Welcome to the first episode of Dirt Talk: From the Ground Up! I’m your host and co-owner of Texas Rock Milling, Trey McCarty.
In this podcast, we will be talking with construction experts, members of our team, local business leaders, artists, and more to share stories and the best ways to bring projects to life from the ground up, right here in San Antonio.
Let’s get to it! The topic today is something that affects every homeowner, buyer, and seller out there: real estate appraisals. My guests are experts in this field as well as a father-son duo that have been putting price tags on properties and making deals make sense for years. Kyle Jividen is the Managing Broker at Alamo Appraisal Group and his son, Jeff, works alongside him.
In this episode, you’ll hear some wild appraisal stories, home value myths, what really makes a home’s value increase, some of San Antonio’s best neighborhoods for the value, and more!
Interesting Takeaways:
- A home appraisal helps all parties agree upon what a house is worth. It’s usually not for the seller or the borrower, but for loan underwriting.
- If your house could talk, it would say, “Please change my air filter.”
- Solar panels don’t add as much value as you might think. They may help your home sell faster than the one next door, but they won’t typically add value until they are fully paid off.
- A home’s location, square footage, and updates have the biggest impact on its value.
- It’s valuable to have a list of details ready for an appraiser. Things like when the roof was replaced and when major updates occurred will go a long way in getting you a more accurate appraisal.
- The best tip for getting the most value on a home is to be one of the first to purchase in a new development. Many times, developers raise their price several times as construction goes on; if you can put up with a few years of construction, you’ll often get the most bang for your buck.
Today’s Guest:
Kyle Jividen is the Managing Broker at Alamo Appraisal Group and his son, Jeff, works alongside him. You can find out more or contact them at Alamo Appraisal Group at 210.651.4733.