Listing too high costs time and usually ends in a price reduction that signals weakness. Listing too low leaves money behind. A pre-sale appraisal gives you an independent figure to set strategy against — one with no commission riding on the answer.
An Opinion With Nothing Riding On It
Agents' pricing opinions are often good, and they are also given by someone whose compensation depends on the listing. An appraiser is paid for the report, not the outcome. Using both is reasonable; the appraisal is the one you can hand to a skeptical co-owner.
Selling on Behalf of an Estate or Trust
Fiduciaries selling real property carry a duty to the beneficiaries, and documenting that the list price was supported by an independent appraisal is how that duty is evidenced. This is one of the most common reasons I am asked for a pre-sale value.
Improvements Before Listing
Not every renovation returns its cost. I can discuss which of a property's characteristics the local market is actually paying for, based on the comparable evidence rather than on general advice.
Pairing It With a GroundWork Report
If you are not ready for a full appraisal, the $99 GroundWork report gives you the surrounding sales data and an unadjusted price range with no opinion of value — and its cost is credited toward a Desktop or Standard appraisal if you order one later.
Where I Can Take This Assignment
Two counties — San Diego and Riverside — I cover in person, which opens up the inspection-based report types. Everywhere else in California I work by desktop appraisal, and that reaches every one of the state's 58 counties. This site carries dedicated pages for 126 communities in 17 of them.
Getting a Figure From Me
The schedule opens at $299 and I pin down your number before any work begins. The whole fee schedule is published here; alternatively, describe the property and why you need it valued and I will come back with a price.