About Us

We are licensed appraisers, we possess the training and competence to give you the type of credible property value opinions that banks and top lending institutions need for mortgages. With over 35 years of experience under our belt, we’re more than ready to take on anything from starter homes to the most luxurious new construction. A licensed appraiser acts as a third party that will independently assess your home and determine its value.

Expert appraisals in and around Washington, DC

Whether you’re applying for a mortgage to buy a home, refinancing your existing mortgage, or selling your home to anyone other than an all-cash buyer, a home appraisal is a key component of the transaction.

If you’re a buyer, owner, or seller, you’ll want to understand how the appraisal process works and how an appraiser determines a home’s value.

What Is a Home Appraisal?

An appraisal is an unbiased professional opinion of a home’s value. Appraisals are almost always used in home transactions and are common in refinance transactions.

If it is a purchase-and-sale transaction, the appraisal is used to determine whether the home’s contract price is appropriate given the home’s condition, location, and features. In a refinance transaction, the appraisal assures the lender that it isn’t loaning the borrower more money than the home is worth.

What Does a Home Appraiser Look At?

A property’s appraisal value is influenced by recent sales of similar properties and by current market trends.

The home’s amenities, including the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the floor plan’s functionality, and the square footage are also key factors.

The appraiser must perform a complete visual inspection of the interior and exterior and note any conditions that adversely affect the property’s value, such as needed repairs.

What Is in an Appraisal Report?

Most appraisers use the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report from Fannie Mae for single-family homes.

The report asks the appraiser to describe the interior and exterior of the property and the neighborhood. It asks for the prices of comparable sales nearby.

The appraiser also provides an analysis and conclusions about the property’s value based on their observations.

The appraisal report must include:

• A street map showing the location of the appraised property and comparable sales

• An exterior building sketch

• An explanation of how the square footage was calculated

• Photographs of the home’s front, back, and street

• Front exterior photographs of each comparable property used

• Other pertinent information such as market sales data, public land records, and public tax records that have been used to determine the property’s fair market value.