Attention homeowners: Real estate appraisal services for in Peoria and Central Illinois

Here are the top seven reasons why Illinois homeowners hire Higgs Appraisals:

  1. Find the right listing price (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge Central Illinois's assessment of your property
  3. Remove PMI to lower their mortgage payments
  4. To reinstate your Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)
  5. Review another appraiser's report for verification
  6. In the case of a divorce in the state of Illinois, when real estate property needs to be divided
  7. To determine the true market value of a property to settle an estate in Cook county or Illinois
Own a home in or near Peoria, Illinois and need help determining the price of it? Contact Higgs Appraisals.

At Higgs Appraisals, we understand the particular needs of a homeowner in need of appraisal services. The appraisal process and reporting formats are relatively routine to our business clients like banks, lawyers, and accountants. As our client, we'll be sure you get extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more clearly understand what we do and how we report our findings.

For-Sale-by-Owner (FSBO) / Pre-Listing Services

It's very hard to be objective about your home 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. A professional appraisal is very important as a negotiating tool once you have an attainable buyer, in addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your home will attract many interested buyers. It gives you something tangible to show your buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your property's market value, not just you saying how much you think your house is worth. Potential buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be far more likely to give credibility to a qualified appraiser's value report than yours.

Challenge a property tax assessment

Let's say you live in a local area that's going down -- your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. That only means you are probably paying more taxes than you should. Since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period, the earlier you take care of a matter like this, the better. An appraisal from Higgs Appraisals is your best weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

Need to cancel PMI?

A preferred way to cut costs for homeowners is getting the PMI removed from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. PMI stands for "Private Mortgage Insurance". Once your mortgage loan amount is down below 80% of the value of your home, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We're qualified in helping homeowners just like you remove undesirable PMI insurance.

Recently got a freeze to your HELOC?

If your property is close to a declining area, your lender just might make the decision to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can be destructive to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also annoying from a cash flow angle. Higgs Appraisals can help you reinstate your home equity line of credit with an expert appraisal.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Would you wish a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you desire a seasoned expert to double-check your appraisal for efficiency? In a field review we'll go out and check the subject and comps in question. Or, if you're in a hurry, we can provide 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 assist you. While typically requested by banks, you may want to employ this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.