Baton Rouge Realtor Homes

Archive for the ‘baton rouge garden district’ Category

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ – Bankrate.com: Summary Of Real Estate Appraisal Rule Changes In Dodd-Frank Act 2010. These are the new rules that apply to Greater Baton Rouge Home Appraisals!

I have provided a few snippet paragraphs from this two page article below. Read the full article here: Real Estate Appraisal Rules Changing

“According to Lucien Salvant, a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, or NAR, in Washington, D.C., the law is intended to:

*Strengthen appraiser independence.
*Sunset a problematic industry agreement known as the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, or HVCC.
*Regulate appraisal management companies.”

“Buyers, sellers can inform appraisers

That said, the end of the HVCC should help to clear up widespread confusion over who can present information — including data about recent sales — to an appraiser.

“The intent of the HVCC was to put a firewall between the lender and appraiser, but it put up such a big wall that everybody was afraid to talk to appraisers,” Salvant says. “The (new law) does say that Realtors and sellers and buyers can talk to (appraisers).”"

“Appraisal management companies

The new law also regulates appraisal management companies, or AMCs. AMCs aren’t new, but they have gained more control over real estate appraisers and appraisals in the 15 months since the HVCC was implemented.

The financial reform law requires federal oversight of AMCs controlled by federally regulated financial institutions. It also requires state registration of all other AMCs, according to the Appraisal Institute.”

“Questions to ask (editor’s note: should be rephrased “Questions AMC’s should be asking those appraisers they intend on hiring for the appraisal order”)

If there is an upside to the confusion over appraisals, it’s that homebuyers, sellers and homeowners are now more aware of these issues, says Richard Koestner, a partner at Koestner, McGivern & Associates, an appraisal firm in Davenport, Iowa. He says they are more likely to ask questions about the appraiser’s experience and expertise and calls the development “encouraging.” He also offers a few examples of questions buyers and sellers might want to ask:

How long have you been an appraiser?
How many appraisals have you completed?
How often do you appraise homes in this area?
How familiar are you with the local market?
Where do you get the data that you use in your appraisal reports?”

Read the full article here: Real Estate Appraisal Rules Changing

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ – Baton Rouge Real Estate Video: Keller Williams Reports On This Month In Real Estate U.S. July 2010

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate Buzz: Ryan Spencer Agent Profile Video

Ryan Spencer Coldwell Banker One Agent Profile Video

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ – Baton Rouge Real Estate: The Advocate Features Melrose Place Subdivision as “best kept secret”

Photo Source: Travis Spradling/Advocate Staff Photo

Ellyn Couvillion, Advocate Staff Writer, has written a feature on Melrose Place 70806 here, BR’s ‘best kept secret’. The article features some interesting history of Melrose Place.

Here’s a couple of snippets below:

“They liked the quiet Melrose Place, which doesn’t have any through-traffic, she said.

“It is kind of the best kept secret” in Baton Rouge, she said of the neighborhood.

Situated about five miles from downtown and then located on the outskirts of Baton Rouge, Melrose Place was developed in 1945 by the Melrose Development Co., owned by Walter R. Aldrich, on a 300-acre tract, according to the civic association’s website at http://www.melroseplacebr.com.

“It’s an old and well-established neighborhood,” Westbrook said of Melrose Place. “The people that live there now really want to hold on to its heritage and keep it a very safe and beautiful place to live.”

“There’s a sense of community there that’s not going to be denied,” Westbrook said. “That’s the choice of the residents.

“The (association) meetings are well attended, everyone stays in touch,” he said.

Over the years, the ambience of the neighborhood has stayed true to character, Young said.

“People have the same goal — quality of life,” she said.

The residents of Melrose Place are a “real eclectic group, very diverse.”

“That’s why people move in here, for the atmosphere,” she said.

It may be something unique to the neighborhood, she said, that homes stay in families for many years, even after the owners, perhaps elderly parents, have passed away.

The kids who grew up there “don’t want to sell,” Young said”

Read the entire article here!

http://www.batonrougerealestatebuzz.com/ - Baton Rouge Real Estate Buzz For Agents! Dropbox syncs your files online and across your computers automatically

Mike Mueller has a helpul post on Active Rain Network this morning about Dropbox. http://activerain.com/blogsview/1722200/do-you-dropbox-

File Sync: Dropbox allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically.

File Sharing: Sharing files is simple and can be done with only a few clicks.
Online Backup:

Dropbox backs up your files online without you having to think about it.
Web Access:

A copy of your files are stored on Dropbox’s secure servers. This lets you access them from any computer or mobile device.
Security & Privacy:

Dropbox takes the security and privacy of your files very seriously. Military level encryption!

Mobile Device Access: The free Dropbox application for iPhone, iPad, and Android lets you access most everything on the go!

Setup dropbox for yourself and let me know what you think.

http://www.gbrprelistingappraisals.com/ – Baton Rouge Homeowner Loses $15,000 By Not Getting Pre-Listing Appraisal

Another Baton Rouge Homeowner Loses Money By Not Getting Appraisal. In June 2010, a Greater Baton Rouge homeowner is losing $15,000 in equity, selling FSBO or For Sale By Owner, by not getting a Pre-Listing Appraisal. No, this isn’t a distressed sale.

http://www.gbrprelistingappraisals.com/ – Greater Baton Rouge Pre-Listing Home Appraisals Video 225-293-1500.

This video describes what’s included in a “Pre-Listing” Home Listing Appraisal for the Greater Baton Rouge Housing Market performed by Bill Cobb with Accurate Valuations Group! Visit http://www.gbrprelistingappraisals.com/ and find out more about having a video made for YouTube to help sell your home faster. Plus, this appraiser can help your home get found on Google for interested buyers. So, we not offer Pre-Listing Appraisals, but a full marketing package and a listing on the Greater Baton Rouge Realty Video Visual Tours Website: http://www.gbrrealtyvisualtour.com/

Tags: Baton Rouge Real Estate, Baton Rouge Home, Baton Rouge Homes, Baton Rouge Listing Appraisal, Baton Rouge Listing Appraisals, Baton Rouge Pre-Listing Appraisal, Baton Rouge For Sale By Owner, FSBOBR.com, FSBO.com, For Sale By Owner Baton Rouge, For Sale By Owner Greater Baton Rouge

http://www.batonrougerealestateappraisal.com/ – Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisers: Info on Granite Countertops

http://www.batonrougehomeappraisal.com/ – How is the Baton Rouge Real Estate Westdale Terrace 70808 Market Performing in 2010?

I recently performed a “Pre-Listing” home appraisal in Baton Rouge’s Westdale Terrace and the homeowner was saying what a bad time in the local real estate market to be trying to sell a home. I was scratching my head wondering if this homeowner had been watching the CBS News and applying what’s taking place in the national housing market to the local Baton Rouge Real Estate market, which would be a mistake. So, on May 10, 2010, I ran the numbers in the GBRAR MLS based on similar slab homes in Zip Codes 70806 and 70808, 1400sf to 1800sf, 3 bedrooms and with a 3 miles of Westdale Terrace. The results are below.

What I found is that YES, the median sales price is down -3.62% since February 2009 when the median sales price was $191,957, now $185,000. However, since May 2009 when the median sales price was $176,000, the February 2010 median sales price is $185,000, which is a +5.1% increase! YES, the last competing sales in this market were in February 2010, which shows a “stable market” and / or slower home sales. Also, within Westdale Terrace, homes are remaining on the market longer, which could also be too high of priced listings.

Tags: Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge Real Estate, Real Estate Baton Rouge, 70808, Westdale Terrace, Baton Rouge FHA Appraisers, Baton Rouge Home Appraisers, Baton Rouge Real Estate Appraisers

http://www.batonrougerealestatetube.com/ – Greater Baton Rouge Home Appraisers Photos From The Field: One Of The Finest Porches In Baton Rouge

In my opinion and after 18 years as a residential appraiser, this is one of the finest porches I have witnessed, certainly one of the largest. This home is located somewhere in the Greater Baton Rouge housing market and this porch measured exactly 900 sq. ft.. The porch is new, an addition after the Hurricane Gustav damage in 2008. Enjoy the photos.