Start Garden invests in real estate appraising

Start Garden invests in real estate appraising

Appraisal150 sells discount real estate appraisals. Photo via appraisal150.com

Amid the buzz of ArtPrize, Rick DeVos’ $15 million seed fund has stayed hard at work.

Appraisal150

Start Garden invested $5,000 last week in Appraisal150, a real estate appraisal startup already at work in West Michigan.

Appraisal150 said it sells discount home appraisal services, sometimes cutting costs as much as 50 percent, by automating ordering, scheduling and delivery.

The model has been tested in the West Michigan market, said idea creator Scott Packer, adding that Grand Rapids attorneys, realtors and bankers have referred clients to Appraisal150.

“Appraisal150 is a network of many independent licensed appraisers,” Packer writes on his Start Garden page. “Our website utilizes common sense tools that put the homeowner in charge throughout the process. These appraisals are full interior, exterior inspections with the same detail and quality demanded by banks and our courts.”