Real estate appraisal services for homeowners in the city of Waterloo and Monroe County

Here are the top 7 reasons why IL homeowners hire Johnston Appraisals:

Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether they're selling the home on their own or using a real estate agent)
Challenge a property tax assessment
Remove PMI to lower a mortgage payments
To reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
To review a different appraiser's report for verification
In the case of a IL divorce, where real estate needs to be divided
Settle an estate in IL by determining the true market value of property in question

Own a home in or near Waterloo, IL and need help deciding the value of it?
Contact Johnston Appraisals.

At Johnston Appraisals, we understand the special needs of a customer in need of appraisal services. While our typical 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. Our professional appraisers at Johnston Appraisals are objective. We won't just tell you what you want to hear, we'll tell you what you need to know. In addition to helping you set a realistic price to sell at so your house will attract interested buyers, a professional appraisal is a very important negotiating tool once you have an interested buyer. It's something concrete to show your buyer. An 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 assume that you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be far more likely to give credibility to an experienced appraiser's value estimation than yours.

Need to cancel PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) removed from your mortgage loan is a preferred way to cut expenses for homeowners. Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan is down below 80% of the value of your home. In most cases you can apply to your lender to have the PMI canceled from your loan. We're experienced in helping consumers just like you get rid of unwanted and unneeded PMI insurance.

Challenging a property tax assessment

Lets say you live in a local area that's declining -- your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. That only means you are going to pay more taxes than you should. The quicker you take care of things like this, the better, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. When contesting your property tax assessment, getting an expert appraisal from Johnston Appraisals is your strongest weapon.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

Your lender might make the decision to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your property is in a declining area -- even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can this be troublesome from a cash flow viewpoint, and negative on your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Johnston Appraisals can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with efficient appraisal.

Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Would you like a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you desire a veteran appraiser to double-check your appraisal for preciseness? An appraiser from Johnston Appraisals can go out and check the subject and comps in a field review. 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 a retrospective review of any appraisal report you may have in your possession. Even though this is usually requested by banks, you may wish to take advantage of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.