Appraisal value

[John Garza]

if I see a home for sale for example on craigslist for $42,000 how do I acquire the true appraisal value of the home so I can compare it to the asking price?

[Zach Mitchell]

You hire an appraiser for $350.... That, or call a local Realtor. They typically don't like working for non-clients though so you might have to call a few before someone would help you out.

If you don't want to do that you can do your own analysis. Check sold properties in the neighborhood on Redfin.com or a similar site. If you're going to get into real estate investing you will need to know how to value a property correctly.