McKeever Heun Real EstateMcKeever HeunReal Estate · DeSoto County, MS

How I help

Two sides of the table. Same math either way.

Buying, I make sure you are not paying above what the house will appraise for. Selling, I make sure your price holds up when the appraiser shows up with a clipboard. Scroll to whichever one you are.

For buyers

Nobody should overpay because the listing looked nice.

Here is exactly what happens when we work together, start to finish.

  1. Step 1

    We talk first

    Budget, timeline, must-haves, deal breakers. Fifteen minutes on the phone saves a month of touring houses that were never going to work.

  2. Step 2

    Get your financing squared away

    A pre-approval letter is what makes your offer real. I can point you toward local lenders who actually answer their phone on a Saturday.

  3. Step 3

    We go look

    I walk the house with an appraiser's habits. Roof age, foundation movement, permits, additions that were never permitted, functional layout problems that hurt resale.

  4. Step 4

    We price the offer

    I pull the comparable sales and adjust them for condition, square footage, lot, and location. Then we decide what the house is worth to you, and what it will appraise for.

  5. Step 5

    Under contract

    Inspection, appraisal, title work, and the deadlines that come with them. I keep the calendar so nothing quietly expires.

  6. Step 6

    Closing day

    Final walkthrough, closing table, keys. I read the settlement statement line by line before you sign it.

How valuation work changes the way I read a listing.

I still work as an active appraiser today, alongside selling homes. An appraiser does not look at a house and feel something. An appraiser looks at a house and asks what a similar one down the street sold for last month, then adjusts for every difference. Extra bathroom, newer roof, busier road, smaller lot, an addition with no permit.

So when we walk into a listing, I am already separating the things that add real value from the things that only add asking price. Fresh paint and staging furniture are not worth fifteen thousand dollars. A finished basement that was never permitted may be worth nothing at all to your lender. That is the difference between a house you love and a house you can afford to sell later.

Buyers touring an empty living room with their agent

For sellers

Price it right and the appraisal is a formality.

Overpricing does not get you more money. It gets you thirty days of silence, a price cut, and a buyer who now thinks something is wrong with the house.

Front yard of a brick home in Northwest Mississippi with a for sale sign

Pricing strategy

I still do appraisal work today, and I build your price the same way: recent sales of genuinely similar homes, adjusted for the differences, weighted by how close and how recent they are. Then we look at what is currently active, because that is your actual competition.

The first two weeks on the market are the ones that matter. Price inside the range where buyers are already looking and you get showings. Price above it and you become the house other listings use to look like a bargain.

How appraisals affect your sale

If your buyer is financing, the lender orders an appraisal and will not lend more than the appraised value. Your contract price can be anything. The loan follows the appraisal.

Come in low and you have three choices: the buyer brings cash to cover the gap, you drop the price, or the deal dies. Knowing that ahead of time is worth more than any listing photo.

Preparing for the appraiser’s visit

  • Clear access to the attic, crawlspace, electrical panel, and every room.
  • Permits and receipts for additions, roofs, HVAC, and major updates in one folder.
  • A written list of improvements with dates and costs, handed over at the door.
  • Yard mowed, edges trimmed, clutter gone. Condition ratings are subjective.
  • Small visible repairs done: peeling paint, loose rail, cracked pane, dripping faucet.
  • Give the appraiser room to work, then let them work. Answer questions, do not hover.

Where deals fall apart at appraisal

  • The appraisal comes in under contract price and the buyer's loan will not cover the gap.
  • There are no good comparable sales nearby, so the value lands lower than the market feels.
  • Unpermitted square footage cannot be counted, so the house measures smaller on paper.
  • Deferred maintenance triggers a condition rating that some loan programs will not accept.
  • FHA or VA repair requirements surface late, with a closing date already set.

Most of these are predictable. That is the whole point of having someone who used to sit on the other side of the file.

Free, no strings

What’s My Home Worth?

Send me the address and I will do the real work: pull recent sales nearby, adjust them for the differences, and give you a range with the reasoning behind it. Not an automated estimate that has never seen your kitchen.

You will hear back from me directly. If you are not selling for two years, that is fine too.