Attention homeowners in Pekin and Tazewell County: Need an appraisal?

The top seven reasons why IL homeowners use Graff Appraisals:

  1. Pre-listing appraisals (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. To challenge a IL property tax assessment
  3. Remove PMI to lower your mortgage payments
  4. To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Review a different appraiser's report for verification
  6. In the case of a IL divorce, when property needs to be divided
  7. To determine the true market value of property in question to settle an estate

Do you own a house in or near Pekin? Do you need help deciding the value of your real estate?
Contact Graff Appraisals.

At Graff Appraisals, we understand the unique needs of a homeowner in need of appraisal services. While our usual business clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get an extra level of 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

Since you have an emotional attachment to your house, it's often very hard to be objective about it. Professional appraisers, like the ones at Graff Appraisals, are objective. We will tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear. A professional appraisal is a very valuable negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your house will attract buyers. It's something concrete 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 home is worth. Potential buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be more likely to give credibility to an accomplished appraiser's value report than yours.

PMI Removal Appraisals

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) canceled from your mortgage loan is a fashionable way to cut costs for homeowners. Your monthly payments will go down 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 eliminated from your loan. We're experts in helping homeowners just like you dismiss unwanted PMI insurance.

Challenge Tax Assessment

Lets say your home is not appreciating as much as other properties close by -- your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. This only means you're most likely paying higher taxes than you should be paying. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the faster you take care of things like this, the better off you'll be. Getting an expert appraisal from Graff Appraisals is your #1 weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

Your lender just may decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is in or near a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be be detrimental to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also inopportune from a cash flow point of view. Graff Appraisals can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with a professional appraisal.

We Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Have you just accepted a copy of your appraisal and you would like to have a professional double-check it for accuracy or do you want a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? We can go out and check the subject and comps in question in a field review. If you need it ASAP, 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 report? We can We can assist you Even though this is typically requested by banks, you may need to use this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.