Real estate appraisal services for homeowners in the city of Jamaica and Queens County

The top seven reasons why New York homeowners need Empire Valuation Services:

Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home themselves or using an agent)
Challenge property tax assessments
To reduce your mortgage payment by removing PMI
Reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
To review another appraiser's report for verification
If real estate property needs to be divided because of a divorce
To determine the true market value of a property to settle an estate in Queens County or the state of New York


	Need help deciding the price of your home in or near Jamaica, New York? Contact Empire Valuation Services.

We at Empire Valuation Services understand the special needs of a consumer looking for 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.

Pre-listing Services/For Sale by Owner

Since you have an emotional attachment to your house, it's often very hard to be objective about it. The professional appraisers at Empire Valuation Services will tell you what you need to know -- not just what you want to hear. We are objective. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your property will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is a crucial negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer. It gives you something tangible to show the buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your house's market value, not just you saying how much you think your home is worth. Interested buyers assume that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be more likely to give credibility to an accomplished appraiser's value report than yours.

Challenge property tax assessments

Your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued if your house is not appreciating as much as other properties nearby. That only means you are probably paying more taxes than you should. The sooner you take care of things like this, the better, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. A professional appraisal from Empire Valuation Services is your perfect weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

Need to remove PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is a preferred way to cut costs for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan amount is down below 80% of the value of your home, 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're experienced in helping consumers just like you do away with unneeded and unwanted PMI insurance.

Recently got a freeze to your HELOC?

Your lender just might decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is in a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. Not only can this be troublesome from a cash flow point of view, but it can be damaging to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Empire Valuation Services can provide you with a professional appraisal that will help you reinstate your HELOC.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Do you need a seasoned appraiser to double-check your appraisal for efficiency, or do you need a second opinion without the charge and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? An appraiser from Empire Valuation Services can go out and check the subject and comparables in a field review. Or, if you need it immediately, we can provide you with a desk review and verify as many facts as we can, using online data sources as well as our own files.

Do you need a retrospective review of an appraisal? We can help with that too. Even though most appraisal reviews are requested by lenders, homeowners suspecting a prior appraisal wasn't above board are wise to get a second opinion.