Appraisal is a profession, and appraisers are professionals. In our field as with any profession we are bound by ethical considerations.
An appraiser's primary responsibility is to his or her client. Normally, in residential practice, the appraiser's client is the lender ordering the appraisal to decide whether to make the mortgage loan. Appraisers have certain duties of confidentiality to their clients -- as a homeowner, if you want a copy of an appraisal report, you normally have to request it through your lender -- obligations of numerical accuracy depending on the assignment parameters, an obligation to attain and maintain a certain level of competency and education, and must generally conduct him or herself as a professional. Here, we take these ethical responsibilities very seriously.
Appraisers may also have fiduciary obligations to third parties, such as homeowners, both buyers and sellers, or others. Those third parties normally are spelled out in the appraisal assignment itself. An appraiser's fiduciary duty is limited to those third parties who the appraiser knows, based on the scope of work or other written parameters of the assignment.
There are ethical rules that have nothing to do with clients and others. Appraisers must keep their work files for a minimum of five years.
We only perform to the highest ethical standards possible. We don't do assignments on contingency fees. That is, we don't agree to do an appraisal report and get paid only if the loan closes. We don't do assignments on percentage fees. That is probably the appraisal profession’s biggest no-no, because it would tend to make appraisers inflate the value of homes or properties to increase their paycheck. We don't do that. Other unethical practices may be defined by state law or professional societies to which an appraiser belongs.
The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) also defines as unethical the acceptance of an assignment that is contingent on "the reporting of a pre-determined result (e.g., opinion of value)," "a direction in assignment results that favors the cause of the client," "the amount of a value opinion," and other things. This means you can be assured we are working to objectively determine the home or property value.
You can be assured of 100 percent ethical, professional service.
Appraiser licensing varies from state to state. To participate in what is called a "federally-related transaction," which is, for example, a mortgage being underwritten by a national bank, an appraiser must be licensed or certified by his or her 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.
Prior to the Savings and Loan crisis of the 80s, which gave rise to appraiser licensing, appraisers had to market their expertise, service, professionalism and association designations. Many feel that state licensing has diluted the appraisal profession. Many consider licensure a bare minimum of what you should expect from an appraiser.
We have worked hard to establish a reputation for quality and prompt work, performed professionally and ethically, with outstanding customer service. You should never just look for a licensed appraiser; you should be discriminating in choosing your service providers. Tour our website for valuable information on the experience we have and the service we provide.
You should always be sure your appraisal service provider is licensed and in good standing. The Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) maintains a national database of appraisers and their license/certification status. It is available publicly at this link.
Among other things, this database, which relies on reports from each state appraisal board, will tell you if a service provider you are considering has had his or her license suspended, revoked, or whether the license has lapsed.You can rest assured that our license is current and in good standing!