Appraisal services for Chicago and Cook County homeowners

Here are the top 7 reasons IL homeowners need Zivka Ljutic:

  1. Get a pre-listing appraisal (whether you're using an agent or selling the home on your own)
  2. Challenge a property tax assessment
  3. Remove PMI to lower their mortgage payment
  4. Reinstate their Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC)
  5. Verify another appraiser's report
  6. In the case of a IL divorce, where property needs to be divided
  7. To settle an estate in IL by determining the true market value of property in question

Own a home in or near Chicago, IL and need help deciding the price of it?
Contact Zivka Ljutic.

We at Zivka Ljutic understand the special needs of a homeowner seeking appraisal services. The appraisal process and reporting formats are familiar to our business clients like banks, attorneys, and accountants. Being a consumer that probably doesn't see an appraisal every day,we will give you extra guidance and explanations through the appraisal process to more fully understand what we do and how we present the results of our analysis.

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

It's very hard to be objective about your house because you probably have an emotional attachment to it. The professional appraisers at Zivka Ljutic 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 buyers, a professional appraisal is a very valuable negotiating tool once you have an attainable buyer. It gives you something tangible to show the buyer. It's an independent third party's opinion of your home's price, and not just how much you think your house is worth. Potential buyers know you have an emotional attachment to your home and will be more likely to give credibility to an accomplished appraiser's value report than yours.

Appraisals to remove PMI

A fashionable way to cut expenses for homeowners is to get the PMI removed from their mortgage loan, thus saving them money on their monthly payments. PMI stands for "Private Mortgage Insurance". Once your mortgage loan is down below 80% of the value of your house, in most cases you can apply to a lender to have the PMI eliminated from your loan, which will make your monthly payments go down. We're experienced in helping folks just like you delete unneeded and unwanted PMI insurance.

Challenge Tax Assessment

If you live in a region that is going down or is not appreciating as much as other homes nearby, your local tax assessor may have your house overvalued. That only means you are probably paying more taxes than you should. The faster you take care of a matter like this, the better off you'll be, since your property assessment may likely go up again in the next period. When challenging your property tax assessment, getting an appraisal from Zivka Ljutic is your number one weapon.

Recently got a freeze your HELOC?

Even if your specific property has not declined in value, your lender may decide to automatically freeze your home equity line of credit (HELOC) if your home is near a declining area. This can be be destructive to your credit score since it may appear as though that credit line is maxed out, and also disadvantageous from a cash flow point of view. An efficient appraisal from Zivka Ljutic can help you reinstate your HELOC.

We Offer Field and Desktop Appraisal Review Services

Would you wish a second opinion without the expense and delay of waiting for a whole new appraisal? Or do you want a seasoned expert to double-check your appraisal for accuracy? An appraiser from Zivka Ljutic can go out and check the subject and comps in question in a field review. Or, if you need it in a rush, we can provide desk review and verify as many facts as we can using online data sources as well as our own files.

Need a retrospective review of an appraisal? We can We can assist you While usually requested by banks, you may desire to exercise this service if you suspect mortgage fraud related to your property.