Getting | Gulf to Bay Appraisals

problems getting a low interest credit card due to bankruptcy 10 yrs ago?

Question by NYlisa: problems getting a low interest credit card due to bankruptcy 10 yrs ago?
hi, I had to file a bankruptcy 10 yrs ago(in May) due to my husband (who is an ex now) charging up my card almost $ 40,000 and running off with his new girl friend leaving me with a debt I couldn’t begin to pay since I wasn’t working at the time. What Im asking is why am I still being penalized and denied credit or offered ridiculously high apr rate cards after 10 yrs of excellent credit. I now have 2 cards that I didnt go bankrupt on cause there were very low balances on them and I was able to pay them off but in the 10 yrs I have been making payments not only on time but twice a month and very high payments, for example I made a $ 1500 monthly payment on a $ 10,000 balance and always on time or early so I have had really great credit in the past 10 yrs and the bankruptcy wasn’t my fault and still I can’t get a decent low interest card, they keep denying me due to my past “bankruptcy” and the cards I already have refuse to lower my interest rate. Can they do this, I canceled one of my high interest cards, paid it off in full and now I only have one card left with 16.9% interest which I think is still too high so I keep applying for lower rate cards and get denied. I don’t get it, Im a perfect candidate for credit and they still deny me. Meanwhile my sister had a bankruptcy 12 yrs ago and she was able to get a 3% interest rate card with no annual fee. And she had a $ 120,000 balance when she went bankrupt, I only had $ 37,500. It doesn’t seem fair. Sorry this is so long, I don’t know how to make a story short..lol
my 10k balance is now down to 3k, I am paying it off $ 1500 a month. My total credit card debt on all my cards(2) is 4500 and I should have the whole thing paid off in the next 3 months. No more charging for me after that, Im canceling my cards and just using cash. I’ve had it with credit cards changing the rules and doing what they want.

Best answer:

Answer by rmm
If you only buy what you can pay for, and pay off any new cards at the end of the month, then the interest rate doesn’t matter.

Don’t use credit cards as a loan, use them as “convenience cards” – meaning pay off the card each and every month. Don’t carry a balance and interest rates just don’t matter.

Give your answer to this question below!

How do you know when getting a piece of jewelry appraised, that you are getting the best advice?

Question by Russell Scott: How do you know when getting a piece of jewelry appraised, that you are getting the best advice?
And that you can trust the appraiser? Do they write up some kind of proof on a form or ticket of some sort so you will not be scammed? A family friend is getting a divorce and even though it’s considered a “friendly” split, the soon to be ex-husband told his soon to be ex-wife that she could keep the wedding ring and he told her that it was a 1/2 caret perfect diamond with no flaws in it. So she is curious on what it might be worth, but of course she wants good proof and I can’t blame her. Opinions/answers would be greatly appreciated.
***Cleo…that’s a great question concerning if the ex-husband has some paper work on where he got the ring. I will let them know. Thank you so much!

***Rita Rose & Lynn….WOW–Your stories really made me think. I will pass them on to the divorcing friends. Thanks!

***Midnight…thanks…another great point about the serial number.

Best answer:

Answer by suzuku90
Go to a few different popular diamond/jewelry stores and get it appraised. If the results are all very similar, then you’re probably getting good information. If not, keep looking until you get enough of the same result.

What do you think? Answer below!

Getting The Right Home Appraisal

Selling your home without getting a proper appraisal done is like opening your bulging wallet in a hurricane – your hard-earned money will be sucked away with the wind. This is because without a good appraisal, your home may be under priced and you could lose a great offer, or overpriced so it won’t sell. Either way, you have done yourself a disservice.

You may also want to get an impartial appraisal done on your home if you are not immediately selling for other reasons such as: refinancing a mortgage, purchasing home insurance, reducing property taxes, or facilitating divorce proceedings, to name a few.

Who can you trust to give you the best appraisal?

No matter who you hire for an appraisal, the underlying purpose is to develop a carefully documented estimate of your house and property value through in-depth research. The completed document protects the interests of several parties, including the buyers, sellers, mortgage lenders and other people involved in the transaction.

If you require an appraisal for your mortgage lender, you will be responsible for the cost of the document, which is approximately $200-400. Most lenders will have a list of appraisers they trust, so it is in your best interest to play in their ballpark and choose a company they are familiar with. Although you actually pay for the appraisal services, the lender is the one who owns the document, unless they legally release the papers to you. You will receive a copy for your reference.

Be aware that some areas do not require a license or certification for real estate appraisal. However, it would serve you well to find a qualified and certified person for the job.

Ask if the appraiser is accredited with a professional Canadian designation including AACI (Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute) and the CRA (Canadian Residential Appraiser). Appraisers who have made the effort to receive these certifications are committed to their craft and upholding the ethical standards for which the designations stand.

Be sure your appraiser knows your neighbourhood.

When you are dealing with an appraiser, ask how many homes he or she has appraised in your neighbourhood. This is important, as these appraisers will be very familiar with property values in your area. They will also have a strong knowledge about additional factors that affect property values, such as nearby schools, shopping and fire department access.

Home appraisals are primarily subjective, so it is important to have up-to-date information including the current market value in your area. This figure could change in coming months depending on the volatility of the real estate industry.

Find out more about Calgary luxury real estate opportunities at SmartCalgaryHomes.com, your resource for Calgary luxury homes

The number one reason why homes do not sell as fast as they are needed is because the price is too high. Most home owners try to get as much as they can from the house they’re selling, but the without a professional appraisal, people often overestimate the value of their home. Whether you’re buying or selling a home, you want the best buy. One of the most important things you can do if you are selling or buying a home is get a home appraisal.

The first thing most buyers tend to do is look for house they like and see whether or not they can afford the house. They often don’t even think about getting the house appraised. If you are out to buy a house, you need to know the value of a home before you buy it. Don’t rush into making an offer, you don’t want to pay too much for it.

If you are selling a house, you need to find the accurate value of your house before you set a price. Determining the price of your house is very important when trying to sell one in this economy. If you price a house too much over the actual worth, your house won’t get any traffic. Most buyers will need to get an appraisal before they can get loans for the house, so you wouldn’t want them finding the true value of your house before you do.

Home appraisals can be conducted by a professional appraiser, a real estate agent, or even get your home appraised online. With a real estate agent and an online home appraisal, you won’t have to expect much. Real estate agents will most likely know what the true value and they will price your home at that price. Most realtors know the market quiet well, so their appraisal will have a small margin of error.

If you choose to have a professional appraisal come in, then you can expect them to come over for about two hours or so, depending on your house. The appraiser will come to your home and take pictures of the interior and exterior of your house. They will measure your house both inside and outside to get the land size of your property. They will also view each room and look for any upgrades and problems that your home may have. Afterwards, the appraiser will pack up and go back to their office where they will look for houses similar to yours that have been sold in the last few weeks. With that information is where they will calculate your home value and create a report for you.

Whether you choose a professional appraisal, a realtor, or an online appraisal, it is important you get one before you make an offer on a house or set a price for your home. The process is painless and won’t be much work for you. The price for an appraisal ranges from $250 to $600. So before you sell or buy a house, you need to get an appraisal to get the best buy.

For more information please visit <a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview(‘/outgoing/article_exit_link’);” href=’http:// www.jacksonvillemarkethomes.com/. > www.jacksonvillemarkethomes.com/. </a>

Salem Hassan is a business marketing director for BreezeGoSEO.com, an Internet Marketing Agency. Salem writes on a wide spectrum of topics related to family, business, consumer best interests, marketing, and other related topics.

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Getting a Home Appraiser Inspection

Getting a Home Appraiser Inspection

The real estate appraisal is one of the key steps in the process of getting into a new home. By getting a true value of a home and a property, the appraisal will be able to come up with a fair price along with market value that puts the home in the context of the neighborhood. If you are new to the process, it can be help you to find out how the appraisal works, so you know your role and how the appraisal works as part of the home-buying experience.

Who Hires the Appraiser and From Where?

A home buyer is not responsible for calling the home appraiser and getting them to come out and appraise the home. That responsibility rests with the lending institution that is giving out the mortgage. The appraiser will come out to determine the actual value of the home, which will become the basis of the lending contract. You have the option of calling an independent appraiser to make sure the values are correct, but not many buyers do this. Appraisers can be found both through appraisal companies and independent self-employed businesses.

Length of the Appraisal

Considering its important to the home buying process, the appraiser’s inspection doesn’t really take long, just about five or fifteen minutes, depending on how large the home or property is. But the appraiser also does a lot of work at their office. When they leave the home, the appraiser will start working on a packet of information, which will include the values of the other properties in the area. The appraiser will check to see which homes in the area had been sold and for how much. This information gets added to a report which usually takes four hours to put together and is about 10 pages long. This is given to the lender.

The Difference with an Inspection

The real estate appraisal is only about the value of the home, based on its square footage as measured from outside the home. The systems inside the house aren’t inspected. Rooms can looked at to see how big it is and what may or may not impact the value of the home. An inspection is different, with a different appointment, that looks at the safety of the property and the home instead of the value.

What’s the Consumer’s Role?

As a consumer, you don’t have to do much about the appraisal of the home, unless you want to point out the appraiser parts of the home that may not be otherwise apparent. Many of the physical changes should be noticed by the appraiser, but you can point them out just to be sure (especially if you are selling the home).

The entire appraisal process is easy and nothing to fear. Use it as a time to find out the true value of a property and get going on the home purchase road.

This article is provided by LocateAppraisers.com (http://www.locateappraisers.com), an appraisal directory site that connects lenders and appraisers. Whether you’re looking for a New Mexico real estate appraiser, a Florida real estate appraiser, or a Washington real estate appraiser, the great tools at LocateAppraisers.com include everything you’ll need to find the best appraisal professional in your area.

If you’re selling a home, or you’re in the market to buy one, you’re going to cross paths with a home appraiser. People also hire appraisers if they need to estimate taxes on an inherited home, or if they need to set a fair value on property that they intend to lease.

Whether you’re the seller or the buyer, a home appraisal sets a market value on a piece of real property. It allows the seller to make an informed decision whether to invest some money in fixing up the home or listing the property as it is. It informs the buyer of all the property’s characteristics-the things beyond the pretty surfaces. It includes:

* The size of the lot.
* Improvements to the lot, and interests or rights attached to it.
* The size of the house and each of its rooms.
* What material the house is made from, including a description of the exterior and foundation.
* When it was built.
* Each room’s floor and wall coverings.
* Descriptions of the heating system, including air conditioning if applicable.
* Description of the electrical system.
* Description of the plumbing system.
* Description of kitchen appliances or other items such as water softener.
* Description of the garage, basement, and attic, if applicable.

The appraiser begins by walking around the property pretty much the same way you would. Even if you tell him the size of the lot, he still checks it himself. He evaluates the availability of real estate property in the area, improvements on the lot as well as on adjacent lots, the permanence of any investments made, and how popular the location is.

Inside the home, he is especially trained to look for signs that other experts should be brought in. For example, an old breaker box might indicate the need for an electrician. If the area has recently been hit by storms, tornadoes, fires, flooding, or the like, he looks for disaster-specific damage.

He also evaluates real estate activity in the area. Typically, he averages several recent sales of similar homes to obtain an estimated market value. If homes in the area are not selling, he investigates to determine whether this home is similar to those. Any new construction in the area can impact the home’s value.

The appraiser chosen should be licensed, if this is required in your state, and accredited. The appraiser should also be someone familiar with your geographic area. You can check the website of the American Society of Appraisers for a directory of accredited appraisers in your area.

You can hire an appraiser whether you are the buyer or the seller, but for purposes of real estate lending, federal regulations stipulate that the appraiser is hired by the lender. That means if you are the seller you can hire an appraiser, but the final say comes from the lender’s appraiser. The cost is borne by the buyer and is paid at the closing.

If an appraisal has been done by one lender and the mortgage is ultimately serviced by another lender, the original appraisal can be transferred as long as the first lender found it acceptable.

Before you hire an appraiser, you might want to consider getting a CMA (Comparable Market Analysis) from a Realtor at Automated Homefinder – your Boulder real estate Specialists.