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                                         Harry E. Davis

                 Texas State Certified Residential Appraiser

                  Providing Round Rock Appraisals since 1984

If you need a competent professional Round Rock appraisal by a state certified Round Rock Appraiser, please call us at (512) 925-4904.

All major credit cards accepted via PayPal.

Refinance Lenders click here for a free comp check.

We provide residential Round Rock appraisal services for:

• Conventional Mortgage Loans
• FHA Mortgage Loans
• Refinance Loans
• Probate
• Divorce settlement
• Buying or Selling price determination
• Appraisal Desk and Field Reviews

Types of Round Rock properties we appraise:

• Homes
• Duplexes
• Fourplexes
• Condominiums
• Vacant lots

Round Rock Market Indicators

About Round Rock, Texas

Located in Williamson County, Round Rock is a suburban city north of Austin. Here are some Round Rock facts:

Planning: As the winner of the prestigious Comprehensive Planning Award from the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association in 1999, the City prides itself on its long-term vision.

Crime: Round Rock is ranked the 13th Safest City in the United States by a national survey, and has the fourth lowest crime rate among Texas cities with populations of 50,000 to 100,000. Round Rock has the lowest crime rate for cities in that size category – nearly half that of the city with the next lowest crime rate – in Central Texas. In a year 2006 survey of city residents, 89 percent of respondents said they felt safe walking alone in their neighborhood at night..

Cost of living: The City of Round Rock’s property tax rate is one of the lowest in the region (37.1 cents per $100 of valuation). Also, residents pay the lowest combined average monthly utility and tax costs in Central Texas, while achieving an 82 percent satisfaction rating from its customers. Round Rock has the lowest ACCRA composite cost of living index rating among the three largest cities in the metro area. Round Rock is affordable!

Public Utilities: Over the last three quarters, 89 percent of the city’s water customers have rated the city as good or excellent. Sewer customers gave an 87 percent rating (keep in mind the customers that respond to the survey have had a work order on their service recently). Round Rock has not had mandatory water rationing during the past 21 years..

Traffic: The Round Rock City Council approved a Transportation Master Plan in January 1999. The City’s Transportation Capital Improvement Plan contains $415 million worth of projects. The City’s half-cent sales tax levy for transportation will pay for $125 million of that total..

Dell Diamond: The City of Round Rock’s stadium and conference center has drawn record crowds since opening in 2000. The ballpark is home to the Round Rock Express, the Triple A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Dell Diamond is the No. 1 ballpark in the country out of more than 200 parks according to the Fifth Annual Minor League News rankings. It was named top Double A stadium by Baseball America in 2004. (The Express moved to Triple A in the 2005 season.) Construction of the $25 million facility was financed by $8.4 million in revenue bonds backed by the City of Round Rock’s hotel-motel tax revenues and cash from RSR Sports, owner of the Express..

Sales tax rate: 8.25 percent (6.25 percent state, 2.0 percent local).

Sales tax impact: The City of Round Rock ranks seventh among cities in the state of Texas for sales tax collections through November 2006, due in large part to the impact of Dell’s Texas sales. Round Rock is the 34th largest City in Texas, according to 2004 U.S. Census Bureau data..

Zip Codes in Round Rock:

Appraiser for zip codes 78664, 78665, 78680, 78681, 78682 and 78683

Appraisal 2.0

Here is a short video about Round Rock, Texas.   Enjoy!

Free or Cheap Appraisals - You Get Your Money's Worth

People naturally want to save money where they can, and those wanting to sell or refinance their homes are no exception. Perhaps the most important question anyone thinking about doing these things can ask is how much the home is worth on the market. The value of the property is obviously critical to selling or buying, and will be a primary factor in obtaining a loan. An appraiser can answer this question, but that service isn't cheap. A typical home appraisal fee will run about $350 depending on where the property is and what it contains. Naturally, many people seek an alternative to this fee and a search of the internet will reveal a lot of web sites that offer a free or relatively inexpensive solution to the traditional appraiser.

One possibility is inexpensive electronic appraisals, known in the mortgage industry as "AVMs" or Automated Valuation Models. These are computer generated value ranges based on various techniques, such as comparing a sample of actual recent sales to tax assessor valuations to develop a ratio, or a statistical model using actual sales. The methods vary by AVM. The cost for these products ranges from about $20 to $40. These are often used by mortgage companies, but a few consumer products are available to the general public.

We have tested two popular AVM products and found them wanting. In one instance, a list of recent comparable sales was purchased from a consumer AVM site and compared to actual sales from the local MLS. Out of 12 sales provided by the AVM, not one of them matched MLS records for the same properties, and some of the selling prices shown in the AVM list were off target by as much as 100%. In another instance, a different AVM produced a range of value from $216,000 to $489,000 for a home, which is hardly a useful or informative range. The secondary mortgage market has taken notice of inconsistencies like this and mortgages based solely on AVM valuations have been subject to considerable discounting.

While free to cheap value solutions may serve some purposes, it is still a matter that you get what you pay for. A poor appraisal can end up costing someone many thousands of dollars. If an AVM or someone else under-values your home, you will lose a lot of money. If your home is over-valued, it will be much harder to sell and will take longer, costing more in unnecessary house payments and taxes until the seller lowers the price to actual market value and attracts a buyer.

Computerized appraisals where no one has actually inspected the property inside and out run the risk of being inaccurate for obvious reasons. It takes professional judgement and experience to provide a reliable and reasonable estimate of value. A computer does not know the special positive or negative aspects of a property like a real live appraiser can know. Most buyers and sellers have found that the fees charged by professional appraisers are well worth the money.

Appraisals vs. Property Inspections

What an appraisal is -- An appraisal is how the value of a property is determined, by means of a visual inspection, measurements. and comparison of the appraised home to actual sales of similar homes in the area. The appraisal is used to determine the maximum loan amount of the mortgage. As part of the appraisal process, the appraiser looks for conditions that can affect the habitability and value of the property.

What an appraisal is not -- An appraisal is not an inspection of the property in the sense that buyers often perceive. Licensed real estate inspectors go into much greater detail onsite than an appraiser does, and are trained to test and determine the physical condition of the structures and the operating condition of the various electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems. In the case of FHA or VA appraisals, the appraiser looks for violations of the Minimum Property Requirements established by those agencies. In Conventional appraisals the appraiser looks for violations of whatever minimum property standards a particular may have (if any). The appraiser is not an expert in heating or cooling systems, plumbing systems, electrical systems, roofing systems, termite damage, foundation repair, and many other items. The appraiser normally looks at a property from the viewpoint of a typical buyer. If you are concerned about the physical condition of the property and its structural, electrical or mechanical systems, we recommend that you hire a private inspector to inspect the property. In Texas, inspectors are licensed by the state and can be found in the yellow pages.

Round Rock Real Estate News and Views Roundup