Deciding what to do with the home during a divorce requires answering many questions. What is a realistic price that can be obtained on the open market? What would the net profit be? Should we sell the home? Should one of us buy out the other? What is a fair buyout value? What should the effective date of the value be?
Our experience in this area of valuation is extensive and we strive to help you make the most informed decisions possible. We regularly work with several local divorce attorneys and our reports have been used for many arbitrations divorce proceedings. Each of our appraisers have over 20 years of local experience writing appraisals for couples that are separating. If you are reading this because you are looking for an ethical appraiser that has qualifications which will hold up under scrutiny, then you have come to the right place.
The personal circumstances of a break up are stressful, and we do our best to keep from adding to that stress. We understand the typical special circumstances involved, and we understand that accessing the home may require some delicacy. In many instances we know that accessing the home may require us to work around a very tight schedule and that circumstances can be tense.
In the best-case scenario, separating couples will usually obtain a single appraisal that you both agree is fair and reasonable. The report will help you both decide what the best course of action is, and bring both parties together to agree on plan. Our appraisals are often relied upon in these instances because they are impartial, reasonable and unbiased.
As you might imagine, one party often believes that the initial value analysis is higher or lower than it should be. False expectations have also been increased in recent years as online platforms that "value your house" can be wildly inaccurate, and may conflict significantly from a fully developed appraisal analysis. We have also seen instances where people will obtain a realtor's opinion or Comparable Market Analysis, however a full interior appraisal written by a licensed appraiser is typically considered to be the gold standard.
A second appraisal is often obtained to provide a second opinion by one party or the other. Even if you disagree on the market value of the home, it may still be possible to settle for a compromise in arbitration and avoid going to court. Many times, people will "split the difference" between two appraised values, or come to some other agreement to complete the arbitration. If arbitration fails and you end up going to court, we have experience in that part of the process as well.
The reports that we provide are comprehensive and meet or exceed qualification requirements of the court system. If testimonial support becomes necessary, we are able to vigorously defend our work product. If you have never seen the difference between a 20+ year veteran appraiser and a relatively new appraiser on the witness stand, I can assure you it can be stark. Our appraisers are cool under pressure and will be prepared to explain why we developed our estimate in the way that we did.
We do our absolute best to provide accurate results. Our reports are written to be compliant with the definition of fair market value which is defined as: "The most probable price that a property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale". There is an expanded definition that we include in each report, but that is the core meaning of what we strive to provide.
Our appraisers provide confidential, independent, and non-biased valuations. We are credentialed professionals that will work with you throughout the process to make the best decisions possible.