Appraiser Career Guide and Counseling

Question: What does an appraiser review when inspecting a home? We have gone iwth a different mortgage company, and now face an appraiser to come to view the property. We want to get the best. so what should we do to make our appraisal high??

Answer: If it is a full appraisal....Valuations of all types of real property are conducted using similar methods,They note any unique characteristics of the property and of the surrounding area, such as a specific architectural style of a building or a major highway located next to the parcel. They also take into account additional aspects of a property like the condition of the foundation and roof of a building or any renovations that may have been done. Additionally, they may take pictures to document a certain room or feature, in addition to taking pictures of the exterior of the building. After visiting the property, the appraiser or assessor will determine the fair value of the property by taking into consideration such things as comparable home sales, lease records, location, previous appraisals, and income potential. They will then put all of their research and observations together in a detailed report, stating not only the value of the parcel but the precise reasoning and methodology of how they arrived at the estimate. A great resource is the book "101 cost- effective ways to increase the value of your home" by Steven Berges Good Luck!!!

Question: How does someone become a licensed appraiser in the state of Washington? What does someone have to do to become an appraiser in Washington state?

Answer: You pay a fee and pass a test. Go to the WA Insurance Department website for more detailed information.

Question: How long does it take for an appraiser to come and appraise my home? Hi, I am buying a home. I am pre approved. I am at the stage where the home has to be appraised? Can anyone tell me how long it takes for an appraiser to come out. I have been waiting 2 weeks now and the house has still not been appraised. I don't even know if my agent or lender has set an appointment. Thanx!

Answer: I am in CA and it usually takes 4-5 days. It really depends on the bank and how busy they are keeping their appraisers.

Question: Can a property appraiser compare subject property with other distressed sales? In other words, can a property appraiser who's appraising a home compare the subject to other comparables that have sold on short sale and or foreclosures.

Answer: i have no idea what the people above me are smoking, and if they appraise, they should quit. the simple answer is no. forclosures are sales of properties in which the mortgage company is trying to settle fvor under market values so they can just get out of the mortgage. a true real estate appraiing teqnique is to use comparable sales which are sold at market rates, the definition of market rates is that the buyer and seller close on a market value that is suitable to both parties. forclosures are not particularly on the market, because they are not market sales. thats why they are forclosures and short sales. the only way they bring down market values is not by comparing them to forclosures, but in a stagnent market not much is going on and people are willing to sell somewaht market rates. so get off the crack to the people above

Question: A real estate appraiser is coming to our house tomorrow - anything special I need to know? We are refinancing our house and an appraiser will be out in the morning. Besides cleaning, is there anything I should do to make our house look great? Thanks!

Answer: An appraiser is looking for value. He doesn't care if you are a good housekeeper or how tasteful your decor is. He is there to measure square footage, count rooms, & take exterior pictures of you home & the homes he will use as comps. In my area appraisers do not take interior pictures.

Question: How do I help my boyfriend find a Certified Appraiser to sponsor him? I'm trying to help my boyfriend find a sponsor so that he can start his hours and become an appraiser his self but people seems to be reluctant to sponsor right now. Can any one help or have ideas? Any helpful information is welcome.

Answer: appraisers are very reluctant to sponsor anyone, neither now or no time at all, they just think that the new person will shorten their work load so they never want to train, go into www,appraisers.com and call all of them, one will say yes to him

Question: How long should you expect to wait to get an answer from an appraiser for buying a house? Does anyone know how long it should take? We're selling our house and have waited over two weeks now for the potential home buyers to get a response. They're mad as well since they have already shelled out the money for the appraiser. The appraiser claims he has not yet found three houses to compare it to. What happens if he can't? We've already spent three weeks waiting for these people. We want to sell our house and are wasting time if they aren't going to be able to buy it after already waiting and putting people off for over three weeks.

Answer: The appraiser [if they know what they are doing] should be able to provide a housing value in a couple of days. This depends on many variables, but I have never heard of someone taking more than a business week to get a report back to the mortgage company.

Question: How is the best way to become an auto-damage appraiser for an insurance company? How would I go about becoming an auto damage appraiser considering that no college is required? SHOULD I take some college classes or what exactly should I do?

Answer: College is only not required when you have years of body shop experience - usually many years as a body shop manager. Unless you have job experience - such as years as a body shop manager- a college degree will be required. Back in the day, you could get a job as an insurance adjuster w/o a college degree. That is no longer the case. Every company I know of requires a 4 year degree. The exception is the material damage appraisers who have years of body shop experience.

Question: What school do you go to to become a real estate appraiser? I am interested in becoming a real estate appraiser. I don't know where to start. Also should I get a finance degree to help?

Answer: ohmygosh! like, your TOTALLY INSULTING answer to my other question was soooo totally rad! it was like, sooooo totally UN-helpful! and ohmygosh, dudette! your face is insulting enough, no need for the words!

Question: How does one get started with a career as a real estate appraiser? I am interested in becoming a real estate appraiser but I have no clue where to begin.

Answer: First you must decide if you what level of Appraiser you want to be. There are three tiers Licensed Residential (appraise residential properties up to 1 million), Certified Residential (appraise residential properties with no limits), Certified General (appraise residential, commercial with no limits). As of 1/2008 the standards to becoming an appraiser will drastically change. There will be an increase in the amount of classroom hours, education (2-4 year degree) and you will need to pass the tests for each of your classes plus a state test for your license level. You should check out www.appraisalinstitute.com for class schedule and requirements. The give the best classes (very difficult) and great networking opportunities. You should look up your specific states division of licensing for any changes in the real estate appraiser qualifications. If the Appraisal Institute is not where you want to go look for local schools that have State Qualifying classes. The process for getting a license is you must complete your classes and pass each test, work under a mentor (another appraiser for up to 2.5 years), pass a state test for your license level and have a college degree for certain licenses. If you need help e-mail me

Question: How do I get into becoming an appraiser in San diego? I'm looking for a career change and am interested in becoming an appraiser in San Diego real estate. what are the steps?

Answer: Check out this website: http://www.orea.ca.gov. This is the California Office of Real Estate Appraisers. They control the licenses and certifications. Real Estate Appraisal is a hard profession to break into. There are educational requirements and experience requirements, including an apprenticeship period. Therefore, first and most difficult, you need to locate an experienced and qualified appraiser that is willing to employ you as their trainee. There are two basic options of real estate appraisal to begin with: Commercial and Residential. The latter is probably more suited for basic training. The apprenticeship will probably last 1 to 2 years, until you are experienced, educated and savvy to pass the state certification test. Then you can fly solo. Check the local classifieds for ads about Trainees. Also, check Monster.com and any other local internet job boards. Pull out the yellow pages and just start cold-calling the bigger firms. Get their fax number and send over your resume. A college background is helpful and almost required.

Question: I would like to find an antique doll appraiser and doll hospital in the southern California area? I have an antique doll, approximately 100 years old, which I would like to have appraised. I would also like to locate a doll hospital to have the eyes put back in place, they aren't broke, just fell out of the socket and into the head. Any suggestions (southern California area) for an antique doll appraiser and/or doll hospital? The Antiques Road Show does not have a trip scheduled in California at this time.

Answer: I have a book called "Doll Directory " A guide to U/S. Doll Museums By Katherine Witt. It list five places in California Angels Attic 310-394-8331 S.Monica others are in Platerville, Tarzana, Campbell. Tahoe City I will say that if the eyes have fallen out and rolling around the head, the glass is very fragile, I think the doll should have what we call a pate under the wig, carefully lift the wig do not pull from the back with an exto knife cut around the circle pull up the pate and take the eyes out and wrap in soft tissue. If its broken save every scrap, because I can glue those eyes back to the full position, so most should be able to. If you look on the back of the head there will be a mark maybe a mold number measure the doll. Then you can look up the dolls maker by the mold number and mark then cross reference it in the Blue Book of Doll values by Jan Foulk. Boarders carries those books stop by and have a cup of coffee and look up your doll and put the book back, Hope this helps

Question: Do mouse traps and glue boards affect the value of my house when the appraiser comes in? I am applying for refinance of my house. The bank is sending an appraiser to me. But I have mouse traps and glue boards in the kitchen and basement. Do those traps and boards affect the value of my home or the impression of my home to the appraiser? Thanks.

Answer: I would remove the traps on the day of the appraisal. Then put them back in place after the appraiser leaves. The reason is simple: the effect on the appraisal will depend on the individual appraiser's experience and training. Best case: no effect on value or extra inspections necessary because you house shows no signs of infestation. Worst case: The appraiser automatically deems you have a pest problem and recommends pest inspections and/or treatments, possibly rendering your house ineligible as collateral to that particular lender. Save yourself a possible nightmare. Put away the traps. However, if your house shows obvious signs of a rodent problem anyway, the traps are a moot point.

Question: I am a residential property appraiser who is looking for a good association to join, what is the best one? I am looking to put a 3 letter simple at the end of my name to say I am a member of a great appriasal organization that people know and respect. I have been an appraiser for 3 years now. I only do residential appraisals.

Answer: http://www.naifa.com/ i've heard this one is good. i would keep it simple, i wouldn't go out and join them all.

Question: What is the average fee an appraiser charges? Do we have to go in search of an appraiser to get the house appraised or can the sellers tell us how much it has been appraised for or will our agent help us with that?

Answer: wow, would u really take the sellers word on what a property is worth, think about that one for a second, because the lender sure would not, if u finance the lender is going to want a full appraisal by a state certified appraiser who will give them a copy of his licesnse and errors and omissions insurance. if u pay cash do as u wish. as for price that depends on the state u r in and what u r having appraised as there are different costs for a single family home, a 1-4 unit building, 4 and up properties, and a commerical property. most singles cost 250-350, 1-4 should run 350-500, 4 and up can run as high as 1500, and a commercial could cost 5-7000. be very weary of the seller or the agent guiding u to a particular realtor, the lender should be the one to assign a certified appraiser to your file. some appraiser are black listed with certain lenders and u, the seller, and the agent won't have this information, if u use one and find he is black listed, kiss that money good by as the lender will require another full appraisal, in addition if the appraiser has not done work for the lender in the past 12 months he definitely will have to supply the license and e&o certification, which some appraisers charge extra for and its just a hassle which can delay or slow up the loan process, that is why your lender should be the one to direct the appraisal situation. you normally are requried to pay the appriasal up front at the time the appraiser comes to the property. hope that gives u a good guide line for what u r doing. gl

Question: What's the difference between a home inspector and a home appraiser? Do I need to get both? Can the appraiser do both jobs?

Answer: A home inspector -- inspects the home for damage/defects. A home appraiser - appraises a home's value. They are not the same thing. One person can't do both.