Ask Your Appraiser

6 Common Misconceptions About Real Estate Appraisers
February 15th, 2016 5:25 PM


Whether you’ve hired an appraiser before or not, you may be misled about their skills, procedures or qualifications. Before going into a situation with your eyes closed, hoping for the best, it makes sense to have a full understanding of your appraiser’s job description and practices. No, this doesn’t mean listening to your best friend who dated an appraiser in college. Instead, take a look at some of the facts that are often preceded by genuine misconceptions.

 

An Appraisal License is the same as an Appraisal Certification.

A licensed appraiser is the lowest level of accreditation for a professional appraiser, without requiring supervision. To receive a license in the state of Georgia, one must complete 150 hours of classes, dedicated to basic appraisal skills and procedures. A certified residential and commercial appraiser must complete 210 hours of coursework, on top of the education a licensed appraiser must receive.

A certified home appraiser is able to work on properties of any size, value, or complexity. On the other hand, an appraiser with simply a license can only appraise property less than $1,000,000. There is a clear benefit to being a certified appraiser, and one should always take the time to research their appraiser’s educational background.

Appraiser do the same thing ad home inspectors

Contrary to popular belief, the job of an appraiser compared to that of a home inspector is entirely different. An appraiser surveys the value of the home and offers their opinion accompanied by a report of their findings. A home inspector searches for damages and issues within the home to determine its condition, and essentially inform the client of the goings on beneath their roof.

Appraisers enter situations with a personal agenda.

It is rarely beneficial to the appraiser to enhance or decrease numbers in their appraisal report. They are typically the only unbiased party in the entire equation. It is a normal reaction to initially blame your appraiser for an unexpected value, however, after a minute or so of consideration it should become evident that this is a third party service that receives no reward for a higher or lower appraisal value.

Your home improvements will be reflected monetarily in the appraisal.

Many homeowners expect a higher appraisal value because of their personal additions to the home. This could mean a swing outside, an added-on balcony or a renovated bathroom. Sadly, this is not normally the case. The money put into these special projects is usually not directly reflected on the appraisal value. 

Appraisers own the appraisal report.

Unfortunately, once an appraisal report has been completed it is technically in the hands of the client. Whether it be the owner or the lender, they reserve the right to deny anybody else the opportunity to view the report. 

They don’t care about any of your input

While appraisers remain trained professionals, this does not mean they are completely versed with your home in its entirety. There is the possibility that they may not be aware of certain market trends, neighborhood sales and home repairs. Appraisers are open to communication with their client, and while it may not always have a direct effect on the outcome it is essentially beneficial for overall consideration. 





Posted by Michael A. Nix, AGREA-CR on February 15th, 2016 5:25 PMPost a Comment

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