Consumers
Resources and information to help those seeking valuation services make informed decisions.
Overview
When you need to understand the value of real property, personal property, or a business, a professional appraiser provides an independent, well-supported opinion of value. Knowing the value of your assets can help you make informed decisions and protect your financial well-being.
The Appraisal Foundation® (the Foundation), authorized by Congress, sets the minimum standards and qualifications for appraisers across the United States. By establishing high-quality standards of practice and qualifications, the Foundation promotes public trust in the valuation process.
Consumers can feel confident that an appraiser who follows these standards and qualifications will provide a reliable and credible valuation.
Home Appraisal Consumer Resources
Understanding the appraisal process is critical to anyone buying or selling a home. The Foundation is committed to providing practical information to help consumers navigate this with confidence.
What Every Home Buyer Should Know about an Appraisal
To support first-time home buyer education programs, the Foundation developed the education module "What Every Home Buyer Should Know About an Appraisal.” This resource explains what an appraisal involves, how an appraiser develops their opinion of value, and how to understand the information presented in an appraisal report.
Instructors of home buyer seminars can draw upon these resources to assist in developing their seminars and presentations. Resources available include guides and videos on the home buying process, residential appraisals, and understanding mortgages.
Homebuyer Module Components
Land Consumer Resources
To help consumers find a land expert on rural property appraisal and land management, The American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers provides a contact list of professional members.
Personal Property Consumer Resources
Whether it’s fine art, jewelry, machinery, equipment, or a collectible, knowing the value of personal property is a critical component to ownership and care. The following brochures and guides are helpful resources for obtaining and understanding valuation services.
Guides
Understand personal property appraisals and credentialed personal property appraisers.
Videos
Identify and locate a credentialed personal property appraiser.
Consumer Guides to Personal Property Appraisal
Business Valuation Consumer Resources
Business valuers specialize in the valuation of business enterprises and their intangible assets including intellectual property (patents, trademarks, domain names), customer lists, goodwill, and going-concern. They are also used to resolve disputes related to estate and gift taxation, divorce litigation, buy-sell agreements, as well as many other business and legal purposes.
Mass Appraisal Consumer Resources
Mass appraisals are the valuation of all properties in a “universe” of properties, such as a city or county. They are widely used for property tax purposes. Just like single property appraisals, mass appraisals rely on accurate property characteristics and market data, and take into account each property’s valid sales in a given time frame.
Regulatory Resources
If you need to report a concern, seek guidance, or learn more about appraisal-related regulations, the following agencies and resources can help. Each link connects you to key organizations involved in enforcement, oversight, and consumer protection within the real estate and appraisal industries.
File a Complaint
The Foundation is not an enforcement agency and does not have the authority to receive or process complaints against appraisers. Each state appraisal regulatory agency where an appraiser holds a license or certification is responsible for investigating complaints and taking appropriate disciplinary action against an appraiser if they do not employ “recognized methods or techniques” or do not follow the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP®).
Filing a complaint with a state appraisal regulatory agency is highly unlikely to assist in such matters as a borrower hoping to get an appraisal revised; rather, the purpose of these complaints is to ensure a real property appraiser is complying with applicable law.
To file a complaint against a real property appraiser, please visit the Appraisal Complaint National Hotline webpage below.
Note: this button will take you to an external page.
Have a Specific Question?
The Foundation's podcast, Appraiser Talk, has some great episodes for consumers to learn more about appraisals and the appraisal process.