Three steps to a signed report
What happens between your first call and the signed PDF, what the inspection involves, and the things an independent appraiser will not do.
Step 1: Tell us the assignment
The property, the purpose, and the effective date of value. That's what determines the scope of work, and the fee, which we quote before anything starts.
Tell us the address, what the report is for and who will read it (a lender, a court, an assessor, a CPA, a trustee or you), and the effective date. A retrospective date such as a date of death is routine. The scope of work follows from those answers, and the fee is set by that scope and quoted before anything starts. It never depends on the value.
Step 2: We inspect and research
Usually an interior walkthrough with measurements and photos. When there's no access (the home sold, or a tenant won't allow it) we'll tell you what's possible and what assumptions the report will carry.
The visit runs 30 to 60 minutes for a standard single-family home, longer for hillside, custom or multi-family property or a home with additions to measure and sketch. When the house has sold, a tenant will not allow entry or the date is in the past, the alternatives and the assumptions the report will carry are explained before you agree to them.
Step 3: You get the report
A signed PDF with comparables, adjustments, and a USPAP certification. Copies go to your attorney or CPA if you want them to have one.
The signed report arrives typically three to five business days from the inspection, as a PDF, with copies to whoever you name. Older effective dates, land and litigation work can take longer, and the date is confirmed when the assignment is accepted.
What inspection day involves
A confirmation with the scope and the timing, so you know how long the visit takes and what gets measured before anyone arrives.
The visit: exterior measurement, photos of each room, and a look at the systems, the permits and any addition or ADU.
Comparable research and analysis: closed sales chosen for era, pocket and lot character, verified and adjusted with the reasoning written down.
The delivered report, with the reasoning written out so a reviewer can follow it line by line.
What helps
- No cleaning or staging: clutter is not a value factor; condition and maintenance are, and those are recorded either way.
- Access to the garage, the attic hatch, the water heater and the electrical panel.
- Permits, plans or a survey for any addition, remodel or ADU.
- Gates unlocked and pets secured.
Inside the report
A signed PDF, delivered by email, formatted the way reviewers expect to see it.
- The assignment on the record
Client, intended users, intended use, and the effective date of value stated on the front page, so there's no question later what the report was for.
- Sketch and measured living area
Square footage measured on site rather than copied from tax records, which are wrong more often than people expect.
- Market conditions as of that date
What the neighborhood was doing at the time: direction, pace, and supply. Essential on retrospective assignments.
- Subject description and photos
Interior and exterior photos, room count, condition, upgrades, and anything unpermitted or unusual, described rather than glossed over.
- Comparable sales with adjustments
Sales appropriate to the effective date, with each adjustment shown and explained: the part a reviewer reads first.
- Certification and license
Signed certification, license details, and a statement that the fee wasn't contingent on the value reached.
Sales comparison approach
File no. blank
| Row | SubjectSubject | Comp. 1Comparable 1 | Comp. 2Comparable 2 | Comp. 3Comparable 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Address | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Sale date | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Sale price | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Gross living area | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Lot size | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Year built | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Condition | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| View / site | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Adjustments | blank | blank | blank | blank |
| Adjusted value | blank | blank | blank | blank |
What an independent appraiser will not do
- Discuss or hint at a value before the work is done.
- Accept an assignment with a target value, a required minimum or a fee that depends on the result.
- Take a commission on any sale of the property.
- Change a report because someone wants a different number. A reconsideration with new, specific data is reviewed on its merits.
- Present an online estimate, an agent's CMA, a tax assessment or a cash offer as an appraisal.
- Give legal or tax advice: how a value is used on a return or in court is your attorney's or CPA's call, and admissibility is always the court's decision.
The full statement is on the appraisal independence page.