Valuation evidence
Can an appraisal or property valuation be forensically reviewed?
Yes. The review asks whether the property, data, market evidence, assumptions, methods, and conclusions are internally consistent and appropriate for the valuation’s stated purpose.
What the review examines
- Correct property identity, legal description, property rights, and effective date
- Physical characteristics, condition, permitted or unpermitted improvements, and highest and best use
- Comparable selection, distance, timing, similarity, verification, and adjustments
- Listings, concessions, prior transfers, market direction, and exposure time
- Income and expense assumptions when the property is rented or investment-oriented
- Contradictions between the report, photographs, public records, title information, and other valuations
Why intended use matters
An appraisal, broker price opinion, automated valuation model, tax assessment, and investor estimate are not interchangeable. Each may use different data and serve a different decision. The reviewer should identify what the valuation was designed to answer before judging its reliability.
Good review language is precise: it identifies a data problem, unsupported assumption, omitted market fact, or analytical inconsistency. It does not promise that a different value will be accepted by a lender, court, investor, or regulator.
The useful output
The result should identify the exact page or data field at issue, provide the contradictory source, explain why it matters, and state what additional evidence or licensed professional opinion is needed.
Need a valuation placed in the full loan and title context?
Call 619-554-8334 for an initial case-signal screen.