A house appraisal is an opinion of value, an estimate of worth. The value of residential real estate is estimated by comparing the subject house with similar properties that have been sold recently. Look at your neighborhood to find comparable sales or properties in similar neighborhoods that share similar characteristics of lifestyles, income level of residents, surroundings, average age and value of houses.

Selling a home should be like any other business transaction, but all too often sellers make emotional or impulsive decisions that cost them money and time.  Choosing the right Realtor to market a property and negotiate the sale is the most important step in the process.

The truth is that only about ten percent of owners successfully sell their home on their own. That varies by region and the number goes up a tad for professional real estate investors because they are more familiar with real estate than your average homeowner. Those that do sell their home successfully usually accept not only a lower price, but they net less than if they had sold it with a professional real estate agent helping them.

For a variety of reasons, it is possible that the total debt on your home may be more than what the home is worth. Most of the time, this isn't a problem because time is the solution. Depending on how much you owe, just wait it out and the value of your home goes up. Problem solved. Unfortunately, this could take years. This solution does not work for everyone though, because some folks are stuck in a situation where they absolutely have to sell their house.

Appraisals are an important part of your home buying transaction. A real estate appraisal helps to establish a property's market value–the likely sales price it would bring if offered in an open and competitive real estate market. Your lender will require an appraisal when you ask to use a home or other real estate as security for a loan, because it wants to make sure that the property will sell for at least the amount of money it is lending.

In sellers' markets, multiple offer situations often drive up the purchase price higher than any comparable sales in the area, so sellers worry the [[appraisals]] will come in low. In buyer's markets, when prices are soft or falling, sellers are also concerned that the home will bring a low appraisal. Low appraisals can happen in any marketplace: hot, cold or neutral. Why Do Low Appraisals Happen?

To sell your home without the assistance of a real estate sales associate, you should be able to answer an unqualified "YES" to each of the following questions. As you go through these items, remember that a professional real estate sales associate is skilled in every area.

No surprise - Monte Carlo is No 1 in the Global Property Guide's list of World's Most Expensive Residential Real Estate Markets 2009, more than twice as expensive, at US$45,000 per square metre, as the runner up. Battling for the number 2 position are prime central Moscow and London. Prime central Moscow's US$20,853 per square metre price tag slightly outpaces core Prime London's US$20,756 per square metre.