Archive for the ‘SOUTHEAST U. S. ECONOMY, NEWS AND OPINIONS’ Category

Maybe you are thinking about selling your home or needing to settle an estate. Of course these days your first thought is searching online for a home appraiser who serves your jurisdictional area. Then you begin calling appraisers to get quotes for your property as well as asking about how quickly you can receive your home appraisal opinion report. What about other questions? How many years experience do you have appraising residential properties in Baldwin County, Alabama? Mobile County, Alabama? Are you a certified appraiser? Well, this home appraiser, Al Cheney, is ready for all your questions. Al Cheney will also take the time listening to you about your property and the reasons for the appraisal opinion report. Al Cheney will also ask questions in order to quote you the very best fee possible. Actually, for non-financial or non-lending, Al Cheney has the most competitive or discounted fees for individual property owners seeking an appraisal opinion report for their personal needs. Al Cheney is a Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser in Alabama and covers all of Baldwin County and Mobile County or, as he describes it, “The Mobile Bay Metro Area”. Al Cheney does his best to provide experience, integrity and professionalism through the entire process from start to completion. Al Cheney is ready to assist you so call him at (251) 533-2424 and let’s talk about your home or real property appraisal needs.

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Canebreak Place is an 11 lot subdivision located on the north side of Fairhope, Alabama. The ages for these homes will generally range between 2 years and 9 years. The majority of the homes will have 4 bedrooms and 3 or 4 full bathrooms and have living areas between 3,100 and 4,200 square feet. Many of the homes will range from the mid-$400,000 to the mid-$600,000. One home sold for $650,000 in the fall of 2014 and another home recently sold in March 2015 for $460,000.

Al Cheney has covered the Fairhope area for over 35 years and can also provide opinion of value appraisals in Bay Minette, Bon Secour, Daphne, Elberta, Foley, Gulf Shores, Lillian, Little River, Loxley, Magnolia Springs, Montrose, Orange Beach, Perdido, Point Clear, Robertsdale, Seminole, Silverhill, Spanish Fort, Stapleton, Stockton, Summerdale.

Al Cheney will complete a thorough opinion of value appraisal report for your property in Fairhope, Alabama so you will have your answer to your question, “What is my home worth?” Al Cheney can assist you with your answer whether it is appraising your home or land for a tax appeal regarding too high taxes or settling an estate for family property or for any other personal reason.

Visit Al Cheney’s http://www.CheneyAppraisalServices.com/ and send your email interest to discuss further your Fairhope appraisal questions for your real property and any other property located in Baldwin County, Alabama. The opinion of value appraisal report fee for Fairhope, Alabama is only $250. Complex and waterfront property reports are quoted so give Al Cheney a call.

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Al Cheney is a Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser in Alabama who provides home appraisals and other property type of appraisals in these local communities within Mobile County of Alabama: Axis, Bayou La Batre, Bucks, Chunchula, Citronelle, Coden, Creola, Dauphin Island, Eight Mile, Grand Bay, Irvington, Mobile, Mount Vernon, Saint Elmo, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Theodore, Wilmer.

Do you have questions, such as, “What is my house worth in PINEHURST?” or “Is my property tax assessment too high in PINEHURST?”

Al Cheney is a Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser in Alabama who provides home appraisals and other property type of appraisals in these local communities within Mobile County of Alabama: Axis, Bayou La Batre, Bucks, Chunchula, Citronelle, Coden, Creola, Dauphin Island, Eight Mile, Grand Bay, Irvington, Mobile, Mount Vernon, Saint Elmo, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Theodore and Wilmer.

Do you have questions, such as, “What is my house worth in PINEHURST?” or “Is my property tax assessment too high in PINEHURST?”
Al Cheney is a real estate appraiser who can answer your questions about PINEHURST as well as much more about the local areas within the Mobile Bay Metro Area, Baldwin County and Mobile County of Alabama.
Whether you require an appraisal report on your home for a property tax appeal due to possible too high property taxes or valuing a home and other types of real property for the estate purpose or legal purposes i.e. bankruptcy, divorce, a Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser is recommended in order to have professional documentation for all necessary submissions.

Most fees will generally range from $225-$275 non-financial appraisal reports depending on its location within Mobile County as well as Baldwin County of Alabama. More complex or difficult property appraisal reports for homes or land will be quoted on a case-by-case basis.

This information has been provided by Albert Marshall Cheney, Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser, with over 35 years’ experience in the Mobile Bay Metro Area of Alabama, Baldwin County and Mobile County which encompass Mobile Bay.

You can know and read more information about Al Cheney by going to these blogging websites: http://www.alabamarealestateappraisals.com/, http://www.CheneyAppraisalServices.com/ and or http://buildingabrandonline.com/FinanciallyFreeYourself/.

You may also contact Al Cheney at (251) 533-2424 about all offered services and the City of Mobile non-financial (personal use, i.e. property tax issues, thinking about selling) home appraisals. PINEHURST home appraisal reports are only $225!

(Home Valuations, Mobile Alabama Homes, Bay Minette, Bon Secour, Daphne, Elberta, Fairhope, Foley, Gulf Shores, Lillian, Little River, Loxley, home appraisal in loxley alabama, Magnolia Springs, Montrose, Orange Beach, Perdido, Point Clear, Robertsdale, Seminole, Silverhill, silverhill alabama home appraisers, Spanish Fort, Stapleton, Stockton, Summerdale, Axis, Bayou La Batre, Bucks, Chickasaw, Chunchula, Citronelle, Coden, Creola, Dauphin Island, Eight Mile, Grand Bay, Irvington, Mobile, Mount Vernon, Saint Elmo, Saraland, Satsuma, Semmes, Theodore, Wilmer, need appraisal for estate in mobile Alabama, need appraisal for legal purpose mobile Alabama, appraisal for settling estate purpose, appraiser for home in Mobile Alabama Mobile AL appraisers)

“Sandy Oaks” is an older subdivision, about 14+ years, located along the east side of Celeste Road, several miles west of U. S. Interstate Highway 65 and about 20-25 minutes northwest of Mobile, Alabama.

The majority of homes, about 70%, were built between 1997 and 2000. Around 25% of the homes were built between 2001 and 2006.

“Sandy Oaks” primarily has homes ranging from 1,800+- square feet to 3,187+- square feet as reported in the online tax records. Most homes, about 72%, will have gross living areas between 1,800 and 2,500 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. Homes with over 2,500 square feet represent around 23% within “Sandy Oaks” and considered over-built for its neighborhood.

As for Saraland’s home values, it appears that median sale prices for homes (sampling size is around 46+ sales) having 1,650 to 2,250 square feet dropped 17% over a 12-month time period.

Home listings are increasing. Twelve months ago, calculations indicate around 17 active listings compared to around 43 active listings today–two and a half times higher! Having this significant increase in active home listings has increased the housing supply time period from 4.4 months to 12.9 months. This time period represents the absorption rate or, how long it will take a homeowner to sell their home if reasonably priced to sell. It now takes three (3) times longer to sell your home based on the available online MLS (multiple listing service) information!

Sales for 1,650 to 2,250 square feet homes has dropped around 43.5% based on inventory analysis calculations. The information indicated 23 closed home sales twelve (12) months ago compared to 10 home sales in the past three (3) months.

For homeowners in the Saraland, Alabama, the bottom line is, hold tight if you can for a few years and the home market should stabilize and maybe increase some but, don’t expect it to be like it was in the past. If you have to sell, consult a Certified Residential Appraiser first so you will have better insight into the property values surrounding your home. Pricing your home correctly will save you so much time. Remember, you are now competing with many other homeowners who are very motivated as well as appealing “short sale” and “foreclosure” offerings.

Al Cheney is a “Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser” who has over 35 years real estate experience within the Mobile Bay Metro Area, Baldwin County and Mobile County of Alabama. You may write Al Cheney at Albert@CheneyAppraisalServices.com or, visit these websites for additional information, http://www.AlabamaRealEstateAppraisals.com/, http://www.CheneyAppraisalServices.com/, and http://www.CertifiedAppraiserNames.com/.

Al Cheney’s Comments and Opinions for 29 August 2010.

As a local, born and raised in the Mobile Bay Metro Area, I am sincerely happy that the bubbling crude has finally been capped after 90 days-after 90 days! It is worth repeating since this horrific ecological and environmental disaster should have never lasted this long if it wasn’t for the many faux pas by BP Oil and our own government. They say, the majority of the surface oil has dissipated and now can’t be found. Oh, really? The “on the surface” crude problem is only hiding in the depths of the sea-harming crustaceans, oysters and other seafood for years to come.

And, yes! I do realize that biological organisms will thrive on the raw crude and eventually remove it as a major threat but, this will take a very long time. The damage has already been done and its true damage is still hidden in the depths of the sea. Enormous amounts of crude, damaging dispersants, oil soaked wetlands and sea bottoms are here to stay for decades. A possible ecological disaster lurks beneath the sea and within the wetlands for years to come.

Furthermore, the inappropriate government overreach in shutting down oil rigs (overdramatic and very political), media sensationalism damaging our Gulf Coast tourism, and an already weaken real estate industry has created more negative affects upon Alabama and the other States along the Gulf Coast. Honestly, at this time, the affects of any significant real estate and tourism recoveries are unknown.

The fact is that, a fragile economy and a weakened real estate industry have been further exacerbated by the crude ecological and environmental disaster, and the crude politics of Washington. And, our tourism for this year has been damaged by irresponsible journalism by the media. Even so, the coastline of the Gulf States and its real estate will overcome this adversity and will eventually be less affected by the BP oil spill and the many missteps of Washington. The media needs to practice more responsible journalism and avoid the traps of sensationalism. Sensationalism is not journalism!

Well, our coastal properties along the beaches as well as other properties with gulf views and close to water tributaries will eventually improve over time. For now, the recent past spreading of crude through the Gulf of Mexico has resulted in a deeper real estate market slowdown affecting property values near and along the Gulf Coast. Whether legitimate, or not, many homes located well off water tributaries have also been affected to some degree. It is a real estate market slowdown caused by a fragile economy and the worse oil spill known in North America.

From my standpoint, the negative value affects for homes located off the beaches and the Gulf of Mexico should be negligible as time leads us into the future. When looking back in time, I believe, this catastrophe will reflect “a blip on the radar screen” when focusing only on the 90-day oil spill disaster. Then, there could be the possibility of a more normal level and slight positive return of property values; if a more normal level can be equated with a fragile economy under severe stress.

The fragile economy with high unemployment (9.5% but does not include the people who have given up) and uncertainty will be much more of a future problem for Gulf Coast property values than the BP oil spill. As time leads us into the end of 2010 and into the beginning of 2011, an even more fragile economy and real estate industry might be the result when continuing to implement recessive programs and tactics by the government while banks, entrepreneurs and small businesses mostly sit on the sidelines, “digging in their heels” or “going out of business” sales. Only deregulation and lowering taxes, the cessation of large government spending, small business incentives (get the oil riggers, shrimpers and other parts of the Gulf Coast seafood industry back to work) as well as “just plain honest positive talk” from the current Administration and our government representatives (most of them forget that they work for us) will improve the real estate industry– part of the backbone of America!

The coastal properties in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas will be affected by this catastrophic oil spill for years to come. As of today, now 47 days and still counting, BP Oil has been ineffective in successfully stopping the flow of oil. Therefore, our Gulf Coast is faced with environmental devastation, loss of marine life and wildlife, further property devaluation (not that inept governmental and political faux pas were enough to damage), illusion of an economic recovery, businesses closing, and loss of livelihoods for longtime residents.

As a person who has lived in the Mobile Bay Metro Area (Baldwin County and Mobile County of Alabama) the majority of my life, this massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico conjures up so many emotions and thoughts inside me and, many unkind words (please forgive) towards all who have dragged this on for much too long. Also, the lack of expedience and nondisclosures which could be labeled lies has certainly not helped to comfort Gulf Coast residents. It is quite evident that many Gulf Coast residents do not believe BP Oil and the government have properly handled this oil spill catastrophe.

Anyway, this oil spill catastrophe will apparently be with us for many months and years to come. Our Gulf Coast area will never be the same and will definitely affect the United States as a whole and potentially have International negative implications. Also, unfortunately, coastal properties more than likely will be faced with further decline in value; not that government intrusions and regulations as well as poor and restrictive lending practices have already been enough to damage our property values and the real estate industry as a whole.

So, how will the coastal real estate marketability be affected within the Gulf Coast states? Whether true or not, the stigma of an oil spill catastrophe will, in my opinion, have a potential affect on the marketability of properties along the Gulf Coast. How much of an affect is still an unknown? The future selling of coastal properties should begin to hold the answers to these questions. So, “time will tell.”

Is your property rich in oil? If so, it’s certainly not the way you want to discover oil on your property. Contact a professional you trust and get sound advice when the stigma of oil has knocked on your door. There are many good Certified Real Estate Appraisers and Attorneys in the Gulf Coast states. It is always important to understand the affects of this oil spill upon our coastal properties.

Information and opinions have been provided by Cheney Appraisal Services, Albert Marshall Cheney, a Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser for the state of Alabama, (251) 533-2424. Albert Cheney has over 35 years of real estate experience in the southern part of Alabama.