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While the tools carried by appraisers are fairly limited, there are tools today that create a more effective and efficient appraiser. Appraisers are often known as the professionals behind the scene as often times they inspect vacant properties or they complete inspections with a brief and (appearing to be a very) cursory visit. The report writing process takes hours of an appraiser's time. The inspection represents typically only 5-10% of their time on a property. While an appraiser's goal is to conduct a thorough inspection, these inspections differ from home inspections. While the inspection for an appraiser's is not as verbose as a home inspector, they do gather several key features about a property. Tools of the Real Estate Appraiser One standard tool for real estate appraisers is a measuring tool for the property. This often varies from a tape measure to a laser measure. Technology has increased the accuracy and efficiency of measuring properties so vastly that often you will see that laser measures have become the standard for measuring properties. While some appraiser's do utilize other measuring tools, the laser has been able to increase accuracy and efficiency of the inspection process. If a property has acreage or it is a land appraisal, often appraisers are equipped with drones or work with local drone pilots to gather additional data on the land. While appraisers still physically inspect the land, the drone has a superior advantage in portraying key features of a property (topography, woodlands, wetlands, etc.). With the latest drone technology, the photos provided to the client give a more clear overview of the property which convey better within a report. Some realtors often will engage a local appraiser for marketing photos for their listing properties as drones simply give unrivaled images of properties. Smartphones and Tablets Being that appraisers are often… Continue Reading

They are a crucial part of home safety. They are typically required to be installed inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. On levels without bedrooms most states recommend installing alarms in the living room (or den or family room) or near the stairway to the upper level, or in both locations. This may even be required if your home does not burn fossil fuels. Be safe and purchase a Carbon Monoxide detector from amazon. They are relatively cheap and can save a life. Not to mention, these may hold up the sales process if they are not properly in place.  

This is a high level view of Real Estate Transactions that have occurred in the the town of East Longmeadow, MA - Hampden County over the past 2 years. We often gauge local markets for trends, inventory, values etc. and often tend to focus on medians for a measure for central tendency. While averages are fairly common to represent data, averages may often be heavily weighted by outlier sales. If you would like to see data within your town/city or neighborhood, please contact us today.