Home appraisals in Imperial County, by tomorrow

Imperial County homes sit on flat, irrigated ground: older stucco ranch houses in El Centro, Brawley and Calexico, newer subdivisions in Imperial and Heber, and manufactured homes out toward Niland. Heirs often live far from the valley, and estates, divorces and tax appeals all run on deadlines, so I work from your photos instead of a site visit.

What I look at in Imperial County

1. 1

   Cooling comes first here. I check for central air or a swamp cooler, how old the units look in your photos, and whether solar panels are owned or leased.

2. 2

   Sales are thin in Holtville, Westmorland and Calipatria, so I often reach to El Centro or Brawley for comparables and adjust for the difference in town.

3. 3

   A house beside a canal, a farmhouse on acreage and a place in Salton City each draw different buyers, so I compare each with sales of the same type.

Across Imperial County

Imperial County runs from the Salton Sea's south shore down the irrigated valley to the border at Calexico, then east past the Algodones Dunes to the Colorado River at Winterhaven. Farm town or border neighborhood, I value each home against its own local market.

Imperial County questions