Certified Independent Appraisals

A home purchase is the largest, single investment most people will ever make. Whether it's a primary residence, a second vacation home or an investment, the purchase of real property is a complex financial transaction that requires multiple parties to pull it all off. Most of the people involved are very familiar.

Settling an estate is an important and sometimes stressful job. As executor/executrix, you have been entrusted to carry out the wishes of the deceased as swiftly and exactly as possible. I am aware of the sensitive nature of this situation. Attorneys and Accountants rely on appraiser values when calculating real property values for estates, divorces, or other disputes requiring a value being placed on real property.

Every year, countless people in the United States buy, sell or refinance their own slice of the American Dream. Most, if not all, of these transactions include a simple line item for an appraisal. It has become an understood and accepted part of a real estate transaction. But is this the only reason to get an appraisal?

Appraiser licensing varies from state to state. The license or certification is evidence that the appraiser has performed a certain number of hours as a trainee under the supervision of a practicing appraiser, may have passed an examination, and completes a certain number of hours of Continuing Education Training.

What is USPAP? USPAP, which you might hear pronounced like "YOOS-pap, " is the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. USPAP is published and maintained by the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) of the Appraisal Foundation, a non-governmental entity charged by Congress with promulgating appraisal standards.