Appraiser

[vibrantabyss.livejournal.com]

I checked under business services and real estate and didn't find anything useful.

Has anyone used an appraiser (for condo valuation) that they liked?  Or does everyone just go with whoever the bank tosses at them?

Comments

[frugaljoe.livejournal.com]

I'm definitely interested in this answer.

[ll-02143.livejournal.com]

I am a certified residential real estate appraiser and I live in Somerville. You really have very little choice in terms of choosing an appraiser for any mortgage-related transactions anymore. If the appraisal is for a refinance or a purchase, the bank is going to "choose" your appraiser for you. The bank generally has to randomly "choose" their appraiser from a pool of appraisers they've already pre-qualified in house or choose them through an AMC (appraisal management company) which is a third-party service. The days of obtaining your own appraisal and submitting it to the bank is over for the majority of residential borrowers. The regulations have changed quite a bit over the past few years (thank you 2007-2008 crash and subsequent HVCC).

So, you certainly can try and get an appraisal yourself and see if your bank will take it. However, it's been a while since I've seen it actually be accepted that way, so don't waste your money and check with your bank first!
-LL