In the context of the work we do, an appraisal is simply an opinion of the value of real property or real estate. That opinion is based on research of market conditions and data. An appraisal can be communicated in written or verbal form.

No. Most appraisers hold a state license or certification. However, those appraisers who hold professional designations or are affiliated with major professional appraisal organizations have additional education and training in the field. They are simply better appraisers than those who only hold a state license or certification.

Long gone are the days of the $300 house appraisal. You should expect to pay $500 or more for a typical house appraisal. Commercial appraisals have a significantly greater cost because of the time, training and resources necessary to provide accurate and credible appraisals. Remember, quality appraisals aren't cheap and cheap appraisals aren't quality. You get what you pay for.

We basically appraise commercial, industrial, agricultural and residential real estate for various purposes. We don't appraise personal property such as art, jewelry, vehicles or other types of personal objects. We do not appraise houses for residential financing such as conventional, FHA or VA lending. We will however appraise homes for legal purposes, estate planning or private money loans.

For most assignments our territory is limited to the States of California and South Dakota. For some property and assignment types, we will venture outside of those states. We have worked in Oregon, Hawaii, Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, Washington, Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah and Virginia.

We respect your privacy as much as we value our own. Your information is never shared beyond the scope of the assignment, nor is our professional relationship disclosed outside our office. All data is securely maintained internally and is not stored on external servers or cloud platforms.

The only exceptions to this policy occur when we are legally required to share information or when sharing is necessary with professional organizations. Files are retained securely for a minimum of five years and, in certain cases, up to seven years.