The Cold Hearted Appraiser

A trust sale can look simple from the outside: list the house, pick an offer, close escrow. You’re suddenly navigating siblings with different memories, different expectations about price, and different levels of urgency, all while a family home full of belongings still needs to become “show ready.” On The Cold Heart Appraiser, I sit down with Staci Crumbaker, a third-generation Realtor with Human...

Price per square foot is the fastest way to sound confident while being totally wrong. It's me today, Glen Kangas, your host of The Cold Hearted Appraiser. I give you a no-nonsense appraisal who sees the same pricing mistake across the country: people start with a $/sq ft target, then hunt for sales that “make it work” instead of finding what a real buyer would compare. We'll dig into th...

A probate sale can look simple on paper: list the house, accept an offer, close escrow. Then reality shows up. Families are grieving, siblings are arguing, the house is packed with decades of possessions, and the “easy” part, the real estate, becomes the last domino to fall. I’m joined by Joe Napoli, a no-nonsense probate realtor who has helped more than 300 families navigate trust and probate rea...

A probate or trust sale can turn into a mess fast: siblings disagree, timelines tighten, and the house sits there looking worn out while carrying costs stack up. We wanted a clear, real-world answer to one question we hear constantly as an appraiser and real estate pro: what improvements actually raise the sale price without turning the transaction into a construction project that drags on for mon...

A tenant offers to buy the house directly from the trust. It sounds like the clean, stress-free exit, until you realize the “easy” deal can quietly strip hundreds of thousands of dollars from the heirs. On Cold Hearted Appraiser I sit down with Los Angeles real estate agent Sarah Rogers to talk about estate and trust real estate through real stories from the field. Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.co...

Glen Kangas, The Cold Hearted Appraiser, and Kiran Dhillon, Multifamily Apartment Broker,  break down why a date of death appraisal and a broker opinion of value can land on different numbers for the same apartment building. We walk through taxes, timing, rent rules, and buyer math so fiduciaries, heirs, and attorneys can make cleaner decisions without getting stuck on the wrong benchmark.\n\n• da...

Glen Kangas, the Cold Hearted Appraiser, talks with multifamily broker Kiran Dillon about the trust and probate realities that can make apartment building sales messy fast. We share two real deals that show how title surprises, inspections, and beneficiary expectations shape price and timing.  <br>• Kieran’s path from litigation to commercial real estate brokerage  <br>• Why trust and...

One day you’re running errands and watching fire trucks race up the street. Hours later, you’re standing in front of a facade that used to be your home, trying to understand how an 80 mph wind can erase decades in a single night. On the Episode of Cold Hearted Appraiser, I sit down with Compass agents Vance Weisberg and Sherry Lynn plus escrow veteran Judy Pastor to tell the Eaton Fire story from...

A fire can turn a normal home sale into a decision you never wanted to make: rebuild, sell the lot, or walk away and start over somewhere else. On today's Episode of the Cold Heart Appraiser, I  sit down with Altadena top local agent Michael Bell to get practical about what actually happens after a major wildfire, and what buyers, builders, and insurers care about when the “house” is suddenly...

Selling a parent’s home can feel like a simple real estate task until probate rules, disclosures, and family stress collide. On Cold Heart Podcast, I sit down with Pasadena-area Realtor Michael Bell, who has spent decades handling probate and trust sales, to get practical guidance that protects heirs, fiduciaries, and successor trustees from expensive mistakes. Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vl...

I am a real estate appraiser, and I love my job.  I am in a different area every day. I get paid to wander through people’s homes. I see on occasion, incredible homes, views, pools, master suites, kitchens, etc.  My favorite story however, is in a home in Santa Monica. Nice older Spanish home, not updated as is common, lots of books, and in the master bedroom, there was a sketch of some work boots...

Focus on important factors to value, not minor things like not indicating gutters Was there something important about your property that was missed? Was the comp selection appropriate? Is there a comp that was missed? Were adjustments appropriate?  Questions and more as we discusses how to challenge a poor appraisal. Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/ Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

What is an appraisal waiver?  Fannie and Freddie both have been allowing appraisal waivers for both refinance and purchases since before COVID  If a property has been appraised for a Fannie or Freddie recently, a loan may qualify for an appraisal waiver(now called value acceptance), meaning no appraisal, or might involve value acceptance + a property data inspection by a non-appraiser to confirm t...

Is it a good idea to use Zillow as a starting point for divorce valuations?  Let’s talk about the Zillow, et al algorithms.  1.    The algorithms are secret, we have no idea what drives them 2.    Zillow does not appear to take into account location or even city boundaries where values change There are 8 more points to answering the Zillow Divorce valuation, good idea or not? Vlog: https://gaappra...

Rent control has become a hot topic of late, so let’s discuss the impact of rent control on both rents and values I get it, in addition to housing costs being high, rents are high as well, but it is important to understand the economics of why that is the case. Let's talk about supply and demand. Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/ Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

Let’s talk about Living area Agents list the living area from public records in MLS. Agents use $/sf to determine a list price for a home. Lenders want permits if the measured living area does not match public records as a measurement significantly larger might include non-permitted areas. Is public records really the ultimate authority of the true living area of a home? In this episode we'll...

Times have changed in the Real Estate industry, nothing new there.  Listings are down, there is now the NAR settlement with Buyer/Broker agreements, commission confusion and a slow market with high interest rates  It’s tougher to get listings and find clients and according to NAR Surveys, 75% of sellers do not use the same agent on their next sale!    So how do you set yourself apart as a real est...

People ask me all the time, "Why do you call yourself the cold heart appraiser?" In this Episode I spill it all and answer that question. Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/ Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

I heard a stat in a networking meeting that only 34% of people have an estate plan. 34%?!  That is a pretty low number. Why is that?  Join me, The Cold Hearted Appraiser, in the conversation as I talk about Estate Planning. Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/ Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/