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Step 1
Ask a real estate agent for a marketing analysis. Real estate agents will provide free real estate appraisals for potential buyers wishing to know the market values of their homes, which may spur the asker to sell his property. However, do not continually ask for a market analysis unless the property will actually be sold in the near future.
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Step 2
Contact a bank or credit union to see if they are offering any bargains. Many banks provide free real estate appraisals for people. Anyone not wishing to actually take out a mortgage on her property should read the agreement first and make sure that she is not locked into a mortgage regardless of the appraiser's findings.
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Step 3
Place a conservation deed on your property by contacting a local land trust or conservancy (see Resources below). Most conservation deeds are maintained through independent not for profit organizations, who also keep a real estate appraiser on hand as an employee, contractor or volunteer. When you decide to place a conservation easement on your property, the appraiser will perform a real estate appraisal to determine the actual value of the property and the subsequent decline in value due to the placement of the conservation deed.
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Step 4
Offer to buy a home from a seller. Someone selling her home must have a real estate appraisal performed on it, and making an offer to buy allows the buyer to see the real estate appraisal for free, since the appraisal plays such a large role in determining the selling price.
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Step 5
Look for online real estate appraisers. Websites such as Zillow or Homegain contain the data needed to perform a real estate analysis (see Resources below). Many of these websites are free to use, and can provide a good starting point for appraising the value of your home.
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Step 6
Become a real estate appraiser. As a licensed appraiser of property, you can set the rates you will charge for an appraisal, and all that needs to be charged to yourself is the time spent.
Comments
realcom said
on 12/3/2008 It is not my intention to beat up on a well-meaning author of this article, but there are so many things wrong with it, beginning with the title. For over 25
years I have been an investor, agent and/or lender, and I could not leave without commenting in case some reader is depending on this kind of information.
First of all, some of the sources listed in the article for "Free Appraisals" are not appraisals at all. An appraisal can only be provided by an appraiser.
A real estate appraiser uses three different approaches to determine the value of property: 1) comparable sales approach, 2) income approach (for commercial
and investment property), and 3) cost approach (how much would it cost to rebuild a comparable property if it were destroyed). The cost approach is most
important to your insurance company. In older properties and currently in areas high by high forec
Cathode50 said
on 10/18/2008 You (the article writer) just don't get it! This is how mortgage fraud is perpetrated. A C.M.A., and Zillow.com are NOT a true appraisal. They will not get you a loan, re-finance, or hold up in court if you are arguing over real property. You have not one clue what you are talking about. This article is one example as to how we got in this real estate and economic mess. Appraisers work hard for their license and are certified for the public good. Asking anyone who worked hard to do something for free is outrageous. Do you work for free?