Straight answers about appraisals

Helpful items include a list of improvements and renovations with approximate dates, any surveys or floor plans you have, details on recent repairs, and access to all areas of the property, including outbuildings. Nothing needs to be staged or spotless — an appraisal inspection is about the property’s characteristics and condition, not housekeeping.

A real estate appraisal is a licensed professional’s documented, impartial opinion of a property’s value as of a specific date, developed for a specific purpose. The appraiser analyzes the property, its market, and relevant sales and data, then explains the conclusion in a written report. It is analysis and evidence — not a guess or a marketing number.

Any time an important decision hinges on what a property is really worth: pricing a home before listing, buying or selling by owner, dividing property in a divorce, settling an estate, appealing a tax assessment, or supporting a lending decision. An independent appraiser has no stake in the outcome, which is exactly what makes the number useful when parties disagree or scrutiny is likely.

An online estimate is generated by an algorithm that has never seen your property — it can’t account for condition, updates, layout, the lot, or the difference between your street and the next one over. A licensed appraisal is developed by a human professional who analyzes your specific property and its specific market, and documents the reasoning in a written report. Online tools can be a starting point; an appraisal is built to support a real decision.

There’s no rate card, because no two assignments are the same. The fee depends on property type, location, size, and complexity, the intended use, the required scope of work, the availability of market data, travel distance, reporting requirements, and your requested completion date. Tell us about the assignment and you’ll get a customized quote — free, with no obligation. Complex assignments may require additional research before a fee can be quoted.

Because a flat fee would either overcharge simple assignments or shortchange complex ones. A straightforward single-family valuation and a retrospective appraisal of an unusual property for litigation involve very different amounts of research, analysis, and reporting. Quoting each assignment individually means you pay for the work your assignment actually requires.

Quote requests received during business hours — seven days a week, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central — generally receive a response the same day. Anything sent after hours is answered the next day. Requests can be submitted through this website at any time.

No — and it’s an important distinction. The same-day promise applies to your quote: the customized price and scope for your assignment. The inspection, analysis, and written report follow on the timeline we agree to together, which depends on the property and the scope of work.

A typical residential appraisal report is delivered within approximately three to five business days after the inspection and receipt of all necessary information. Construction draw reports are much faster — generally 48 hours from the site visit. Timing varies with property type and complexity, how quickly the inspection can be scheduled, the availability of records and market data, whether the effective date is current or retrospective, and the reporting requirements of the intended use. Turnaround is confirmed only after the assignment has been reviewed and accepted — it is never guaranteed up front.

Tennessee is the primary market: Davidson (Nashville), Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, and Robertson counties are the most active areas, with coverage also in Cannon, Cheatham, DeKalb, Dickson, Hickman, Macon, Maury, Montgomery, Smith, Sumner, and Trousdale. Southern Kentucky is a secondary service area: Warren, Allen, Simpson, and Logan counties. Standard coverage runs to roughly 75 miles from Nashville. Properties outside the standard service area may incur an additional travel fee, quoted in advance. See the full service area →

Someone who can provide access needs to be arranged, but it doesn’t have to be you personally — an agent, attorney, family member, or property manager can let us in. If you are there, it’s a good chance to point out improvements or answer questions about the property. We’ll coordinate the logistics when the appointment is scheduled.

When a home is the largest shared asset, its value drives much of the settlement — and each spouse often has a different number in mind. An independent appraisal replaces two competing opinions with one impartial, documented conclusion, which can lower the temperature of negotiations and give attorneys a defensible basis for dividing the asset.

In many situations, yes — spouses or their attorneys can agree to jointly order one independent appraisal rather than each hiring their own. How the engagement is structured, and who the intended users are, is settled at the outset. Whether a joint appraisal suits your situation is a question for your attorneys; we’re glad to discuss the mechanics with them.

It’s an appraisal with an effective date in the past — for example, the value of the home as of the date of separation or filing, rather than today. The analysis relies on sales and market conditions from that earlier period. The correct effective date is a legal question, so it should come from your attorney; once it’s set, we value the property as of that date.

How far back: retrospective effective dates are accepted up to three years in the past. If your matter needs an effective date older than that, ask when you request your quote — it falls outside the scope of this practice, and we would rather tell you that before you engage than after.

Yes. When one spouse keeps the home and buys out the other’s interest, an independent appraisal provides a documented value both sides can work from. That single well-supported number often makes the buyout math — and the negotiation around it — considerably simpler.

No. Regardless of who orders or pays for the appraisal, we do not advocate for either spouse. Our role is to develop an impartial, well-supported opinion of value — the same conclusion no matter which side engaged us. That impartiality is precisely what makes the appraisal useful in a divorce.

It can. If you believe your assessment overstates your property’s value, an independent appraisal provides documented, property-specific evidence to support your position — analysis of your actual property and market rather than the mass-valuation methods assessments are often based on. Whether an appeal makes sense in your case depends on the gap between the assessment and the supported value.

No. An appraisal is evidence, not a verdict — the decision rests with the assessor or review board, and no appraiser can promise a particular outcome. What an appraisal does is give your appeal a documented, well-supported foundation. We also can’t promise the value will come in below your assessment; we report what the analysis supports.

Earlier than you think. Appeal windows are set by each jurisdiction and can be short, and an appraisal takes time to complete once scope is confirmed. Deadlines vary by county and state, so confirm your window with the local assessor or board of equalization — confirm the dates for your property with your county assessor’s office, then reach out to us with time to spare.

Requirements differ by jurisdiction, but appeals typically involve filing within a set window and may require specific forms, your assessment notice, and supporting evidence such as an appraisal. Have a list of improvements or renovations ready as well, with approximate years — the assessor’s record of your property often doesn’t reflect what has actually been done to it, and that gap is frequently the whole basis of an appeal. Your county assessor’s office or board of equalization can tell you exactly what applies to your property, and a tax professional or attorney can advise on strategy. We handle the valuation evidence.