Estate & date-of-death
Retrospective market value as of the date of death, for estate settlement, distribution among heirs and establishing tax basis. Often requested by estate attorneys and CPAs.
Services
Residential appraisal for lenders, legal and private clients
The same standard of work for every client: a report that explains its reasoning, supports its adjustments with market data and holds up when someone reviews it closely.
Lenders & AMCs
The appraiser you call when the assignment exceeds the panel
Elevated risk scores, non-standard improvements, mixed condition, acreage and thin comparable data. These are the files that cycle through revisions with a general-practice appraiser, and they are the core of this practice.
Loan programs
- Conventional (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), on the redesigned URAR under UAD 3.6
- FHA and USDA, including the property-condition requirements those programs carry
- Jumbo, portfolio and non-agency loans
Scopes of work
- Interior and exterior inspection (traditional)
- Exterior-only and desktop, where the assignment and program guidelines allow
- Completion reports for new construction and repairs made subject to completion
What your reviewer gets
- Interior and exterior condition and quality ratings, supported by field observation and photos
- Measurement to the ANSI Z765 standard where the GSEs require it
- Comparable selection explained, including why the obvious sales were or weren't used
- Adjustments supported by market data, not rules of thumb
- Section commentary written for the person reviewing the file
- Prompt, direct answers to revision requests
Add us to your panel
License, E&O certificate and W-9 are available on request. Loan-related orders come through your AMC or lender portal, or directly from the lender, consistent with the GSE Appraiser Independence Requirements.
Request the panel packetInvestors, builders & developers
An independent number before you commit capital
Julia's family has been in construction since the 1930s, and she started in housing at a local Home Builders' Association office. She reads a renovation scope or a site plan the way a builder does, then values it the way the market will.
- Acquisition appraisals for purchases outside a lender's process, including off-market and estate sales
- As-is and as-completed values for renovation, renovation-to-rent and flip projects, based on your plans and specifications
- Portfolio and hold-or-sell decisions on one property or several
- Proposed and new construction, including completion reports when work is finished
Development consulting
Before the plans are final: how the local market treats the lot size, floor plan, finish level and features you're considering, drawn from field experience with what sells and what appraises. Consulting is scoped and engaged separately from any appraisal, and it doesn't include an opinion of value unless the engagement calls for one.
Start a conversationPrivate appraisals
Independent. Objective. Built to hold up.
When there's no lender in the transaction, you are the client. The report is written for your intended use, and it carries the same rigor as lender work.
Divorce & equitable distribution
Current or retrospective value, for example as of the date of separation, for North Carolina equitable distribution. Either party, both parties or counsel can engage us.
Property tax appeal
Support for an informal county review or an appeal to the county Board of Equalization and Review when an assessment doesn't reflect the market.
Pre-listing
Know the market value before pricing, which matters most for the unusual property that automated estimates and quick comparisons miss.
PMI removal
Evidence of value to request removal of private mortgage insurance. Many servicers order their own appraisal, so check your servicer's requirements before you engage anyone.
Litigation & partition
Appraisals for disputes, partition actions and settlement negotiations, with expert testimony available under a separate engagement.
How a private engagement works
Scope in writing, before anything else
No value opinions over the phone and no guesses before an engagement. Every private assignment starts with a written scope and fee.
- Tell us the property and the useAddress, intended use, and any past effective date such as a date of death or date of separation.
- Approve the scope, then payA plain-language engagement letter by email with the scope and fee. Reply to approve, and pay before the inspection: QuickBooks invoice, Square, Zelle or Cash App.
- Inspection and reportDelivered as a PDF, with your questions about it answered after delivery.
Lender and AMC assignments follow the lender's engagement and payment terms instead.
Start an engagementAttorneys & CPAs
Work product for professional and legal contexts
Your client's matter depends on a number someone else will try to pick apart. The report should anticipate that.
- USPAP-compliant reports with the intended use and intended users stated precisely
- Retrospective effective dates for estates, separations and tax matters
- Complex and rural property, where opposing appraisals tend to diverge most
- Complete workfile retention to support later review
- Consultation and expert testimony by separate engagement
Real estate agents
Ask An Appraiser, for your office
No-cost lunch sessions on what appraisers need from you, how UAD 3.6 changes the report your clients will read, and how to handle a low appraisal. Education only, with no assignment talk.