Questions to Ask an Appraiser
Twenty questions for anyone engaging a real estate appraiser, whether for a sale, a refinance, an estate, a divorce or a tax appeal. They cover licensing, local experience, scope and fee, how the property is measured, and what to do if you think something was missed.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What licence or certification do you hold, and in which state?
Why ask it
Licence levels differ in what they permit: a trainee works under supervision, a licensed appraiser is limited by property type and value, a certified residential or general appraiser is not. Ask for the number and check it on the state register yourself.
How many appraisals have you done in this ZIP code in the past year?
Why ask it
A count in your immediate area is a far better test than years in the profession. Appraisers who work mainly two counties away have to lean on comparables they do not know first-hand.
Have you appraised properties like mine before?
Why ask it
Say what makes yours unusual: acreage, an accessory dwelling, a converted barn, a condo in a small building, mixed use. Unusual properties handled by a generalist are where the largest errors appear.
What is the purpose of this appraisal, and will your report suit it?
Why ask it
The intended use is written into the report and limits who may rely on it. A report prepared for a refinance is not automatically usable for an estate filing, a divorce, a tax appeal or litigation.
What is the fee, and is it fixed regardless of the value you conclude?
Why ask it
The fee must never depend on the outcome; anything contingent on hitting a number compromises the report and, in the United States, breaches appraisal standards. A flat quote with the scope written out is the answer you want.
What is the turnaround time from inspection to delivered report?
Why ask it
Ask for the time after the visit, since that is where the delay sits. Also ask what happens if a comparable sale is hard to verify, because the honest answer is that it adds days.
What should I have ready before you arrive?
Why ask it
Useful requests are specific: a survey or plat, the tax bill, HOA documents, permits for work done, a list of improvements with dates and approximate costs, and any lease if it is rented.
Which parts of the property do you need to get into?
Why ask it
Attics, crawl spaces, garages, outbuildings and locked rooms all matter, and unmeasured space is either excluded or estimated. Knowing this in advance avoids an incomplete report or a second visit fee.
How do you measure the property, and does your figure usually match the tax record?
Why ask it
Square footage is the largest single driver of value and public records are frequently wrong. An appraiser who measures the exterior themselves and can explain the ANSI convention for what counts as living area is doing the job properly.
Which approach will you rely on for my property?
Why ask it
Sales comparison dominates residential work, cost approach matters for new or unusual construction, and income approach applies to rentals. Hearing why they will weight one over another tells you they are thinking about your property rather than filling a form.
How far will you go for comparables, and what will you do if there are few recent sales?
Why ask it
Thin markets force choices: older sales, wider radius, a different neighbourhood, or adjustments for market movement. You want to hear the reasoning, not just that they will find something.
How do you handle the improvements I have made?
Why ask it
This is where owners are most often disappointed. Kitchens and bathrooms generally return more than pools or high-end finishes in a modest neighbourhood, and an appraiser who tells you that plainly beforehand is being straight with you.
Are you going to inspect it in person, or is this a drive-by or desktop appraisal?
Why ask it
Scope varies more than people expect and affects both fee and reliability. An exterior-only or desktop product may be perfectly adequate for a refinance and inadequate for a probate valuation.
What is the effective date of value, and can you appraise as of a past date?
Why ask it
Retrospective appraisals are routinely needed for estates, divorces and insurance claims, and they require the appraiser to use only data available at that date. Not everyone does this work, so ask before you commit.
What will the report actually contain, and can I see a sample with the details removed?
Why ask it
A redacted sample shows you the length, the level of explanation and whether the adjustments are supported or merely asserted. It is the fastest way to compare two appraisers.
If I think something has been missed, what is the process?
Why ask it
The answer should involve submitting factual information, an additional comparable, a permit, a corrected room count, for reconsideration, not asking for a different conclusion. An appraiser who offers to revisit the number on request is one to avoid.
Who else will receive or be able to use the report?
Why ask it
In lender-ordered work the client is the lender and you are only entitled to a copy. For a private engagement, confirm in writing that you are the client and who may be named as an intended user.
Do you carry errors and omissions insurance?
Why ask it
Standard for established appraisers and worth confirming when the valuation will support a tax filing, a settlement or a sale. Ask for the certificate if the stakes are high.
Have you had any complaints or disciplinary action with the state board?
Why ask it
Blunt, and legitimate. State appraisal boards publish disciplinary records, so you can check the answer, and an evasive response tells you to go and look.
What tends to make a valuation come in lower than owners expect?
Why ask it
Asking generally rather than about your house gets an honest answer: deferred maintenance, functional layout problems, unpermitted additions, a busy road, or a market that has moved since the neighbours sold.
Choosing and working with an appraiser
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Work out what you are buying first
Know who the client is
If a lender ordered the appraisal, the appraiser works for the lender and cannot take instruction from you. If you need a valuation you can rely on for probate, a divorce or a tax appeal, engage one directly so that you are named as the client.
State the intended use in writing
Estate, matrimonial, tax appeal, insurance, pre-listing and litigation appraisals differ in scope, format and cost. Naming the use at the outset prevents paying for a report that will not be accepted.
Check the licence yourself
Every state maintains a searchable register of appraiser licences and disciplinary history. Verify the level of certification covers your property type and value, not just that a licence exists.
Get the scope and fee in one email
Interior inspection or exterior only, the effective date of value, the report format, the delivery date and the fee. Ambiguity in any of these is where disputes start.
Preparing for the inspection
- 1Gather documents: survey or plat, tax bill, HOA rules and fees, permits and final inspections for any work, and leases if the property is rented.
- 2Write a one-page list of improvements with the year and approximate cost, including the items that are not visible such as rewiring, a new roof deck, or a replaced heating system.
- 3Unlock everything: garage, outbuildings, attic hatch, crawl space, utility rooms, gates.
- 4Clear access to mechanical equipment and to at least one wall of each room so the space can be measured.
- 5Note any comparable sales you know of, particularly private sales that may not have reached the multiple listing service.
- 6Be available for questions but do not follow the appraiser around the house.
Warning signs
- Any suggestion that the fee, or their willingness to take the job, depends on reaching a particular value.
- A value estimate offered before the inspection and before comparables have been examined.
- No experience in your immediate market, or reliance on comparables several miles away without explanation.
- Reluctance to show a sample report or to put the scope in writing.
- A turnaround promise that is far shorter than everyone else's.
- An unwillingness to say who the client is and who may rely on the report.
If you disagree with the result
Appraisers can and do correct factual errors, so submit facts rather than arguments: a permit for the finished basement, a corrected room count, a recent nearby sale with a date and address, evidence that a comparable was a distressed sale. Most lenders have a formal reconsideration of value process with a deadline, so ask about it promptly. If the report contains a clear standards violation rather than a judgement you dislike, the complaint route is the state appraisal board, not the appraiser.