Need an appraisal in Chicago or Cook County?

See the top seven reasons IL homeowners need Patrick Laughlin:

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

Own a house in or near Chicago, IL and need help deciding the price of it?
Contact Patrick Laughlin.

We at Patrick Laughlin understand the unique needs of a homeowner after appraisal services. While our typical business clients understand the appraisal process and standard reporting formats, you as a consumer will get extra 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

It's very hard to be objective about your own house because you probably have an emotional attachment to it. The professional appraisers at Patrick Laughlin will tell you what you need to know -- not just what you want to hear. We are objective. In addition to helping you set a realistic selling price so your property will attract buyers, a professional appraisal is very crucial as a negotiating tool once you have an attainable buyer. It's something tangible to show the buyer. It's an independent third party's opinion of your home's price, and not just how much you think your home is worth. Potential buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be much more likely to give credibility to a professional appraiser's value opinion than yours.

PMI Removal Appraisals

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. A preferred way to cut expenses for homeowners is getting the PMI eliminated from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. Your monthly payments will go down once your mortgage loan is less than 80% of the value of your home. In most cases you can apply to your lender to have the PMI removed from your loan. Patrick Laughlin is veterans in helping people just like you rid yourselves of undesirable PMI insurance.

Challenge a property tax assessment

Lets say you live in a region that is declining -- your local tax assessor may have your home overvalued. This means you're going to pay higher taxes than you should be paying. The earlier you take care of a matter like this, the better, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. Getting an appraisal report from Patrick Laughlin is your chief weapon when challenging your property tax assessment.

HELOC recently frozen?

If your home is in a declining area, your lender may choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. This can this be annoying from a cash flow angle, and damaging to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. Patrick Laughlin can help you reinstate your HELOC.

Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Would you wish a second opinion without the cost and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you desire a seasoned expert to double-check your appraisal for efficiency? We can go out and check the subject and comps in question in a field review. If you need it ASAP, we'll 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 report? Patrick Laughlin can We can assist you. While typically requested by banks, you may need to exploit this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your home.