Reference
Where the authority actually lives
Most questions in this field have a documented answer somewhere. These are the sources that answer them, and what each one is good for.
Standards
The documents that govern the work
Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice
Issued by the Appraisal Standards Board of the Appraisal Foundation and enforced through state licensing. The authority on what an appraiser must do, how scope is set and what a report must contain.
Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions
The Yellow Book, prepared by the Interagency Land Acquisition Conference. Governs federal and federally assisted acquisitions, and is more prescriptive on the larger parcel and project influence.
The Uniform Relocation Act
The federal statute governing acquisition practice and relocation assistance where federal funds are involved. Sets the duty to appraise, to offer not less than the approved estimate, and to acquire uneconomic remnants.
State condemnation statutes
Procedure, deadlines, the measure of compensation and fee recovery all sit in state law and differ substantially. The state sites in this network cover the ones built so far.
Bodies
Professional organisations
The Appraisal Foundation
Authorises USPAP and the qualification criteria for appraiser certification.
The Appraisal Institute
Awards the MAI and SRA designations and maintains a searchable directory of members.
International Right of Way Association
Brings together practitioners working on acquisition and relocation projects, including appraisers.
State appraiser licensing boards
Verify certification and check disciplinary history. Every state maintains one.
American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers
Relevant where agricultural and rural property is being valued.
The Appraisal Subcommittee
Maintains the national registry of certified and licensed appraisers.
On this site
The pages people return to
Reading an appraisal report
Section by section, with what to question in each.
Before and after calculator
Applies the method to your own figures.
Appraisal review
The cheapest way to test an agency report.
Highest and best use
The conclusion that decides the rest of the valuation.
Severance damages
The item most often missing from an offer.
Find an appraiser
Qualifications, routes and the questions to ask.
A note on sources
What we have not reproduced here
Standards documents and statutes are long, they are revised, and summarising them accurately is harder than it looks. Where this site describes a rule it describes it generally. Where a figure, a deadline or a threshold matters to a decision, read the provision itself or ask someone who practises under it.
If you find something on this site that is wrong or out of date, write to editorial@eminentdomainappraisers.com. Corrections are welcome and will be made.
Get a valuation question answered
If an offer has arrived and the number does not match what you believe the property is worth, the appraisal behind it is the place to look. Start with the pages below.