Attention homeowners in Fergus Falls and Otter Tail County: Get an Appraisal today!

Here are the top seven reasons why MN homeowners order from John Burns Appraisal Services:

  1. Find the right listing price (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge property tax assessments
  3. Remove PMI to lower your mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Review a different appraiser's report for verification
  6. If property needs to be divided because of a divorce
  7. Settle an estate in MN by determining the true market value of real estate in question

Do you own a home in or near Fergus Falls? Do you need help determining the value of your real estate?
Contact John Burns Appraisal Services.

We at John Burns Appraisal Services understand the individual needs of a homeowner after appraisal services. While our usual clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra service in the form of an explanation of the process and even special consumer-friendly reporting forms if the assignment allows for them.

For Sale By Owner/Pre-Listing Services

It's very hard to be objective about your own home because of your 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 property will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is a very important negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer. The appraisal is something tangible to show your buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your property's price, not just how much you think your house is worth. Potential buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be far more likely to give credibility to a seasoned appraiser's value conclusion than yours.

Need to cancel PMI?

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. An attractive money saver for homeowners is to get the PMI canceled from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. Once your mortgage loan amount is below 80% of the value of your home, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. At John Burns Appraisal Services, we're qualified in helping consumers just like you dismiss undesirable PMI insurance.

Challenge Tax Assessment

Lets say you live in an area that is going down -- your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. This means you're going to pay higher taxes than you should be paying. The faster you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. A professional appraisal from John Burns Appraisal Services is your chief weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

If your house is in a declining area, your lender just may choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can this be disadvantageous from a cash flow viewpoint, and bad for your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. John Burns Appraisal Services can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with a professional appraisal.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Do you need a veteran appraiser 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? We can go out and check the subject and comparables in a field review. If you need it in a rush, we'll provide you with a 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? We can help you with that While usually requested by banks, you may need to employ this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your home.