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G.A. Farrell & Associates Ltd, a leading firm of Chartered Valuation Surveyors, specialized in the valuation of properties in Trinidad & Tobago. Newsletters MARKET CONDITIONS APRIL 2024 MARKET CONDITIONS OCTOBER 2022 MARKET CONDITIONS NOVEMBER 2021 MARKET CONDITIONS JANUARY 2021 MARKET CONDITIONS SEPTEMBER 2019 MARKET CONDITIONS JANUARY 2019 MARKET CONDITIONS OCTOBER 2023 MARKET CONDITIONS JULY 2022 MARKET CONDITIONS JUNE 2021 MARKET CONDITIONS JULY 2020 MARKET CONDITIONS MAY 2019 MARKET CONDITIONS MARCH 2018 MARKET CONDITIONS MAY 2023 MARKET CONDITIONS MARCH 2022 MARKET CONDITIONS APRIL 2021 MARKET CONDITIONS MARCH 2020 MARKET CONDITIONS MARCH 2019

G.A. Farrell & Associates Ltd, a leading firm of Chartered Valuation Surveyors, specialized in the valuation of properties in Trinidad & Tobago. Make A Payment Make a payment for your valuation request. Type of Payment Choose an option Valuation in Name of Reference Number Amount to be paid Address of property to be valued Additional Comments Make Payment

G.A. Farrell & Associates Ltd, a leading firm of Chartered Valuation Surveyors, specialized in the valuation of properties in Trinidad & Tobago. Refinance for Profit Refinancing your mortgage means obtaining a new mortgage loan on your property and repaying the old one. There are many reasons why a property owner should consider refinancing and a few of these reasons are detailed below. The most obvious reason is when a property owner (let’s call him Mr. O. Ner) has an existing mortgage loan at say 12% p.a. and discovers that banks and insurance companies are now offering mortgage loans at 9% p.a. Mr. O. Ner should first approach his current lender and request that the interest rate be reduced. If his request is refused, Mr. O. Ner should then approach another mortgage institution to refinance his loan. If he has a mortgage loan of $600,000 over 25 years @ 12% p.a. and decides to refinance it at the new rate, his monthly mortgage payment would drop from $6,319.34 to $5,035.18. He would, therefore, save over $15,400 per annum!.Another reason why Mr. O. Ner may be considering refinancing is to consolidate his existing loans. He may have the following loans: $100,000 – monthly payment of $3,300 – taken for his child’s university education; $60,000 – monthly payment of $2,000 – taken for personal reasons such as to purchase a second car, furniture, etc. $525,000 – monthly payment of $6,310. – mortgage taken 10 years ago to purchase his home. When Mr. O. Ner now obtains a new mortgage loan of $725,000 (assuming that he has enough equity), he will be able to repay all of the above loans plus have $40,000 to help towards the closing costs for the new loan. If the new mortgage loan is at 9% p.a. over a 15 year period (the same time remaining on his prior mortgage loan), his new monthly payment will be $7,354 vs. the total monthly loan payments before of $11,620. This represents a monthly saving of $4,266! A third reason to consider is that Mr. O. Ner may wish to raise some capital in order to make some investments. This can be done by refinancing his existing mortgage loan assuming that he has enough equity. Once the expected rate of return on his proposed investments is greater than the interest rate on his new mortgage loan, (sometimes referred to as “leverage”), it is in Mr. O. Ner’s best interest to refinance. Before rushing out to refinance his property, there are many other factors that Mr. O. Ner should consider. One of the most important ones is the closing costs involved in repaying an existing mortgage loan and obtaining a new one. While this will vary from case to case, Mr. O. Ner should cater between 4% to 5% (of the new mortgage loan amount) as closing costs. In instances where Mr. O. Ner is refinancing due to lower mortgage interest rates, while his monthly savings is immediate, it will take about two years before his savings offset his closing costs on the new mortgage loan. (For more details on the closing costs involved in a mortgage loan, readers should refer to our page entitled “Buying a Home”. Mr. O. Ner should also check to see if there are any prepayment penalties on his old loan as that could have an effect on his decision. In the second refinancing scenario above, it must be remembered that while Mr. O. Ner will enjoy an immediate monthly saving, he is extending the time period for repaying his personal loans (loans 1 & 2). We strongly recommended that professional advice be obtained before making any type of major financial decision. The time to get professional advice is now. Property owners are urged to check with their accountant, lawyer, financial consultant or contact G.A. Farrell & Associates Limited.

G.A. Farrell & Associates Ltd, a leading firm of Chartered Valuation Surveyors, specialized in the valuation of properties in Trinidad & Tobago. FAQs Note: ‘End-user’ refers to the actual person or entity that will be relying on the Valuation Report e.g. a lending institution or statutory body. What are the requirements to make a Valuation Request? For a typical Valuation Request, we require the following documents: A copy of a valid form of Identification (ID, DP or Passport) A copy of Deed / Title document or any Lease(s) A copy of Survey Plan / Cadastral Sheet Please note that additional documents may be required based on the type of property and/or the purpose of valuation. What is the fee for a standard residential valuation request? Our fee is dependent on the value of the property and in most cases, the following fee structure applies: $2,200 for the first $500,000 of the opinion of market value and ¼ of 1% of the excess over $500,000 plus VAT, subject to a minimum fee of $2,200 plus VAT. For example, if a property is valued at $1M, our fee would be $3,450 plus VAT @ 12.5%. Therefore, the total cost would be $3,881.25. Please note that our fees may vary based on the type of property and/or the purpose of valuation. How long is a Valuation Report valid? Typically, a valuation report is valid for six (6) months however, it depends on the requirements of the ‘end-user’ and their informed opinion of the validity of the Valuation Report as time passes. Where are you located? We have five (5) branches located throughout Trinidad & Tobago and they are as follows: #23 Ariapita Avenue, Port of Spain, Trinidad, W.I. #51 Harris Street, San Fernando, Trinidad, W.I. 1st Floor, No. 9, Mulchan Seuchan Road, Chaguanas, Trinidad, W.I. #51-59 Tumpuna Road, Shops of Arima, Inner Mall Shops, Arima, Trinidad, W.I. Unit 5, Tateco Building, Wilson Road, Scarborough, Tobago, W.I. What is the turnaround time for a standard Valuation Request? Upon receipt of all required documents and access, delivery of the final report will take approximately 10 working days (excluding weekends and public holidays). Depending on the property type and location, additional time may be required. Why would I need to have my property valued? You may require a Valuation Report for various reasons, some of which are noted as follows: An opinion of what you should pay if you are purchasing a property Mortgage purposes for a long-term loan To determine a replacement cost of a building for Insurance purposes To finance the Construction of a new building If selling a property, to have an opinion of the sale price for marketing purposes An accurate assessment of the applicable Stamp Duty Tax (e.g. when transferring ownership of a property) A record of Assets for accounting purposes such as in a Balance Sheet Statutory requirements – Probating a will or litigation Are your Reports accepted by ‘end-users’? Yes, we are on the panel of approved service providers to all the major Mortgage Lending Institutions and Statutory Bodies. What are the methods of payment? Payment can be made at our offices (San Fernando, Chaguanas, Port of Spain, Arima or Tobago) via cash, debit card, credit card (also, over the phone or via our website), cheque, online transfer or bank deposit. Do I need to make an appointment before visiting the office? It depends on the purpose of your visit. Generally speaking, no appointment is required to visit our office. Our offices are open Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:00pm (GMT-4), excluding Public Holidays. For the purpose of requesting a valuation, you may opt to do this online via our online form here . Can someone (otherwise called an agent) make a valuation request on my behalf, I being the client? Yes, someone can make a valuation request on your behalf however, we require a valid photo ID from you, the Client as well as the Agent. What are the requirements to collect a completed Valuation Report? In order to collect the completed Valuation Report, the outstanding balance on fees must be settled in full. Kindly note if someone (an Agent) is collecting the Valuation Report on your behalf, we require a letter authorising the Agent to collect on the client’s behalf as well as a copy of a valid photo ID for the Agent. Do you value agricultural land? Yes, we value agricultural lands generally once there is a motorable access to the lands and Cadastral Survey Plan is available. As such, all requests will be screened prior to acceptance. Kindly note that we only value the surface rights (i.e. freehold or leasehold interest) and not what is grown in the lands such as crops and timber trees. What are comparables? RICS Valuation – Global Standards December 2024 defines Comparables as “an item of information used during the valuation process as evidence to support the valuation of another, similar item. Comparable evidence comprises a range of relevant data used by the valuer to support a valuation.” The primary source of comparables is Agreements-of-Sale. If I instruct that I need my Valuation Report to come in at a particular figure, can the company facilitate this? It would be unethical to accept such an instruction. Our Valuation Opinion is based on consideration of all relevant factors including the analysis of comparables (defined above). It would go against best practice to report a valuation opinion that does not follow this process. This is supported by the fact that G. A. Farrell & Associates Limited is a RICS-regulated firm with a duty to uphold international standards [RICS – Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors]. When conducting a site visit, does the Valuation Officer need access to all rooms? Yes. Access to all areas of a building allows for a complete visual inspection of the premises which contributes to a realistic and reasonable assessment of the market value of the property. If I commissioned a Valuation Report to determine a price for my property, can a prospective purchaser use this Valuation Report e.g. to secure a mortgage? As per international standards, a Valuation Report can only be done for one specific purpose. As with the example above, a Valuation Report done for the specific purpose of sale, should not be used for mortgage purposes. We recommend that a prospective purchaser secure his / her own Valuation report. I did a valuation of my property previously and I need an updated Valuation Report. Can the date on my initial Valuation Report be changed? The initial Valuation Report would have been done at a specific date. If we changed the date on the Valuation Report to a later date, this means that the same Valuation Report exists at two different dates. This would be unethical and therefore, we cannot simply change the date on a pre-existing Valuation Report. As such, we advise that a new Valuation Report be commissioned. If my property was already valued in the past by G.A. Farrell & Associates Limited, what will it cost to get an updated Valuation Report? In cases where we have done a Valuation Report on the same property within the last three (3) years, and for the same client, a discount of up to 30% of the fee is given, subject to the applicable minimum fee. For properties valued within the last four (4) to six (6) years, and for the same client, a discount of up to 15% of the fee is given, subject to the applicable minimum fee. Do you also prepare Quantity Surveyor’s Reports? Yes, we do prepare Quantity Surveyor’s Reports on structures that have not exceeded its foundation stage of construction. However, please confirm with your lending institution that we are on their panel of approved Quantity Surveyors. If you require both a Proposed Building Valuation and a Quantity Surveyor’s Report, confirm also with your lending institution that they will accept both Reports from our firm. Do you conduct valuations for properties without Town and Country Planning Division (TCPD) approvals? In the absence of TCPD approvals, once reasonable and practical, we can value the property, but our opinion of value would be based on the following assumption: “All relevant approvals have been obtained from the relevant authorities.” How should I choose a valuation firm? It is important that when a valuation report for a specific purpose is required, you ensure that the Valuation Firm selected is approved by the ‘end-user’. Qualified Valuers will be chartered (i.e. have a professional RICS designation, MRICS or FRICS), a RICS-registered Valuer and may also be a full member of the Institute of Surveyors of Trinidad & Tobago (ISTT), as evidenced by the designation, MISTT.

G. A. Farrell & Associates Limited is a leading firm of Chartered Valuation Surveyors. G.A. FARRELL & Associates Ltd Welcome to G.A. Farrell & Associates, our website is currently under maintenance to improve your browsing experience. Please stay updated for when we are once again live. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and we can still be reached at our contacts below. contactus@gafarrell.com | (868) 624-8628 No. 23 Ariapita Avenue, Woodbrook, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago © 2022 G.A. Farrell & Associates Ltd | All Rights Reserved | Designed & Developed by AppNerd Inc

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