Testimonials

Read what past clients say about Tom Horn’s his Birmingham pre-listing appraisal services. Clients range from FSBO home sellers to real estate agents.

I had the pleasure of having Tom Horn appraise my home in preparation of putting it on the market to sell. He was not only very knowledgeable and professional, but was patient and clear in explaining the process and mechanics of his work. He always took the time to answer my many phone calls and to take whatever time necessary to explain things so I could understand. Thank you, Tom, for the time and effort you took to educate me.

- Jeri Carter

"I recently sold my house myself through the use of an on line service. Initially, I had contacted a friend in real estate who gave me an estimated market value based on recent sales in the area and estimated square footage. I factored in what I understood my neighbor had received for his similar house and what I understood the house across the street had sold for 16 months earlier. I was comfortable listing my house at $239,000. After 2 months I had several inquiries, a few lookers, but no 2nd visits and no offers. I then decided to get a professional appraisal. From this I learned that my neighbor’s house had sold for $10K less than I had been led to believe. I also found that my finished basement did qualify as gross living space. My formal appraisal came in $14K below what I was asking. Given this information, I lowered my asking price by $10K. This made my price much more attractive and still provided me with room for negotiation. I immediately experienced increased activity. My house sold less than 3 weeks after I received the appraisal. Since most sales contracts include a clause releasing the buyer from the contract if the house does not appraise for the sales price, it serves no one’s purpose to list a house significantly above the appraised value. I was able to list my house with the confidence that my sales contract would not be in jeopardy. I was also able to provide the appraisal to the buyer who was then able to receive a fast appraisal at half the normal cost."

- Dave M.

Mr Horn, I wanted to tell you that I appreciate the effort you spent on our appraisal. It is not very easy to evaluate a country home that is older and probably not constructed with common building materials. Putting the report together took a little longer than we anticipated but I know it was because of your attention and concern for getting the facts correct. And the end product is an appraisal that reflects the true value of our property. Thank you for putting this appraisal together for us. I am sure it will help when we sell the property.

- Phillip Cox

"Even though we had a listing price in mind, getting the appraisal prior to listing gave us confidence that we are pricing our house right. We appreciate your professionalism and timeliness in completing our appraisal. Thank you."

- Bob and Jackie B.

I run a highly successful real estate team and consider Tom Horn part of my team. He provides "Pre-Listing" Appraisals for our Sellers. It is one of the most important aspects of the listing process and I am glad Tom Horn is the man we turn too. We have found Tom to be a true expert in the Appraisal field and he always takes time with our Sellers and me to explain his appraisal and his findings. He is highly accessible, always on time, and most importantly gives us an honest value assessment of our clients home every time. I highly recommend Tom Horn!

- Collier Swecker-Owner of Mega Agent Real Estate Team at RE/MAX Advantage and Mega Agent Rental Management LLC

"I recently purchased my first residential real estate investment property, after months of research and looking. My plan was to pay cash for a property with promise, do needed repairs and upgrades, and then have the property appraised for a loan. Although fairly certain I had made a wise investment, I was extremely gratified to have Tom Horn's appraisal more than support my estimate of the property's value. Tom did an excellent job of finding comparables for what must have been a relatively difficult property to appraise: a small, older home in a good school district, situated in a once semi-rural neighborhood that is now becoming attractively developed. Although the age, size, and style of homes in the area varies wildly, Tom made good and fair matches. It is obvious he spent a lot of time and thought on this appraisal, and I could not be more pleased with his work. He will have all my future business. "

- Lynn Smith

"When we decided to place our home for sale by owner we were very uncertain about the asking price. We contacted Tom Horn about providing us with a market value appraisal. As it turns out the price we were initially planning to set would have been thousands below the market value. Tom’s appraisal not only helped us set a higher price but also gave us confidence in that price. We had a contract on our home within 2 days at the full asking price."

- Brian B.

My wife and I listed and sold our house. I had many updates and the house was in top condition. I had no idea what to ask for the house. I was referred to Tom by a commercial appraiser who works with Tom. Tom did an excellent job in preparing the appraisal. I sold the house for the appraised price.

- WRS