CheckValue

Josef Eckmair MBA

Co-founder, CheckValue · Managing director, CBDNOL GmbH · More than 20 years in real estate in Tenerife and Austria

Josef Eckmair MBA
Josef Eckmair MBA
Co-founder, CheckValue · Managing director, CBDNOL GmbH · More than 20 years in real estate in Tenerife and Austria

Josef Eckmair MBA is co-founder of CheckValue and managing director of CBDNOL GmbH (Ansfelden, Austria). He has more than 20 years of real estate experience in Tenerife and Austria and writes about appraisals, taxes, selling costs and valuations for professionals.

Articles by Josef Eckmair MBA

Several property valuation documents side by side on a desk: appraisal report, agent's comparative market analysis and printed online estimate
Appraisal

Appraisal vs CMA vs AVM vs BPO: Definitions, Legal Weight and Prices

Appraisal vs CMA vs AVM vs BPO: who is liable for the number, what each costs, how long it takes, and which one lenders, courts and the IRS accept.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Property tax assessment notice next to a calculator and a small house model, comparing assessed value with market value
Life events

Assessed Value vs Market Value: How Assessments Work and How to Appeal

Assessed value vs market value: how mass appraisal, assessment ratios and caps (Prop 13, Save Our Homes) work, why they diverge, and how to appeal in time.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Older hands holding house keys over estate documents, a home being valued for a date of death appraisal
Appraisal

Date-of-Death Appraisal, Refinance and Divorce: Valuing a Home for a Date

Date of death appraisal explained: IRC §1014 basis, retrospective valuations, refinance rules and waivers, and neutral appraisers in divorce, with costs.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Screen with house price index charts and a city map, the official data sources behind a home value
Data & method

FHFA House Price Index and Other Official Home Value Data Sources

The FHFA House Price Index explained: repeat-sales method, metro and ZIP indexes, plus Census, HUD and county records. Where US home value data lives.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Licensed appraiser with a clipboard measuring the exterior of a single-family house during a home appraisal inspection
Appraisal · Guide

Home Appraisal Cost in 2026: Process, Timeline and When You Need One

Home appraisal cost in 2026: typical fees, what drives them, the process from order to report, how long it takes, who pays, and when a report is enough.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Two people at a kitchen table with house documents and a calculator, working out a divorce home buyout
Life events

How Is a House Valued in a Divorce? Neutral Value, Buyout and Equity Split

How is a house valued in a divorce? Valuation dates by state, neutral appraisers, the equity formula, buyout mechanics and the §1041 and §121 tax rules.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Seller handing over house keys at closing, the moment the net proceeds of a home sale are settled
Selling · Guide

How Much Does It Cost to Sell a House? Commissions, Taxes, Net Proceeds

How much does it cost to sell a house in 2026? Commissions after the NAR settlement, closing costs line by line, taxes, payoff and your net proceeds.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Calculator, house keys and a rent ledger on a kitchen table in front of a small duplex, the tools for working out cap rate and rental yield
Rent & investment

How to Calculate Cap Rate, Gross Yield and Net Yield: A Duplex Example

How to calculate cap rate, gross yield and net yield: formulas, 2026 benchmarks, the 1% rule and GRM traps, and a full duplex example from rent to return.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Older family house with a mature garden, the kind of inherited property heirs must value as of the date of death
Life events

How to Determine Fair Market Value of Inherited Property: Step-Up in Basis

How to determine fair market value of inherited property: date-of-death value under IRC §1014, probate vs trust, 2026 estate tax, and keep, sell or rent.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Real estate agent at a desk with laptop and phone preparing owner letters from county property records
Ownership records

How to Find Absentee Owners: Legal Lookups, FCRA Limits and Outreach

How to find absentee owners legally: county records to mailing address, skip tracing, FCRA and TCPA limits, Fair Housing, and letters that get replies.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Entrance of a modern apartment building, the kind of property that is often held through an LLC or a trust
Ownership records

How to Find Out Who Owns an LLC or Trust That Owns a House

How to find out who owns an LLC that owns a property: the vesting line, Secretary of State searches, trusts and trustees, estates, and the legal limits.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Homeowner planting a for sale by owner sign on the front lawn of a US house, selling without a realtor
Selling

How to Sell a House Without a Realtor: Commissions After the NAR Settlement

How to sell a house without a realtor: what the 2024 NAR settlement changed, FSBO step by step, flat-fee MLS, and the pricing mistakes that cost sellers.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Row of small apartment buildings and single-family rentals on a city street, the mixed portfolio a landlord revalues each year
For professionals

How to Value a Rental Property and a Whole Portfolio Consistently

How to value a rental property and a portfolio with one method: sales comparison, income (cap rate, GRM), cost, lender metrics and a revaluation cadence.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Listing agent walking a seller couple through a printed valuation report with comparable sales at their kitchen table
For professionals

Pre-Listing Appraisal vs. CMA: A Cited Valuation Report for Listing Agents

Pre-listing appraisal, CMA, BPO or AI valuation report? Cost, time and credibility compared for listing agents, with a pricing example and ethics notes.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 11 min read · September 27, 2026
An old recorded deed with a notary seal, the kind of document kept in county property records
Ownership records

Property Records Explained: Deeds, Assessor, Recorder and Parcel Numbers

Property records explained: the three county offices, the parcel number that ties them together, deed types decoded, and how to read an assessor page.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026
Couple at a kitchen table reviewing a home appraisal report and comparable sales after a low appraisal
Appraisal

What to Do If the Appraisal Comes In Low: ROV, Second Opinion, Renegotiate

What to do if the appraisal comes in low: find report errors, file a reconsideration of value under the 2024 guidance, and weigh four exits with numbers.

Josef Eckmair MBA · 12 min read · September 27, 2026