DIVORCE APPRAISALS

Divorce is a painful process in which there are many decisions to be made including “who’s staying” and “who’s going” when determining what happens to the house. If financially possible, one of the parties may buy out the other. The question of “who keeps the house?” depends far more on the house value than it does on who is staying and who is going. This may be the critical step in the divorce process. An appraisal by an independent appraiser is how parties determine home values when the home will not be sold.

Most often homeowners will research online sites like Zillow. If you check their site, Zillow publishes its own comparison of actual sales vs. their Zestimates where the inaccuracy is alarming. At such a point in your life why add the additional worries when hiring a professional appraiser is only a phone call away.

We all know someone that is a real estate agent or has a friend that is a real estate agent. For that matter, I am a real estate agent. Real estate agents provide a Broker Price Opinion (BPO). But judges will not accept a BPO, they are knowledgeable and understand that BPOs are not considered reliable enough to use in a mortgage.

This is the reason one or both parties should hire the services of a professional real estate appraiser to estimate the fair market value of the home. The appraisal should include a well-supported, professional report that is admissible and defensible in court. State and Federal laws require that the appraiser and the appraisal process be independent of any influence, coercion or undue pressure. This allows the appraiser to remain an unbiased, third-party.

Many times the divorce date differs from the inspection date of the appraisal thus requiring a retrospective appraisal that has an effective date and value estimate corresponding to the date of divorce or filing. We’ve completed countless divorce appraisals over the years, so we understand exactly what’s involved as well as the need to handle these situations with the utmost care.

We’re bound by the ethics provision within the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), which means you’ve assured the highest level of confidentiality, guaranteeing you the utmost discretion. In addition, we provide you with comprehensive appraisal reports that meet or exceed requirements of the courts and other various agencies.

When you work with the Appraisals of Southwest Florida, you can be assured you’ll get the best in professional service, courtesy, and you’ll receive the highest quality appraisal reports. Our team of exceptional appraisers will be discreet and respect and protect your privacy in any divorce matter.

Our Senior Appraiser, Kathy Homan, has extensive experience in dealing with local and prestigious Family Law Firms when it comes to divorce proceedings. In fact, for the last 15 years, a large number of Family Law Firms, Accountants, and Mediation Advisors have relied on Appraisals of Southwest Florida for our opinion of values when formulating real property values during divorce proceedings and other disputes requiring a value being placed on real property.