How to Find the Best Home Appraiser

What to Expect

Stick around and watch while the appraiser does his or her work. In general, a good appraisal can take an hour or so to complete. If your appraiser only takes 15 minutes, you probably aren't getting your money's worth.

You should receive a written report within a week detailing the appraiser's visit to your home (be wary of next-day reports, which may indicate slap-dash work). The report should include a cover letter explaining the appraisal, a summary of your home's salient features (such as location, square footage, age and number of bedrooms), a uniform residential appraisal report form (such as the one from Fannie Mae ) and a building sketch or list of dimensions.

If you're dissatisfied with the appraiser's conclusions, you can ask him to explain how he arrived at the figure. If you still aren't satisfied, you can always hire another appraiser. But remember, value is a matter of perception.

The purpose of hiring an independent appraiser is to get an unbiased opinion of the value of your home -- which may be less sanguine than your own opinion.

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