Appraisal services for Martinez and Contra Costa County homeowners

Check out the top seven reasons CA homeowners need California First Appraisal:

  1. Find the right listing price (whether they're selling the home on their own or using a real estate agent)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. Remove PMI to cut a monthly mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Verify a different appraiser's report
  6. In the case of a CA divorce, where property needs to be divided
  7. To settle an estate in CA by determining the true market value of real estate in question

Need help determining the price of your house in or near Martinez, CA?
Contact California First Appraisal.

At California First Appraisal, we understand the individual needs of a homeowner seeking appraisal services. While our usual 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 own house because of your emotional attachment to it. Our professional appraisers at California First Appraisal are objective. We won't just tell you what you want to hear, we'll tell you what you need to know. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your property will attract interested buyers, a professional appraisal is a crucial negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer. The appraisal is something concrete to show your buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your house's price, not just you saying how much your house is worth. Interested buyers assume you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to an experienced appraiser's value estimation than yours.

Need to cancel PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) eliminated from your mortgage loan is a preferred way to save money for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan is less than 80% of the value of your house, in most cases you can apply to the lender to have the PMI canceled from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We are experienced in helping people just like you rid themselves of unnecessary PMI insurance.

Challenging Contra Costa county's assessment of your property

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if your home is not appreciating as much as other homes close to yours. This means you're most likely paying higher taxes than you should be paying. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the quicker you take care of things like this, the better. An appraisal from California First Appraisal is your strongest weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

Your lender might decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your house is in a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can this be difficult from a cash flow angle, and damaging to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. California First Appraisal can provide you with an expert appraisal to help you reinstate your HELOC.

Do You Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Do you need an expert to double-check your appraisal for accuracy, or do you desire a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? In a field review we will go out and check the subject and comps. Or, if you need it ASAP, we can 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 help with that too. Even though this is typically requested by banks, you may desire to make use of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.