Buying a new house or selling one, can be a stressful experience, and for many, a restate agent is your first port of call. For sellers, they can help you appraise the value of your home through comparative market analysis, they can also advise you on how to market and sell your home and they typically will facilitate the sale of your home and guide you through the process. For buyers, real estate agents can facilitate a purchase and handle arrangements with leasing and property management, if applicable. Services available will vary from broker to broker.

Despite the dismal look on the housing market nationally, real estate in Houston is thriving with bargains. As an active and colorful area to reside, Houston is home to some wonderful amenities as well as lots of culture and great services. Housing prices at one time reflected all the city has to offer but have recently fallen quite a bit. While many consider this a buyer’s market, it is still vital to choose the right agent from the various real estate agents in Houston. Because the modern market is extremely competitive, there are many dangers for sellers. Prices are currently very low, which means that choosing the right agent is very important, as it will determine how much you are able to sell your house for.

Since there are several real estate agents in Houston, it is difficult to choose the correct person. Paying the fees is not the only criteria as the cheapest agent cannot always be the best. There are other factors that have to be considered like exposure to the market and the agent’s efficiency to market a person’s home to buyers. If a person is a seller, he should know how many homes the agents have access to and the duration of their business in this field. It is common knowledge that you should only do business with a well-established real estate agent who is fully licensed as an agent. This is vitally important when it comes time to have your house appraised.

Condemnation appraisals differ in many ways from typical market value assignments. In condemnation appraisals, appraisers often cannot consider the best comparable sales and comparable sales impacted by condemnation. In addition, to the condemnation appraisal, the values of the “part taken” and “damages to the remainder” must both be calculated. Further, since a condemnation appraisal may be scrutinized during a judicial proceeding a higher standard of care is required in researching and preparing the appraisal. Property owners should proceed with caution when approached by condemning authorities. Some condemning authorities are straight forward and make their initial offer their best offer. Other condemning authorities start off with a below-market offer and slowly escalate offers at each step in the process. Property owners should consult with an appraiser or property owner familiar with the condemnation process to ensure fair and equitable treatment.

Condemning authority takes 1 acre of a 4 acre retail center. However, this 1 acre parcel comprised 40% of the center’s parking. Condemning authority takes 90% of site including the office building. The remaining site is too small to allow any improvements. Appraisers often reach markedly different conclusions regarding the damages to the remainder. Preparing a credible condemnation appraisal consistent with factual data generally encourages an equitable settlement. O’Connor and Associates is the largest independent appraisal firm in the southwestern United States and has over 40 full-time staff members engaged full-time in valuation and market study assignments. Their expertise includes condemnation appraisals, business valuations, commercial and single-family real estate appraisals, business personal property valuations, purchase price allocation for businesses, valuation for property tax appeals, partial interest valuation, estate tax valuation, and expert witness testimony. They have performed over 20,000 appraisals since 1988.

The appraisal division of O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of commercial property real estate appraisal services including Houston Commercial Comparable Sales, Dallas Fort Worth Commercial Comparable Sales, in Commercial Comparable Sales, San Antonio commercial comparable sales, Commercial comparable sales approach, Commercial land sales, Commercial comparable sales matched pair analysis, Commercial sales confirmation, Comparable sales land abstraction and Comparable sales units of measure. Appraisal services are provided for all commercial property types including 1 multi-family housing, retail stores, hospitals, hotels, industrial properties, manufacturing facilities, medical offices, commercial offices, restaurants, self-storage units, shopping malls, shopping plazas and warehouse/distribution centers.