What Happens at an Appraisal Inspection

If you have ordered an appraisal for an estate, a divorce, a property tax appeal, or before listing a home, the inspection is the part you will see. This post explains exactly what I do while I am there, what I need from you, and what happens after I leave.

I perform every inspection myself. The person who walks through your house is the person who signs the report.

Key Takeaways

• I measure every house myself. I use the ANSI Z765-2021 standard. I do not use the county's square footage.
• I photograph every room and every level, inside and out, and anything that identifies your family is kept out of the report.
• It is an appraisal, not a home inspection. I observe the roof, siding, and systems from accessible areas. Nothing is tested, opened, or dismantled.
• You do not need to clean. Housekeeping does not enter the report and does not touch the value.
• What I need is access. Every room, the attic access, the crawlspace or basement, the garage, any outbuildings, and pets secured.
• Plan on 30 to 45 minutes for a typical assignment. A larger or more complex property takes longer.
• You keep the floor plan sketch, at no extra charge, to use whenever you sell.

Before I Arrive

Every assignment starts with three decisions: what the appraisal will be used for, who will rely on it, and the date the value is measured as of. For an estate, that is usually the date of death, because for federal estate tax the gross estate includes the value of property at the time of death. For a divorce or a tax appeal, it is the date the case calls for. For a pre-listing appraisal, it is usually today.

The date matters at the inspection. If the value is as of a past date and the house has changed since then, I need to know what it was like on that date as well as what it is like now.

How I Measure

I measure every house myself, following ANSI Z765-2021, the American National Standard for calculating the square footage of a single-family house. It gives a consistent method for what counts as finished living area and how each level is measured and reported, so my number can be checked by anyone who measures the same way.

I do not use the county's square footage. County records are a starting point for research, not a measurement, and they are not always right. Square footage drives much of the value, so I measure it rather than borrow it.

What I Photograph and Observe

I go through every room on every level, and I take interior and exterior photographs. I note the layout, the finishes, what has been updated, and the condition, as it affects value.

Interior photographs of every room are not optional: a credible report requires them. What they document is the house, not the family living in it. Personal photographs, religious items, and anything else that identifies you or your family are blurred or cropped out of the report photos. People worry about this and rarely ask, so I would rather say it plainly.

The roof, the siding, and the systems are observed visually from accessible areas. Nothing is tested, opened, or dismantled: not the wiring, the plumbing, or the heating and cooling. Condition goes into the report when it affects value, good or bad.

Georgia's appraisal rules require my signed certification to state whether I personally inspected the property. On my reports, the answer is yes.

It Is an Appraisal, Not a Home Inspection

An appraisal inspection is not a home inspection. I am observing the property to form an opinion of its value. Nothing is tested, opened, or dismantled, and I do not go looking for hidden defects. If you need to know whether the roof leaks or the furnace is safe, that is a job for a home inspector or the right tradesperson.

Do You Need to Be There?

No. The owner does not need to be home for the inspection. It does help, though, because you know things I cannot see: what was permitted, what was replaced, and when. A short conversation at the door can save a lot of guessing.

If you cannot be there, a written list of improvements with approximate dates does the same job.

What I Need From You: Access

The one thing I do need is access. Before I arrive, please make sure I can get to:

• every room, including any that are usually kept closed or locked;
• the attic access;
• the crawlspace or basement;
• the garage;
• any outbuildings, such as a shop, barn, or shed, with gates unlocked;
• and pets secured, for their sake and mine.

A typical assignment takes 30 to 45 minutes on site. A larger home, acreage, outbuildings, or a complex assignment takes longer, and I will say so when we set the appointment. I block a full hour on my calendar to protect the rest of the day's schedule, but 30 to 45 minutes is what to plan around.

You Do Not Need to Clean

No one needs to clean before I come. Dishes in the sink, laundry on the bed, and toys on the floor do not go in the report, and they do not touch the value. I am appraising the house, not the housekeeping. If you have been worrying about getting the place ready, you can stop: unlock the doors, secure the pets, and that is enough.

What I Will Ask You, and Why

Some of my questions come straight from the Georgia Real Estate Appraisers Board's Rule 539-3-.02. For appraisals like mine, the rule requires me to take reasonable steps to identify and report:

• the current owner of the property;
• whether it is listed for sale, and every list price within the preceding year;
• whether it is under contract;
• whether it has sold within the three years before the effective date.

I also have to obtain the county tax assessor's value for my file. So if I ask about a past listing or a contract, it is not idle curiosity. It is a requirement.

Beyond that, I will ask about improvements and when they were made, anything that does not show, and anything unusual, such as easements, a shared driveway, or a well or septic system.

The Floor Plan Sketch Is Yours to Keep

Measuring the house produces a floor plan sketch, drawn to the same professional standard you see on a good listing. It comes with your appraisal at no extra charge, and it is yours.

Use it however you like. If you list the house later, with an agent or on your own, hand it to whoever builds the listing. Many agents pay for a sketch separately when the time comes. You will already have one, drawn by the person who measured the house himself.

What Happens After I Leave

Most of the work happens after the inspection. I research the market using MLS data, county and assessor records, GIS, and paired sales, and Georgia's rules require me to verify the data I use from a reliable source and at least one more. Then I select the comparable sales, adjust for the differences between them and your property, and write the report so the reasoning can be followed by whoever reads it next.

A straightforward current-value report is delivered 24 to 48 hours after the inspection. Estate, retrospective and as-repaired work, and any complex assignment such as acreage, divorce, litigation or thin comparable data, runs 7 to 14 business days. I state the timeline when I quote the assignment.

My fee does not depend on the number I reach. Under O.C.G.A. 43-39A-18(11), an appraisal fee contingent on the value reached is grounds for discipline in Georgia.

If you believe the finished report has a fact wrong, such as the bedroom count or a detail about a comparable, tell me. I want to know, and I will correct it. What I will not do is change a conclusion because someone dislikes it.

Who Is Standing in Your House, and What to Ask Them

The inspection is the only part of an appraisal most people ever see, so it is worth knowing what separates one appraiser from another. Two things do.

The first is what arrives afterward. Some appraisals are a form with boxes checked and a conclusion at the bottom. Mine is a narrative report that shows its reasoning, sale by sale and adjustment by adjustment, so whoever reads it next can follow how the number was reached rather than take it on faith.

The second, and the larger one by a good margin, is who did the work, and that is not visible from a quote. So ask, of me and of anyone else. Have they done your specific type of assignment, and how many? Have they been deposed or testified? Will they personally perform the inspection, or send someone? What will the effective date of value be, and why? And does the fee depend in any way on the outcome, which should draw an immediate no.

Then check the answers instead of trusting them. Georgia classifications are searchable through the Georgia Real Estate Commission and Appraisers Board, and every certified appraiser in the country appears on the ASC National Registry, which is free and public. Look me up. Look up anyone else you are considering. In my case the record shows the field since 1997, licensed as an appraiser since 2000, years in the review chair deciding whether other appraisers' work was defensible, Chief Review Appraiser at Act Appraisal and at eValuation ZONE, both national appraisal management companies, where disputed values and the complex, high-risk, and unusual files were mine to settle, a wholesale appraisal desk I built and ran at 1,700 orders a year, appraisal management operations, FHA field audits, and litigation work.

The last part is the part you will see on the day. I talk with you at the property rather than taking photographs and leaving. You should be able to walk away from that half hour knowing what I was looking at in your house and why it moves the number.

For an estate, see my date of death appraisal page. For an assessment you believe is too high, see my tax appeal appraisal page. If square footage is the question, my home measuring page covers measurement on its own.

FAQs: The Appraisal Inspection

Do I need to clean the house before the appraiser comes?

No. Housekeeping does not enter the report and does not touch the value. What I need is access to every room, the attic access, the crawlspace or basement, the garage, and any outbuildings, with pets secured.

Do I need to be home for the inspection?

No, though it helps. You know what was permitted, what was replaced, and when, and that is useful to hear firsthand.

How long does the inspection take?

Plan on 30 to 45 minutes for a typical assignment. A larger home, acreage, outbuildings, or a complex assignment takes longer, and I will tell you when we schedule it. I hold a full hour on my calendar so the day's schedule is protected, not because the visit normally needs it.

Will my family's photographs end up in the report?

No. Interior photographs of every room are required for a credible report, but they document the house. Personal photographs, religious items, and anything else identifying your family are blurred or cropped out.

Do I get the floor plan sketch?

Yes. The sketch from my measurement comes with your appraisal at no extra charge and is yours to keep, including for a later listing with an agent or on your own.

Do you use the county's square footage?

No. I measure every house myself, following ANSI Z765-2021.

Is an appraisal inspection the same as a home inspection?

No. I observe the roof, siding, and systems visually from accessible areas and note condition as it affects value. Nothing is tested, opened, or dismantled.

Why does the appraiser ask whether the house has been listed or under contract?

Georgia's appraiser board requires it. Rule 539-3-.02 directs the appraiser to identify and report any list prices within the preceding year, any pending contract, and any sale within the three years before the effective date.

How soon will I get the report?

A straightforward current-value report is delivered 24 to 48 hours after the inspection. Complex assignments run 7 to 14 business days, and I state the timeline when I quote the assignment.

About the Author

Scott D.W. Wiley is a Georgia Certified Residential Real Property Appraiser, CR432840, and is FHA approved. He was formerly licensed in six other states: Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio, all now inactive. He has been in the business since 1997 and licensed as an appraiser since 2000, coming up through the Midwest as a field appraiser and then as a review appraiser, and serving as Chief Review Appraiser at Act Appraisal and at eValuation ZONE, both national appraisal management companies, where he was the final technical authority on disputed values and on complex, high-risk, and unusual property. He also built and ran a wholesale appraisal desk at 1,700 orders a year, ran appraisal management operations, performed FHA field audits, and works as an expert in litigation. Today he runs Go2Appraiser, serving metro Atlanta and Northwest Georgia with estate, divorce, bankruptcy, tax appeal, pre-listing, land, and investment property valuations. He inspects every property personally and writes his reports the way he spent his career demanding other appraisers write theirs.