Ellison Appraisals Associates provides honest and ethical appraisals for Washington County

Honesty and Integrity: Ellison Appraisals Associates

We consider our job as a profession. The rigors of becoming a licensed appraiser have become more difficult than ever before. So it goes without question in this day and age that real estate appraisal can certainly be considered a profession rather than a trade. As with any profession we must follow strict ethical considerations.

We have a lot of obligations as appraisers, but our main duty is to our clients. More often than not, for a typical residential appraisal, the appraiser's client is the lender ordering the appraisal, and often the appraisal is ordered by a third party the lender has retained to maintain independence. Thereon, appraisers have certain duties of confidentiality to their clients, plus many rules and regulations regulating with whom we share information. So, as a homeowner, if you desire to obtain a copy of the appraisal document, you generally should get it via your lender.

Other obligations include accurate figures appropriate to the scope of the report, reaching and keeping a respectable level of competency and education, and of course, the appraiser must behave in a professional manner. Here at Ellison Appraisals Associates, we take these ethical responsibilities very to heart.

Appraisers may also have fiduciary obligations to third parties, including homeowners, sellers and buyers, or others. Those third parties normally are defined in scope of the appraisal assignment itself. An appraiser's fiduciary duty is only to those parties who the appraiser is aware of, based on the scope of work or other written parameters of the order.


	Ellison Appraisals Associates has an established track record for performing appraisals with the highest of ethics. To learn more, contact us.

There are also ethical duties that have nothing to do with clients and others. For example, appraisers must store their work files for a minimum of five years - something else Ellison Appraisals Associates makes a part of their standard routine.

While working on an appraisal, we follow the highest ethical standards possible. Doing orders based on contingency fees is not something we can consider. That is, we can't agree to do an appraisal report and collect the fee only if the loan closes. There's certainly a conflict of interest if an appraiser can report a greater value and then get paid more money! This isn't how we operate.

Finally, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice clearly defines unethical behavior as the acceptance of an assignment that is contingent on "the reporting of a pre-determined result (e.g., opinion of value)", "a direction in assignment results that favors the cause of the client", or "the amount of a value opinion" in addition to other situations We diligently follow these rules to the letter which means you can rest easy knowing we are working hard to get you an accurate home or property value.

When you engage Ellison Appraisals Associates, we'll make sure you're getting the professional service you expect along with the business principles we're known for.