Appraised value is the opinion of market value that a state-licensed or certified appraiser signs after inspecting a property and analyzing comparable sales, as of a stated effective date, the date the opinion applies to. It is written for the client who engaged the appraiser and for the intended users named in the report, the people entitled to rely on it, and only for its intended use, what the report will be used for. A lender's appraisal is written for the lender; an estate, divorce or tax appeal appraisal is written for the person or professional who orders it and the readers named beside them.
That second half, who the report is for, is the part most people never see explained. It decides who can rely on the number, what question the number answers, and why a report written for one purpose should not be lifted into another.
What makes a number an appraised value?
Several features have to be present together. Without them, the figure is something else.
- A licensed author. In California, appraisers are licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers, and anyone can look up a license number on the bureau's site.
- A standard. The work is developed and reported under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), with a signed certification.
- A defined value and a date. The report states which definition of value it uses, usually market value, and its effective date.
- A stated scope of work. Scope of work, the type and extent of research and analysis, is set before the inspection and described in the report.
- Reasoning a stranger can follow. The comparable sales, every adjustment and the reconciliation are written out for a reader who never saw the house.
- Independence. The appraiser is independent of every party, including the one who pays. The fee is set by the scope of the assignment and quoted before work begins, and it does not depend on the value.
That is why the other figures attached to a house are not appraised values. An automated estimate, a statistical estimate an algorithm produces from records and nearby sales, is not an appraisal. A comparative market analysis (CMA), an agent's opinion of likely list or sale price, is not an appraisal. A county assessment, the taxable value under California Revenue and Taxation Code section 51, is not an appraisal. A cash offer, the price one buyer will pay on its own terms, is not an appraisal. The appraisal vs. estimate page lays the first two beside an appraisal, and the four different numbers guide covers all of them.
Client, intended users and intended use
Three terms on the face of every report answer the question in the title.
- The client is the party who engages the appraiser for the assignment.
- The intended users are the people the appraiser identifies as entitled to rely on the report. The client is always one; others are named when the assignment calls for it.
- The intended use is what the report will be used for: a loan decision, an estate filing, a divorce, a property tax review.
Receiving a copy does not by itself make someone an intended user. The report names who they are, and the appraiser writes for those readers and that use.
Who is it written for? The kinds of assignments that come in
A purchase or refinance loan
The lender is the client, and the report is written for the lender's credit decision. Federal rules require the lender to give the applicant a copy of appraisals developed for a loan secured by a first lien on a dwelling (12 CFR 1002.14), so the borrower reads the report, but the lender decides how it is used. Questions about a lender's appraisal go through the lender. See appraisals for lending and refinance.
An estate or trust
An executor, trustee or attorney usually engages the appraiser, and the CPA who prepares the returns may be named as an intended user. The question is often market value as of the date of death, which calls for a retrospective appraisal, an appraisal whose effective date is in the past. Long-held houses near the Village and north of Foothill Boulevard reach estates often, and the tax roll is no guide to their value on that date. See estate and date-of-death appraisal.
A divorce
One or both parties, or their attorneys, engage the appraiser, and both sides and the court may read the report. The appraiser is independent of each party, and the opinion does not change with who pays. Admissibility is always the court's decision. See divorce appraisal.
A property tax review or appeal
The owner is usually the client, and the effective date is the January 1 lien date under Revenue and Taxation Code section 2192. The assessor or the appeals board decides what weight the report receives. For a Claremont house that means the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor; across Mills Avenue in Upland or Montclair, the San Bernardino County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk.
A pre-listing or pre-purchase decision
The owner or buyer is the client, and the intended use is their own decision about price. The report does not set a list price or an offer; it gives an independent opinion of market value for the person who has to choose.
Why a report should not be moved to a different use
The same house can carry two correct appraisals with different numbers if they answer different questions: one as of today for a refinance, another as of a date of death for an estate. Each is tied to its own effective date, definition of value and intended users. A lender's report was not written for a court, and an estate report was not written for an underwriter. If a second use comes up, ask the appraiser whether a new assignment is needed, and let your attorney or CPA decide how a value is used. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Is appraised value the same as market value?
Appraised value is the appraiser's opinion of market value for one property on one date. Market value is the definition that opinion aims at, explained in what market value means in plain words. How closely the two line up, and why a reviewer can test one against the other, is the subject of appraised value vs. market value.
Why it matters in Claremont
The readers of an appraisal, an underwriter, a mediator, a trustee or an appeals board, usually never visit the house. In Claremont that puts weight on what the report shows: measured gross living area, the finished space above grade, on older houses whose porches were enclosed long ago; permit status on additions and ADUs; and comparables drawn from the right pocket, whether that is a Craftsman near the Colleges, a ranch north of Foothill or a Claraboya hillside home. The Claremont area page describes those pockets.
Next step
If you need an appraisal and want the client, intended users and intended use settled before anyone schedules a visit, request an appraisal or call (909) 324-6122. Reports are typically delivered three to five business days from the inspection. More on the vocabulary of value is in the value types knowledge center.
Sources
- The Appraisal Foundation, Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP): https://appraisalfoundation.org/imis/TAF/Standards/Appraisal_Standards/Uniform_Standards_of_Professional_Appraisal_Practice/TAF/USPAP.aspx (accessed October 30, 2026)
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 12 CFR 1002.14, providing appraisals to applicants: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-12/chapter-X/part-1002/section-1002.14 (accessed October 30, 2026)
- California Revenue and Taxation Code section 51 (taxable value): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=RTC§ionNum=51 (accessed October 30, 2026)
- California Revenue and Taxation Code section 2192 (January 1 lien date): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=RTC§ionNum=2192 (accessed October 30, 2026)
- California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers, license lookup: https://www2.brea.ca.gov/breasearch/faces/party/view.xhtml?id=23601 (accessed October 30, 2026)
Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (lookup: https://www2.brea.ca.gov/breasearch/faces/party/view.xhtml?id=23601). Reports are prepared in conformity with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Nothing here is legal or tax advice; admissibility is always the court's decision.
Frequently asked questions
If I pay for the appraisal, is the report written for me?
Not always. For a purchase or refinance loan, the lender is usually the client and the report is written for the lender's decision, even though the borrower receives a copy. When a homeowner, trustee, attorney or CPA engages the appraiser directly, that person is the client. Either way the appraiser is independent of every party, and the fee does not depend on the value.
Can I use my lender's appraisal for an estate, divorce or tax appeal?
A report is written for its stated intended use and intended users, and a lender's report was written for a credit decision. A different use may need a different effective date or definition of value, so ask the appraiser whether a new assignment is needed. Your attorney or CPA decides how a value is used.
Who are the intended users of an appraisal?
The intended users are the people the appraiser identifies in the report as entitled to rely on it. The client is always one of them, and others, such as a CPA in an estate matter, are named when the assignment calls for it. Receiving a copy does not by itself make someone an intended user.
Is an automated estimate or a tax assessment an appraised value?
No. An automated estimate such as a Zestimate is a statistical estimate from an algorithm and is not an appraisal. A county assessment is the taxable value under California Revenue and Taxation Code section 51 and is not an appraisal either. Only a licensed appraiser's signed opinion of value, developed under USPAP, is an appraised value.
