Anthem Valuation

Products And Services

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  Divorce Appraisals

  Divorce is a painful process in which there are many decisions to be made including ‘who’s staying’ and ‘who’s going’ when determining what happens to the house. Often times the home is put up for sale in which the profits are split or otherwise one of the parties typically buys out the other. In either case, one or both parties should hire the services of a professional real estate appraiser to estimate the fair market value of the home. An appraisal for asset division should include a well-supported, professional report that’s defensible in court. Many times the divorce date differs from the inspection date of the appraisal thus requiring a retrospective appraisal that has an effective date and value estimate corresponding to the date of divorce or filing. We’ve completed countless divorce appraisals over the years so we understand exactly what’s involved as well as the need to handle these situations with the utmost care. We’re bound by the ethics provision within the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) which means you’re assured the highest level of confidentiality, guaranteeing you the utmost discretion. In addition, we provide you with comprehensive appraisal reports that meet or exceed requirements of the courts and other various agencies. When you work with Anthem Valuation you can be assured you’ll get the best in professional service, courtesy, and you’ll receive the highest quality appraisal reports. We’ll also respect and protect the privacy of your needs in a divorce situation. Our Senior Appraiser, Derek Rizzo, has extensive experience in dealing with local and prestigious Family Law Firms when it comes to divorce proceedings. In fact, a large number of Family Law Firms, Accountants, and Mediation Advisors rely on Anthem Valuation for our opinion of values when formulating real property values during divorce proceedings and other disputes requiring a value being placed on real property. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Divorce Appraisals

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  Estate, Probate, and Date of Death

  Settling an estate is one of those things that most people know little about until they actually go through the experience. So we hope to offer you a bit of insight below into the process of estate settlement as it pertains to real estate appraisals. When an estate has a transfer of ownership due to death or inheritance, it is very common for a real estate appraisal to be needed for tax purposes. Often times during the settlement process either an attorney or accountant will order an appraisal or have a family member or executor select an appraiser for the job at hand which is most often the case. It’s been our experience that estate appraisals are commonly ordered between 2-6 months after the death of a loved one or inheritance of a property. Occasionally an appraisal is ordered almost immediately whereas other times the time period may be as long as a year or more depending on the circumstances at hand. Retrospective appraisals are fairly common in estate settlement situations. These involve appraising a home based on a ‘prior date’ which is typically the owner’s date of death, hence the reason why estate appraisals are often referred to as ‘date of death’ appraisals. In addition to needing a retrospective or date of death appraisal during the settlement process, often times the ordering party will also request a ‘current value’ appraisal in order to determine current market value for purposes of sale or settlement between heirs. Regardless of your needs or the elapsed time, Anthem Valuation understands the complexities involved in assessing the value of a property under these difficult circumstances and we’ll provide you with the best possible experience. Remember, every estate situation is different and the type of appraised value required all depends on the particular needs of the estate. This isn’t something you need to worry about as a good attorney or accountant can easily help direct you toward the type of value needed for the estate. Additionally, we’re happy to speak with your attorney or accountant to clarify exactly what’s required for your situation. Our Senior Appraiser, Derek Rizzo, has 10 years of experience in dealing with estate and date of death valuations. In fact, a large number of attorneys, accountants and financial planners have come to rely on Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation for our opinion of values when formulating real property values during estate settlement proceedings. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Estate, Probate, and Date of Death

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  Bankruptcy Appraisal

  Ever wonder how a bankruptcy debtor calculates the value of their home? You need to be as accurate as possible when your attorney asks you to estimate your home’s value. In fact, often times an attorney will recommend their clients contact a local real estate appraiser to perform an appraisal on the home to accurately assess its current fair market value. A home appraisal provides you with an accurate assessment of your home’s fair market value. Significant discrepancies in the value of your home can create potential problems in bankruptcy. If the value is listed too low the client runs the risk of a trustee objecting to their scheduled valuation and potentially asking the court for permission to seize your home. In addition, an obvious ‘low ball’ value will call your honestly, truthfulness and credibility into question in future proceedings with the Bankruptcy judge, trustee, and opposing counsel. If a value is listed too high, a client may miss out on the availability of a Chapter 7 and/or end of paying back more than necessary in a Chapter 13. Real estate appraisers therefore perform an integral function in the bankruptcy process. Appraisers usually estimate asset collateral values of secured creditors and debtor-in-possession (DIP) financings; help to identify and value sale/leasebacks, spin-offs, licensing and other re-organization opportunities; and are often involved in structuring and valuing restructured debt and equity instruments as well as assessing and opinionating on the fairness of proposed re-organization plans. For these reasons, bankruptcy professionals quite often need to hire, work with and rely on experienced real estate appraisers. Anthem Valuation understands the complexities involved in assessing the value of a property under these difficult circumstances and will work hard to provide you with the best possible experience. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation

  Link: Bankruptcy Appraisal

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  Pre - Listing, Pre - Purchase, and For Sale By Owner

  Today’s market can be challenging. Whether you’re a homeowner selling your property on your own or a seasoned realtor trying to establish a fair list price it’s often difficult to sift through all of the market data to determine a true value for your home. So it’s common for homeowners and realtors to rely on appraisers for assistance when establishing a list price for the sale of their home. That’s where Anthem Valuation comes in as we have a long history of working with homeowners trying to selling their own home as well as realtors needing additional support for their own listings (or to prove to their clients the true market value of a property). At Anthem Valuation we can provide you with a professional 3rd party appraisal, which is far more accurate than a realtor based Comparative Market Analysis (CMA). A pre-listing appraisal ensures both you and your agent have an accurate description of your home’s features and a detailed analysis of the most recent and comparable sales. Keep in mind that overpriced homes attract far fewer buyers, which means fewer and possibly no offers, wasting valuable time, money, and efforts while an underpriced home can result in a lower selling price and you leaving substantial money on the table. Getting a pre-listing appraisal will help you and/or your agent determine a true list price for your property as well as maximize your chances of selling quickly for top dollar. In addition, we can help you determine what, if any, improvements would be the most cost effective in adding additional value to your home. A full appraisal may or may not be needed depending on what it is you’re looking for. Often times a more limited valuation or market analysis report is entirely appropriate, whereas other times a full interior and exterior valuation may be necessary. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Pre - Listing, Pre - Purchase, and For Sale By Owner

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  Private Mortgage Insurance Removal Appraisals

  PMI, the acronym for private mortgage insurance, allows individuals to purchase their home with less than a 20% down payment. If you are paying PMI, the question you need to ask yourself is; “Is it time to stop paying monthly PMI into an escrow account and instead start putting that money into your pocket?” Every month, if you’re like most of us, you dutifully make your mortgage payment. Have you ever given any thought to exactly what makes up your monthly payment? For most of us, the mortgage payment not only pays off the mortgage loan, but a portion also gets put into an escrow account to pay for real estate taxes and a variety of different types of insurance (homeowners, hazard, flood, PMI, etc). If you purchased your home with conventional financing and put less than 20% down, it’s likely you’re paying PMI. Private mortgage insurance protects the lender or investor against loss if a borrower stops making payments. Often, homeowners mistakenly pay this insurance years after it’s no longer needed and as a result end up paying thousands in useless insurance premiums. Here’s the good news that many homeowners don’t realize – Once you’ve reached 20% equity in your home by appreciation, improvements made to the home or by paying down the principal balance of the mortgage (or any combination of the three), you can force the lender to cancel the private mortgage insurance. All you have to do is request in writing that the private mortgage insurance be canceled (most lenders have a brief form which must be filled out) and provide the lender with proof of sufficient equity over 20%. In most cases, the necessary proof is a state certified appraisal. Recent legislation (the Homeowners Protection Act) requires servicing lenders to make homeowners aware of the existence of any PMI they might be paying for and the requirements necessary to have it cancelled. Fortunately, you don’t have to wait for the lender’s notification to rid yourself of PMI. In most cases, if you have equity of 20% or more you’ll be able to cancel it almost immediately. PMI is not required in all instances. The general rule is that if a homeowner has put down less than 20% down on a home purchase (single family), mortgage insurance will be required. Homes purchased with a down payment of at least 20% should have enough equity to cover any potential losses by the lender, so PMI is generally not required. There has been a surge in the mortgage insurance industry because of the popularity of purchasing homes with less than 20% down. MICA claims that because of mortgage insurance making up for the down payment difference, over 15 million Americans have been able to purchase homes over the past four decades. PMI does not protect a homeowner against loss, so a borrower that’s required to purchase it will probably never deal with the mortgage insurance company itself. All dealings concerning mortgage insurance are usually handled by the lender. It’s also the lender (or the eventual purchaser of your mortgage loan, if any) who has the ultimate decision when it comes to mortgage insurance, meaning how much and when the homeowner has built up enough equity in the property to drop the insurance. Therefore one must remain in contact with the lending institution which services their mortgage (collects the monthly payments) to inquire about this type of insurance and the requirements necessary to have it cancelled. After a homeowner has built up 20% equity for a single family owner occupied residence (a few banks may require as much as 25% equity – check your loan documents to ascertain what applies in your situation) in the home, they may begin to initiate steps towards canceling the mortgage insurance. The first step is to contact the lending institution to where you send your mortgage payments (loan servicer). This may or may not be the lender who gave you the loan originally. Your loan servicer will be able to help you with the cancellation procedure and will also be able to tell you exactly how much your remaining mortgage balance is. Every loan servicing institution can have different policies regarding this procedure. Ask your servicing lender to provide in writing their specific requirements to cancel PMI insurance. Keep in mind it’s the servicer’s ultimate decision and they’ll take many factors into consideration including the borrower’s payment history over the life of the loan before allowing you to drop this insurance. This factor alone could alter the servicer’s decision. Although mortgage insurance may have allowed you to purchase a home, there will come a time when this added monthly expense will no longer directly benefit you. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to keep the provisions surrounding it’s cancellation in mind because no one is going to cancel it for you. Contact us today with any questions and check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Private Mortgage Insurance Removal Appraisals

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  Financial Planning and Trusts

  Financial and Estate Planners are often relied upon by their clients to provide sound, well-informed advice. Anthem Valuation has worked closely with a long list of Financial & Estate Planners over the years to assure they have the information needed to develop the best and most effective strategies for their clients. Real estate holdings are often at the center of the plan as they’re usually the client’s largest assets. Whether you need an appraisal for a single property or multiple appraisals for an entire portfolio we understand the process involved. We’ve provided appraisals for Estate Planners throughout the Twin Cities metro area for a variety of trusts, estate purposes, tax planning, asset update purposes, and more. Over the years Anthem Valuation has distinguished itself as one of the Twin Cities premier providers of appraisals for estate and financial planners and we’re acutely aware of the detail, skill and attention necessary to properly value these type of properties. We also assure complete discretion and are sensitive to the needs and privacy of those who reside in these homes. If you’re a senior, it’s also important that you get your affairs and estate in order as you transition into your retirement years which include knowing the value of your properties. There’s no reason to feel overwhelmed during this process as we’ll fully explain the appraisal process up front and when the report is finished we’ll personally go over the report with you to answer any questions you might have. Estate Planners throughout the Twin Cities have come to rely on our appraisal services to create the foundations of a sound financial plan for their clients and we welcome the opportunity of working with you as well. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Financial Planning and Trusts

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  Tax Assessment Appeals

  Occasionally homes can be “over taxed” based on market value versus tax assessed value. Sometimes, matters like this can be resolved with a phone call. However, if after discussing your assessment with your local taxing authority you still feel as though your property has been overvalued, a professional, independent, third-party appraiser is often your best bet in proving your case. That’s where Anthem Valuation comes in. There are a lot of different procedures for appealing tax assessments so it’s important to enlist the help of a professional appraisal company that’s experienced and trained in the ins and outs of the appeal process. Prior to hiring an appraiser it often makes sense to do your own research before determining whether to move forward with a property assessment appeal, especially before making the decision of hiring a professional appraiser. Keep in mind, according to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), we as appraisers are not allowed to take “shortcuts” — i.e., your research – and use it as face value as part of our independent evaluation. When you hire us for an assessment appeal, you’re commissioning us as an independent, third-party to perform a professional appraisal report. As such, we do our own evaluation from beginning to end. If you’re correct that your property has been overvalued, an independent report such as ours will be more persuasive than any other evidence you can provide on your own. But once again it does depend on our ability to do the work independently. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Tax Assessment Appeals

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  Waterfront and Acreage Properties

  With Minnesota being the Land of 10,000 Lakes we’ve appraised properties on many of them. It takes a specialized approach to determine the most accurate value when it comes to appraising waterfront properties. As a waterfront property owner or perspective owner you are well aware that no two bodies of water are the same. Additionally on those same bodies of water no two lots or homes are identical. This is what makes appraising waterfront properties unique. Whether it is a lake, river, or stream, and everything in between we have the knowledge and experience to deliver a credible opinion of value. Being based in the West Metro we have experience appraising acreage properties of all types and sizes. From horse properties to hobby farms we have the knowledge to analyze all aspects of unique properties that differentiate these types of properties from more typical homes. If you have an acreage property on the edge of development and are curious about land absorption rates and if now might be a good time to sell out to a developer we can help you analyze what your property might be worth. Contact us today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Waterfront and Acreage Properties

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  Pre - Foreclosure and Short Sales

  Anthem Valuation is a leading provider of real estate appraisals for REO foreclosures and short sales. Our Company appraises real estate throughout the greater Twin Cities area. We provide high quality appraisals with detailed opinions of fair market value for mortgage banks, and mortgage servicing clients as well as “quick sale” forecasts that consider your specific timeline. Our foreclosure and short sale appraisal services cater to the needs of homeowners in default, banks with real estate owned properties (REOs), mortgage lenders, HUD, FHA, law firms, loan service companies and other financial institutions that make personal and commercial loans. Owners of real estate which are in foreclosure are faced with many challenges. Some are unwilling to allow an inspection of the property or if they’ve already abandoned the property, they may have neglected care of the home for a period of time, or even purposely caused damage. We have both the knowledge and experience to deal with the specific aspects of foreclosures and short sales, which is why you can rely on our reports to minimize your losses. Contact is today with any questions you might have and also check out our ‘Praise’ page and see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Pre - Foreclosure and Short Sales

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  Immigration Appraisals

  In 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule that drastically altered the assessment of public charge inadmissibility for immigration applicants. Any noncitizen applying for admission to the U.S., adjustment of status in the U.S., or an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa abroad are subject to the final rule, as are nonimmigrants applying for an extension or status change within the U.S. These new regulations make it significantly more difficult for applicants to prove they’re not likely to become a public charge, especially noncitizens seeking lawful permanent resident (LPR) status based on a family relationship. Among the new regulations is required income of the applicant, as well as assets and resources belonging either to the applicant or any family member included in the household size. This step necessitates a recent appraisal of real estate by a licensed appraiser to show equity value. The experienced professionals at Anthem Valuation have the knowledge and expertise to provide accurate appraisals with exceptional speed and customer service. Assessment of Public Charge Inadmissibility: Income, Assets, and Resources Under the new rule, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USICS) defines a public charge as “an alien who has received one or more benefits, as defined under the rule, for more than 12 months within any 36-month period.” The process for determining inadmissibility on these grounds requires assessment of six factors: - Age - Health - Family status - Income, assets, and resources (financial status) - Education and skills - Affidavit of support For the financial status requirement, applicants must provide evidence of an annual gross income at least 125 percent of the federal poverty guideline (FPG) for the most recent tax year. Any shortfall in required income can be made up by “significant” assets that can be converted to cash within one year. This includes equity values for real estate determined by a recent valuation from a licensed appraiser. Trust the Residential Appraisal Experts at Anthem Valuation Applying for an immigrant visa or adjustment of status is a complicated, stressful process. The final rule issued by the DHS in 2020 enhances the difficulties applicants will face, but Anthem Valuation is here to help. Our founder and Senior Appraiser, Derek Rizzo, offers over 13 years’ experience and is considered one of the top residential appraisers in Minnesota. We take pride in delivering accurate appraisals with unbeatable service and satisfaction. From the initial inspection to when we send you the final report, our proven and efficient three-step process typically lasts just two to three days. And if the report is needed sooner, arrangements can be discussed at the initial engagement. Contact us today to learn more about our appraisal services for immigration applications and check out our praise page to see what others are saying about Derek Rizzo and Anthem Valuation.

  Link: Immigration Appraisals