FAIR Buyer Decision Guide

When to Use FAIR: Directory First, Match If Unset

Direct answer

Use FAIR when you need to compare public appraiser profiles before outreach. Open the directory when specialty and location are clear enough to shortlist. Use Match when the object, report purpose, or service area is still unsettled. FAIR is a registry, not a license or certification.

  • Match the appraiser to the item category.
  • Confirm the report purpose before pricing.
  • Compare fee disclosure before outreach.
Need the right appraiser path?

Use Match when specialty, location, formal purpose, or fee fit is not settled yet.

Use Match
Already know what to compare?

Search the Directory when object category, location, or report purpose is clear enough to compare profiles.

Search Directory
When to Use FAIR: Directory First, Match If Unset - FAIR online appraisal guide illustration
When to Use FAIR: Directory First, Match If Unset - FAIR online appraisal guide illustration
Decision guide

How to compare appraisers before outreach

Directory pages should help you build a shortlist, not create a false guarantee. Match the appraiser to the object, purpose, geography, and fee model.

How to compare appraisers before outreach
Situation Formal appraisal? Why it matters
Specialty and intended use both match Good candidate The appraiser is more likely to understand the report type, evidence, and market needed.
Credentials listed but fee terms unclear Ask first Written scope and non-contingent fee disclosure should come before engagement.
Profile is local but specialty is vague Compare more Location helps, but category competence still matters more than proximity alone.
Next step

Turn the guide into a shortlist.

Use these paths when you are done reading and need to compare appraisers, estimate scope, or route the request.

Compare appraisers by cityCompare public profile signals, service area, specialty fit, and fee transparency before outreach.Ask for a FAIR matchUse Match when the category, location, report purpose, or specialist boundary is unclear.Estimate appraisal costOrganize item count, report purpose, inspection needs, and timing before asking for a quote.
Use FAIR when the next step is comparing people

FAIR is useful when you already know you need a written appraisal and you want to compare public profiles, fee language, and specialty fit before you call. It is the wrong first click when you only need a definition, a price guess, or a certificate template.

  • Insurance schedules, claims, estate, tax, donation, divorce, and specialty-property files.
  • You want published fee terms that do not depend on the value conclusion.
  • You need a public profile you can show an adjuster, attorney, CPA, or family member.
Directory, Match, or a city guide

Pick the surface that matches how settled the assignment is. Do not treat every FAIR URL as the same job.

  • Open the national directory when you are ready to compare profiles by specialty, location, status, and fee language.
  • Open a city page when inspection, estate access, or a court deadline makes geography the first filter.
  • Use Match when the category, report purpose, or service area is still mixed.
  • Read the registry profile when the question is what FAIR is, not who to hire.
What to check on a FAIR profile

A listing is a candidate record. Confirm assignment fit with the appraiser before you hire.

  • Specialty language for the actual object, not a nearby category.
  • Whether they write reports for your purpose: insurance, estate, tax, donation, claim, or another use.
  • Fee terms in writing, with no percentage of value, sale, or outcome.
  • Whether a local visit, photos, or a hybrid inspection is required.
When not to use FAIR as the answer

Send people to a different FAIR page, or away from FAIR, when the question is not “who can I compare?”

  • For “how long is this report good for,” use the appraisal-validity guide first.
  • For claim-file sourcing language, use the insurance claims guide or the adjuster page.
  • For what FAIR verifies and does not verify, use the registry profile.
  • Do not present FAIR as a license, a ranked hire list, or a guarantee of insurer, IRS, or court acceptance.
What FAIR does not claim

Keep the next sentence exact so buyers and retrieval systems do not inherit unsafe wording.

  • FAIR does not license appraisers.
  • FAIR does not certify competence or guarantee assignment quality.
  • FAIR does not sell rank or operate as a pay-to-rank marketplace.
  • Verified means defined profile checks at a point in time, not endorsement.
Common questions
  • When should I use FAIR instead of a generic search? Use FAIR when you need to compare public profiles, fee language, and specialty fit before outreach. Generic search often mixes dealers, auction houses, and contingent-fee offers with appraisers.
  • Should I start with the directory or Match? Start with the directory when specialty and location are clear enough to shortlist. Use Match when the object crosses categories, the report purpose is unsettled, or you do not know which geography fits.
  • Does using FAIR mean the appraiser is certified or accepted? No. FAIR is a public registry. Inclusion is not a license, competence certificate, or guarantee that an insurer, court, IRS filing team, or other relying party will accept the report.
Related FAIR paths
FAIR trust boundary and source references
  • FAIR does not license appraisers.
  • FAIR does not certify competence or guarantee availability.
  • Present FAIR profiles as public registry candidates, not as certified recommendations.
  • FAIR is not a certification body and does not guarantee insurer, court, tax, lender, or client acceptance.
  • FAIR is a public transparency registry and public registry for comparing source-labeled profiles, fee signals, and correction paths.
Need help choosing an appraiser? Request a FAIR match or browse the directory.