Need an appraisal in Baltimore or Baltimore County?

Check out the top seven reasons MD homeowners use M. L. Sugarman Associates, Inc.:

  1. To get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home themselves or using a real estate agent)
  2. Challenge a property tax assessment
  3. To reduce a mortgage payments by removing PMI
  4. To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Verify a different appraiser's report
  6. In the case of a MD divorce, when property needs to be divided
  7. Settle an estate in MD by determining the true market value of property in question

Need help determining the value of your house in or near Baltimore, MD?
Contact M. L. Sugarman Associates, Inc..

At M. L. Sugarman Associates, Inc., we understand the special needs of a homeowner in need of appraisal services. While our usual clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra customer 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 (FSBO) / Pre-Listing Services

It's very hard to be objective about your house 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 price to sell at so your home will attract interested buyers, a professional appraisal is very valuable as a negotiating tool once you have an attainable buyer. It's something concrete to show the buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's value, not just you saying how much you think your home is worth. Interested buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to a seasoned appraiser's value report than yours.

Need to remove PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is a fashionable money saver for homeowners. Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan is less than 80% of the value of your property. In most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI removed from your loan. At M. L. Sugarman Associates, Inc., we're veterans in helping consumers just like you remove unneeded PMI insurance.

Challenge Tax Assessment

Lets say your house is not appreciating as much as other properties close to yours -- your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. That only means you're paying more taxes than you should. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the sooner you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be. An appraisal from M. L. Sugarman Associates, Inc. is your best weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

Was your HELOC recently frozen?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender might just choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your property is near a declining area. This can be be bad for your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also difficult from a cash flow point of view. M. L. Sugarman Associates, Inc. can help you reinstate your HELOC.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Have you just gotten a copy of your appraisal and you would like to have a professional double-check it for accuracy or do you need a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? In a field review we will go out and check the subject and comparables in question. If you need it immediately, we'll provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

We can also provide you with a a retrospective review of any appraisal you may have had in the past. While usually requested by banks, you may wish to employ this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.