<br>

An individual training to become a licensed real estate appraiser who has completed at least 75 hours of education.

<br>

## Related terms
- [Certified General Appraiser](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/certified-general-appraiser)
- [Certified Residential Appraiser](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/certified-residential-appraiser)
- [Licensed Residential Appraiser](https://www.offermarket.us/real-estate-glossary/licensed-residential-appraiser)

A Trainee Appraiser is an individual training to become a licensed real estate appraiser who has completed at least 75 hours of education.

Trainee Appraiser - Real Estate Glossary - OfferMarket

What is a Trainee Appraiser in real estate?

<br>

## For Sale By Owner websites include:

<br>
 
- Zillow
- Craigslist
- Facebook Marketplace
- OfferMarket

<br>

## For Sale By Owner (FSBO) website comparison:

<br>

|     FSBO Website     	| Price 	|   Reach  	| Value 	|
|:--------------------:	|:-----:	|:--------:	|:-----:	|
|        Zillow        	| Free* 	|   Broad  	|  High 	|
|      Craigslist      	|  Free 	|   Broad  	|  Low  	|
| Facebook Marketplace 	|  Free 	|   Broad  	|  Mid  	|
|      OfferMarket     	|  Free 	| Targeted 	|  High 	|

<br>

While Zillow For Sale By Owner is free to list, the user interface on your Zillow property listing page is designed for interested buyers to click 'Contact Agent' in order to inquire about the house and schedule a showing. The user experience is designed to make it difficult for the buyer to contact the seller directly. Zillow does this because agents pay them for for buyer leads.

<br>

This places the seller in a situation where they either need to pay the buyer's agent commission, or they need to have the buyer pay the buyer's agent. Both scenarios place the buyer in an uncomfortable situation since they were the one to find the listing and the seller may not have priced the listing to include paying the buyer's agent. If the seller is going to pay the buyer's agent, they might raise their price. From our experience, this complicates an otherwise straightforward transaction flow.

<br>

![Zillow-For-Sale-By-Owner-Listing.png](https://cms.rentstack.co/uploads/Zillow_For_Sale_By_Owner_Listing_fca1344cd5.png)

<br>

## [Sell your house For Sale By Owner with OfferMarket](https://www.offermarket.us/sell?ref=blog-for-sale-by-owner-websites)

<br>

## Related reading

<br>

- [Guide: How To Sell A House For Sale By Owner](https://www.offermarket.us/guides/how-to-sell-a-house-by-owner)
- [Guide: How To Sell Your House Fast Without An Agent](https://www.offermarket.us/guides/how-to-sell-your-house-fast-without-an-agent)
- [Guide: Selling A House In Poor Condition](https://www.offermarket.us/guides/selling-a-house-in-poor-condition)
- [For Sale By Owner Statistics](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/for-sale-by-owner-fsbo-statistics)
- [Sell My House Fast For As Much As Possible](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/sell-my-house-fast-for-as-much-as-possible)

<br>

Looking to sell your house For Sale By Owner? See how top For Sale By Owner websites compare.

large_OfferMarket - For Sale By Owner - MetaImage (1).jpg

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OfferMarket - For Sale By Owner - MetaImage (1).jpg

For Sale By Owner Websites - Real Estate Blogs - OfferMarket

For Sale By Owner Websites

<br>

<div style="width:100%; text-align: center;">
<iframe class="youtubeVideo" width="auto" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oeoC9PH_Oto" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
<br>
<br>

When you [shop for insurance](https://www.offermarket.us/insurance), whether it's **Landlord Insurance** or **Fix and Flip Insurance**, it's important to choose an insurer that is financially strong and able to meet its obligations detailed in your insurance policy.

<br> 

Many private lenders, including [OfferMarket Capital](https://www.offermarket.us/loans), have a minimum AM Best rating requirement for [DSCR Loans](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/dscr-loan-program) and [Fix & Flip Loans](https://www.offermarket.us/blog/fix-and-flip-loans). 

<br>

At OfferMarket, we require all policies be written through insurers with a minimum of A- / VIII. As you will see from the ratings tables below, that means the insurer must be considered to have an "Excellent" ability to meet their ongoing insurance obligations, and their policyholder surplus must be at least $100 million.

<br>

## What is AM Best?

<br>

AM Best is a financial services rating agency that specializes in assessing the financial strength and size of insurance companies.

<br>

## Financial Strength Rating (FSR) Scale

<br>

The Financial Strength Rating is a statistical assessment of an insurer's ability to meet their ongoing insurance obligations. AM Best assigns a financial strength rating from A++ (Superior) through D (Poor). Our private lending division, OfferMarket Capital, requires a minimum FSR of A- (Excellent).

<br>

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>Rating<br>Categories</th>
    <th>Rating<br>Symbols</th>
    <th>Rating<br>Notches*</th>
  </tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>Superior</td>
    <td>A+</td>
    <td>A++</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Excellent</td>
    <td>A</td>
    <td>A-</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Good</td>
    <td>B+</td>
    <td>B++</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Fair</td>
    <td>B</td>
    <td>B-</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Marginal</td>
    <td>C+</td>
    <td>C++</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Weak</td>
    <td>C</td>
    <td>C-</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>Poor</td>
    <td>D</td>
    <td>-</td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<br>

## Financial Size Category (FSC)

<br>

The Financial Size Category is a measure of **Policyholder Surplus** which is calculated by subtracting the insurance company's liabilities from its assets. The greater the policyholder surplus, the better able the insurance company can withstand adverse economic conditions and remain solvent.

<br>

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>Class</th>
    <th>Policyholder Surplus ($ Millions)</th>
  </tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>I</td>
    <td>Less than 1</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>II</td>
    <td>1 to 2</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>III</td>
    <td>2 to 5</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>IV</td>
    <td>5 to 10</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>V</td>
    <td>10 to 25</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>VI</td>
    <td>25 to 50</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>VII</td>
    <td>50 to 100</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>VIII</td>
    <td>100 to 250</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>IX</td>
    <td>250 to 500</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>X</td>
    <td>500 to 750</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>XI</td>
    <td>750 to 1,000</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>XII</td>
    <td>1,000 to 1,250</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>XIII</td>
    <td>1,250 to 1,500</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>XIV</td>
    <td>1,500 to 2,000</td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>XV</td>
    <td>2,000 or greater</td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

<br>

## How to calculate Policyholder Surplus

<br>

Assets - Liabilities = Policyholder Surplus

<br>

## What is Policyholder Surplus

<br>

Policy holder surplus is the liquidation value of an insurance company. If you were to sell all assets and repay all liabilities, the policyholder surplus is what would be left. In business, this is is otherwise known as **book value**.

<br>

AM Best ratings assess the financial strength and size of insurance companies.

large_AM Best Ratings.png

medium_AM Best Ratings.png

small_AM Best Ratings.png

thumbnail_AM Best Ratings.png

AM Best Ratings.png

AM Best Ratings | OfferMarket Real Estate Glossary

AM Best Ratings

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