Sometimes

… it just takes good old-fashioned math to figure it out the right way. There’s no substitution for quality appraisal work. Short cuts do not work when you truly want to know the value of your home. Values may not be as high as they once were, or as we would like them to be. However, they are what the comparable sales deem them to be, at this time. The “market” is constantly changing and the current value is determined by recent sales and the available competition at any given time. Knowledge is power and your best weapon is to know the facts. Knowing the available comps is a priority before you list your home for sale. You need to know what has recently sold and what you will be competing against; both influence your final value. In real estate valuation, you must compare apples to apples.   

Hamp Thomas is the founder and president of the Institute of Housing Technologies, LLC. He is also the president of Carolina Appraisers & Real Estate. He is the author of the American Measurement Standard; the Size Matters – Residential Square Footage books, continuing education courses (for agents and appraisers), the course Inside the New Appraisal Process; ANSI, Home Measurement & the Power of Price-Per-Square-Foot; Understanding ANSI, and numerous other real estate courses, webinars, videos, and blogs. Hamp also authored the Professional’s Dictionary of Real Estate Terms; Home Measurement Basics; Realtors and Square Footage; and his latest book Death of an Industry-Real Estate Appraisal. Hamp has written local, regional, and national articles and been featured in Realtor Magazine and had his book reviewed in the Appraisal Journal. Learning Library and Realtor® University currently offer the “Size Matters” webinar and his video on “How to Handle Low Appraisals” is featured on Realtor® TV. Also featuring over 25 YouTube® videos on real estate, appraisals, measurements and methodology, and automated valuation models. 

He recently established the new HMS (Home Measurement Specialist) Certification program. The HMS© certification provides agents, appraisers, assessors, insurance adjustors, home measurement companies (offering services to Realtors® and consumers), and many others with a broad understanding of how to measure, calculate, and communicate residential square footage. A Certified Residential Appraiser, Certified Distance Education Instructor; (CDEI), State-approved real estate and appraisal continuing education instructor, Accredited Buyer’s Representative; (ABR), Graduate of the Realtor Institute; (GRI), member National Association of Appraisers (MNA), and a Realtor®, Hamp takes a unique approach to each topic and bases his education programs on the needs of the professional real estate practitioner. Common sense, down to earth information, provided in a manner you can learn today and use tomorrow. Teaching or appraising, quality always matters.