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Litigation Support & Expert Witness Appraisal in Claremont and the Inland Empire

Appraisal work prepared for litigated matters including partnership and partition disputes, bankruptcy filings, construction defect claims and eminent domain questions, with declarations and testimony available. Reports are written on the assumption they will be reviewed line by line by opposing counsel. Every comparable and adjustment is documented so the reasoning can be explained under questioning.

Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (opens the state license lookup)

Who orders this

  • Civil litigators and their clients
  • Bankruptcy attorneys needing a value as of a filing date
  • Co-owners in a partition or partnership dispute, through counsel

What the report includes

  • The effective date the matter turns on, current or retrospective, and any hypothetical condition, a condition assumed for the analysis that is known to be contrary to fact, stated plainly
  • A work file documenting every comparable considered and why it was used or rejected
  • The client, the intended use (what the report will be used for) and the intended users (who may rely on it), stated on the first page
  • The effective date, the date the opinion of value applies to, and the date of the report
  • The scope of work, meaning the inspection, research and analysis performed, including any limits on access
  • Comparable sales chosen for era, pocket and lot character, each with the reason it was used
  • Adjustments for differences such as gross living area, lot size, condition and location, each explained
  • Interior and exterior photographs and a measured sketch of the living area
  • A signed certification with Gordon Hall's California license, BREA No. AR003877

The page a reviewer reads first is the sales comparison grid: the subject beside the closed sales, every difference adjusted and explained. This is its shape, left blank.

Sales comparison approach

File no. blank

Sales comparison, blank
RowSubjectComp. 1Comp. 2Comp. 3
Addressblankblankblankblank
Sale dateblankblankblankblank
Sale priceblankblankblankblank
Gross living areablankblankblankblank
Lot sizeblankblankblankblank
Year builtblankblankblankblank
Conditionblankblankblankblank
View / siteblankblankblankblank
Adjustmentsblankblankblankblank
Adjusted valueblankblankblankblank
Figures come from the inspection and the closed sales on your blocks. A blank grid is shown because report contents are confidential under USPAP.

What we need from you

  • Counsel's engagement, the case caption only as needed, and the value date or dates
  • Any prior appraisals, reports or declarations in the matter
  • The property address and who will provide access on inspection day
  • The purpose of the appraisal and who will read the report (lender, court, assessor, CPA, trustee or yourself)
  • Permits, plans or a survey for any addition, remodel or ADU
  • A list of improvements with approximate dates

Matters in Los Angeles and San Bernardino county courts

Litigated properties here range from a Claremont house co-owned by siblings who cannot agree, to a Pomona duplex in a partnership dispute, to a Montclair or Upland home in a bankruptcy filing valued as of the petition date. Because the county line runs east of the Claremont Colleges and along Mills Avenue, a single matter can involve property in both counties, and the comparable evidence must come from the right side of the line or be explained when it does not.

The report is written for cross-examination: each comparable considered, each rejected, each adjustment and the data behind it are documented in the work file, so the reasoning can be explained in a deposition or at trial. Declarations and testimony are quoted and scheduled separately at engagement. No matter, party or property is ever discussed publicly, and the appraiser's opinion does not change with the side of the case that retained it.

Timeline and next step

Litigation assignments are scoped individually; the timeline and any testimony dates are confirmed before the engagement.

The fee is set by the scope of the assignment and quoted before work begins. It does not depend on the value, and it is never contingent on a result.

Counsel can call (909) 324-6122 or use the order form, noting any court or disclosure deadlines.

Straight answers

Questions

Do you testify?
Yes. Declarations, depositions and court testimony are available when a matter requires them. They are scoped and quoted at engagement so the timeline accounts for them. Admissibility and the weight given to the testimony are always the court's decision.
Can you value a property as of a bankruptcy filing date?
Yes. That is a retrospective appraisal, meaning the effective date is in the past; sales that closed on or before that date and the condition then are used, with any assumption stated.
Will you work for either side?
The appraiser is independent whoever retains him, and the opinion does not change with the side. Engagements are accepted from either party's counsel.

Related appraisals

Request this appraisal

The property, the purpose and the effective date set the scope and the fee, which is quoted before work begins.

Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (opens the state license lookup)

The property and the assignment

Effective date of value (optional)

The date the value has to apply to: today, or a date in the past such as a date of death or separation.

How to reach you

Additions, an ADU, a prior appraisal, a hearing date: whatever shapes the scope.

Nothing is scheduled until you say so.

Prepared by Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877. Reports are prepared in conformity with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Nothing here is legal advice. Admissibility is always the court's decision, and no outcome is promised.

Get the value documented before someone else needs it.

Two minutes for a fee quote and a turnaround date. Nothing is scheduled until you say so.

Request an appraisal