As a Pittsburgh appraiser who services a 7 county region, when doing a Pittsburgh appraisal you run into many different things. Pittsburgh has such a rich coal mining history, in fact, so does all of southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Over the years from the time when I was small, I was told about a bridge that spanned two hilltops where I use to live, and men use to push coal carts across. I was also told there (more…)
If you live in, or own a Split Level, or Split Entry/Bi-level style dwelling within Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Somerset, Washington or Westmoreland Counties, be forewarned. Your property may be assessed at a higher value than the property should be due to a lack of uniformity. The lack of uniformity is what created the court ordered re-assessment process in Allegheny County and (more…)
If you are like most and haven’t had an appraisal done on your home recently, one of the first things that may come to your mind is, “What do I need to do to get ready for the appraiser?” Here are some things you may want to consider prior to the appraiser coming to your home. (more…)
We all know them. The guys with pounds of silicon hanging from their belts. Every new gadget that has hit the market in the past 10 years has done time around their waist. Call them geeks. Call them nerds. Call them what you will, but by all means, give them your appraisal business. Why? I’m glad you asked. (more…)
There are four kinds of appraisers in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Certified General — These appraisers have met their education and experience prerequisites and passed the general certification exam. They can now appraise virtually all types of property: residential, commercial, both federally related and non-federally related. Pennsylvania Certified General Appraisers work primarily on commercial appraisals which include rental units of 5 or more in a building.
Pennsylvania Certified Residential — These appraisers have also met their education and experience requirements, passed their exam and can appraise all categories of residential property, federally and non-federally related. Pennsylvania Certified Residential Appraisers work primarily on residential appraisals which include single family homes and rental units of 4 or less in a building. (more…)
Some of the most common Pittsburgh FHA appraisal repairs many homeowners are not aware of nor that these common Pittsburgh FHA appraisal repair items will be needed to be addressed with an FHA appraisal for an FHA loan.
The FHA has three main concerns, for FHA appraisers, they are called the three S’s. The three S’s are Safety, Soundness and Security. A property must meet these three main criteria to qualify for a FHA loan. The most common repair items (more…)
Everyone seems to have heard of carbon monoxide, but not many people seem to know much about it other than hearing about it in a tragic accident on the news. This is a colorless and odorless gas that is produced whenever a fuel source is burned. These fuel sources can consist of many different things including natural gas, kerosene, oil, wood, charcoal and even paint thinner.
The problem is that carbon monoxide cannot be detected without the use of a monitoring device; carbon monoxide if not detected can very easily cause death. Not to mention even smaller amounts can still cause carbon monoxide poisoning, which can lead to serious health issues from lethargy and amnesia to psychosis and even Parkinson’s disease. Considering the (more…)
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