Well, we talked to the bank. Even though it is a horrendous, convoluted appraisal, they said they couldn’t do anything about it. Nice answer, huh? Especially now that they have our application fees.
I was told that the only thing I can do is find houses in the area for a better comparison. So, that means I have to do the appraiser’s job. Luckily I have a realtor friend who specializes in selling older homes and properties in the Garden District. She is going to help find some good comparables and see if that puts us on a better track.
What really galls me is, Louisiana is backwards in preservation and so are the younger people who live here. I am 29, so I am not an old biddie cracking on young people. I had a young appraiser, late 20’s, maybe early 30’s, who told me that the life expectancy of my house was maybe another 20 years! Can you believe that! It has stood for 100, it will stand for 200! I just can’t believe the mentality. Just because it is old, that makes it “inferior”. You can’t build houses like this anymore! I have news for him: My house will outlast any new home in the area. Also, most of the new homes that are built today WILL NOT outlive their mortgages…mark my words.
So, here we are again, another delay and more negativity. I told my husband that if someone offered to buy my house right now for what I paid for it, I would hand them the key. I have endured two years of crazy looks from my friends, family, realtor, loan officers…….that is the short list. Now, I have the appraiser telling me my house won’t live another 20 years. Is it really worth all this trouble?
Perpetual Renovator 