Need an appraisal in Saratoga or Santa Clara County?

The top seven reasons CA homeowners hire West Valley College:

Pre-listing appraisals (whether they're selling the home on their own or using a real estate agent)
To challenge a CA property tax assessment
To lower a mortgage payments by removing PMI
To reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
Verify another appraiser's report
If property needs to be divided because of a divorce
To settle an estate in CA by determining the true market value of property in question

Do you own a house in or near Saratoga? Do you need help determining the value of your real estate?
Contact West Valley College.

We at West Valley College understand the unique needs of a customer seeking appraisal services. Our usual business clients get the appraisal process and the customary reporting formats. As our client, we will give you extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more clearly understand what we do and how we report our findings.

Pre-listing Services/For Sale By Owner (FSBO)

Since you have an emotional attachment to your own home, it's often very hard to be objective about it. The professional appraisers at West Valley College 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 price to sell at so your home will attract many interested buyers, a professional appraisal is a very valuable negotiating tool once you have a likely buyer. It gives you something tangible to show your buyer. The appraisal is an independent third party's opinion of your home's price, not just you saying how much you think your home is worth. Interested buyers assume you have an emotional attachment to your house and will be far more likely to give credibility to a professional appraiser's value conclusion than yours.

Need to cancel PMI?

Getting the PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance) canceled from your mortgage loan is an attractive money saver for homeowners. Once your mortgage loan is less than 80% of the value of your home, in most cases you can apply to the lender to have the PMI removed from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We're qualified in helping clients just like you do away with unneeded and unwanted PMI insurance.

Challenge Tax Assessment

Your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued if you live in a region that is declining or not appreciating as much as other properties nearby. That only means you are probably paying more taxes than you should. The sooner you take care of things like this, the better, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. Getting an appraisal from West Valley College is your #1 weapon when contesting your property tax assessment.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

If your home is in or near a declining area, your lender might just choose to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) - even if your specific property has not declined in value. Not only can this be annoying from a cash flow viewpoint, but it can be bad for your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out. West Valley College can provide you with efficient appraisal that will help you reinstate your home equity line of credit.

Do You Need Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services?

Have you just received a copy of your appraisal and you'd prefer to have a veteran appraiser double-check it for verity or do you desire a second opinion without the charge and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? West Valley College offers field reviews where we go out and check the subject and comparables. Or, if you're in a hurry, we can provide you with a desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

We can also provide you with a a retrospective review of any appraisal report you may have had done before. While usually requested by banks, you may desire to take advantage of this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your house.