Answers by David Balfour

I suggest hiring a professional appraiser. This person is able to provide a skillful, professional opinion of your property and you are not required to share the results with any other party. The result of this report may be similar to the value as stated by your local tax assessor, or it may be vastly different. It will depend upon many factors. However, most entities will accept the word of the professional appraiser over that of the local tax assessor.

Great question, Eileen! It is important to check with a trusted attorney about this to be sure you have the proper information. Based on what you stated, I would think you have what you need to sell the property without any involvement from the past boyfriend. It appears he gave up any rights to the Property (or money related to its sale) when he signed the Quitclaim. Even though he may have given up any claim to the Property, it is entirely possible that having his name on the mortgage has hindered his efforts to secure loans for himself. Thus, he may be quite relieved to have that debt / obligation on his credit go away.