The amount you can borrow will depend directly on the value of your seaside home. It is critical to know what your home is worth prior to moving forward with plans to refinance, obtain a home loan, or put your seaside home up or sale.
One option to you is to see what homes in your neighborhood have sold in the last 6 months. Find seaside homes that are comparable to yours and ask your real estate agent if they will pull the MLS information on the homes for you.
Another way to find the value of your seaside property is to find its appraised value. To do this you need to pay for the help of a trained and licensed professional. They will take into account a variety of factors, including the homes square footage, construction quality, floor plan, design, surrounding neighborhood, proximity to important services and locations, as well as the landscaping, among other factors. An appraiser will usually cost anywhere between $300 and $500.
The appraiser will also be able to establish the replacement value of the home. The replacement value is an estimate of how much it will cost to build a similar home on an empty lot. This figure accounts for the age with relation to deterioration and depreciation.
One important thing to note is that a homes appraised value, replace cost, and worth are three completely different numbers. A homes estimated value and replacement cost is defined by one of the methods listed above, while its worth is eventually established by what potential buyers are willing to pay for it.
In Closing
If you are selling your seaside property, it is wise to build in some kind of buffer on the sales price to allow for some downward movement in the price for negotiations. But don’t overprice the home to the point that it scares away potential buyers. Your real estate agent will be able to help you set a listing price that is right for your seaside home.
Hubert Miles is the founder of Waterfront Houses USA, an online advertising service that provides Seaside Homes and Seaside Property in the US and Canada.
