Conducts Inspections

• When you order an appraisal of a property, an appraiser will physically come out to the property and conduct a thorough inspection. However, an appraiser is not the same as a home inspector. Whereas a home inspector looks for signs of structural and cosmetic problems, an appraiser looks at things like size of the property, age of the property and features that could impact price. An appraiser's inspection might also include the surrounding neighborhood, since the area where a home is located can impact home prices.
  
  

Searches and Analyzes Public Records

• An appraiser typically finds and analyzes a variety of public documents to help him determine a property's value. For instance, he may look at previous tax records to see what the house has been assessed at by the county for tax purposes. He may also look at previous sale price, as well as recent sales of similar properties in the same area.
  
  

Reports Findings

• Once an appraiser has a good idea of a home's worth based on her inspection of the property and a public records search, she will create a report for the person or agency that ordered the appraisal. If a lender is requesting an appraisal, you can ask and get a copy under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
  
  

Benefit of Appraiser

• Home sellers and buyers can use sites like Zillow.com or Realtor.com to come up with a general idea of what a home is worth. They can also ask local real estate agents to come up with an estimate of a home's worth through a comparative market analysis. However, an appraiser will always provide the most accurate picture. An appraiser is a licensed professional whose sole job is to determine property values, and is not motivated to undervalue or overvalue a property.