FAIR Buyer Guidance

Qualified Appraisal Checklist: Questions to Ask Before You Hire

Before hiring any appraiser — for insurance, estate, tax, donation, or sale — ask these questions: What is the intended use? Are you USPAP-compliant? How do you charge? What specialty areas do you cover? What will the report include? Can I see a sample? Written answers to these questions protect you from non-defensible appraisals and conflicted fee structures.

Question 1: What is this appraisal for?

The single most important question determines everything that follows: valuation basis, report structure, and which appraiser is the right fit.

Insurance coverage or claims — requires replacement-value framing with condition documentation and scheduling-ready formatting.
Estate settlement or probate — requires fair market value, date-of-death valuation, and advisor-defensible comparable evidence.
Charitable donation — requires IRS-qualified appraisal with Form 8283 attachment and specific appraiser credential disclosures.
Divorce or litigation — requires impartial, court-defensible valuation with methodology transparency.
Resale or collection management — may use fair market value or auction-estimate context depending on your goal.
If you do not know the intended use yet, the appraiser should help you clarify it before any valuation work begins.

Question 2: Are you USPAP-compliant, and can you show proof?

USPAP (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) is the recognized standard for professional appraisers in the United States.

A USPAP-compliant appraiser has completed the required ethics, competency, and standards coursework.
USPAP compliance must be renewed — typically every two years. Ask for the completion certificate date.
Professional organizations (ASA, AAA, ISA) require USPAP compliance as a membership baseline.
A USPAP-compliant report includes: intended-use statement, property identification, methodology disclosure, comparable evidence, and a signed certification.
Not every appraiser is legally required to be USPAP-compliant, but insurers, the IRS, courts, and professional organizations expect it.

Question 3: How do you charge, and is the fee contingent on appraised value?

Fee transparency is the fastest credibility filter. Legitimate appraisers disclose their fee structure in writing before any work begins.

Acceptable fee models: flat rate per item, hourly rate, or project fee for collections.
Unacceptable: any fee that is a percentage of the appraised value or contingent on the value outcome.
Ask for a written quote that includes scope boundaries, deliverable format, revision policy, and rush pricing.
An appraiser who will not disclose fees in writing before engagement is a disqualifying red flag.
FAIR surfaces fee-model statements in directory profiles where available for upfront comparison.

Question 4: What is your specialty area, and does it match my property?

An appraiser qualified for one category may not be qualified for another. Specialty fit matters for defensible results.

Fine art (paintings, works on paper, sculpture) requires art-historical knowledge, market awareness, and provenance research capability.
Antiques (furniture, ceramics, textiles) requires period identification skill, construction-method knowledge, and maker-mark recognition.
Jewelry requires gemological credentials (GIA, FGA) and metal-testing capability beyond general antiques expertise.
Ask for recent comparable work in your specific category — not just general experience claims.
If the appraiser's specialty does not match your property, ask for a referral to someone who specializes in it.

Question 5: What will the report include, and can I see a sample?

A defensible appraisal report should stand on its own as a reviewable document. Request a redacted sample before paying.

Intended-use statement: the report must state who the intended user is and what purpose the appraisal serves.
Property description: detailed identification including materials, dimensions, condition, signatures, labels, and provenance.
Valuation methodology: clear explanation of how the value conclusion was reached, with comparable sales or market evidence.
Assumptions and limitations: explicit statement of any conditions that qualify the conclusion.
Appraiser credentials: professional organization membership, USPAP statement, specialty area, and signed certification.
Effective date of valuation: values are time-sensitive; the report must state the date the value conclusion is valid.
Photographic documentation: high-quality images of the property from multiple angles, including signatures, labels, and condition issues.

Question 6: What is your turnaround time, and what is the revision policy?

Timeline and revision expectations should be clear before you commit.

Ask for a written timeline from intake to final delivery.
Clarify how many revision rounds are included and what triggers additional charges.
Rush service may be available for an additional fee — ask for the pricing upfront.
Complex properties with extensive provenance or condition research take longer — the appraiser should explain why.

Question 7: Do you have any conflicts of interest?

Appraiser independence is critical. An appraiser who stands to gain from the valuation outcome is not a safe choice.

Ask whether the appraiser also buys, sells, or deals in the property type being appraised.
If the appraiser offers to buy your item after appraising it, that is a clear conflict of interest.
Ask whether the appraiser has any financial relationship with auction houses, galleries, or dealers relevant to your property.
A professional appraiser should have no financial interest in the property being appraised.

What to do after you have the answers

Use the answers to compare candidates and make an informed hiring decision.

Compare fee quotes, specialty fit, and sample report quality across multiple appraisers.
Verify USPAP compliance and professional organization memberships independently.
Use the FAIR directory to find appraisers who publish fee-model statements and specialty details.
If you are still unsure which appraiser fits, use the FAIR match service to describe your situation and get routed.

FAQ

What is the single most important question to ask an appraiser? Ask what the appraisal is for. The intended use determines valuation basis, report structure, and which appraiser specialty is required. An appraiser who does not ask about intended use first is a red flag.
Do I need a USPAP-compliant appraiser? Not always by law, but USPAP compliance is the generally expected standard for any report reviewed by insurers, the IRS, courts, or professional organizations. It is the safest baseline for defensible appraisals.
What is the biggest red flag in an appraiser's fee answer? A fee that is contingent on the appraised value — for example, charging a percentage of the value or offering a lower fee if the value comes in below a certain threshold. This is prohibited by USPAP and creates a direct conflict of interest.
Can I hire an appraiser who works in a different specialty? You should not. An appraiser qualified for furniture may not be qualified for jewelry or fine art. Specialty mismatch produces weaker comparable evidence and less defensible conclusions.
Should I ask for a sample report before paying? Yes. A professional appraiser should be able to provide a redacted sample report that shows their structure, methodology depth, and evidence quality. If they cannot, move to the next candidate.
How many appraisers should I compare before hiring? Compare at least two or three. Look at fee structure, specialty fit, sample report quality, and communication responsiveness before deciding.
Where do I find appraisers who answer these questions well? Start with the FAIR directory at fairappraisers.org/directory, which publishes fee-model statements, specialty areas, and USPAP status for each member. Or use the match service at fairappraisers.org/match to describe your situation and get routed to the right appraiser.