much as other homes close to yours. That only means you're paying more taxes than you should. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the sooner you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be. An appraisal report from Matthew O'Conner is your strongest weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

If your home is near a declining area, your lender might just decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. Not only can this be inopportune from a cash flow angle, but it can be bad for your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Matthew O'Conner can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with efficient appraisal.

Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Would you like a second opinion without the added expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you desire a seasoned expert to double-check your appraisal for preciseness? An appraiser from Matthew O'Conner can go out and check the subject and comparables in a field review. If you need it immediately, we'll provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

Do you need a retrospective review of an appraisal? Matthew O'Conner can help with that too. While typically requested by banks, you may desire to make use of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.