Honesty and Integrity: KLH Appraisals Typically, appraising is a long term career. Requirements to become a Certified residential appraiser have increased more than ever before. So it goes without question these days that real estate appraisal can definitely be considered a profession rather than a trade. In our field, as with any profession, we have a strict ethical code.

I have a lot of obligations as an appraiser, but above everything I answer to my clients. Typically, in residential practice, the lender (or an agent of the lender) places the order to the appraiser, becoming the appraiser's client. Appraisers are typically limited to only disclosing information to their clients, so as a homeowner, if you want a copy of the appraisal document, you normally have to request it through your lender.

Other responsibilities include numerical accuracy depending on the scope of the assignment, attaining and keeping a respectable level of competency and education, and of course, the appraiser must behave in a professional manner. Here at KLH Appraisals, I take these ethical responsibilities very to heart.

There are some scenarios in which appraisers will have fiduciary responsibilities to third parties, such as homeowners, both sellers and buyers, or others. Typically the third parties are specifically defined in the appraisal report. An appraiser's fiduciary duty is limited to those parties who the appraiser is aware of, based on the scope of work or other things in the framework of the assignment.

	Kristie Hankel has worked hard for its reputation for providing appraisals with the highest of ethics. To learn more, contact us.

Appraisers also have duties outside of boundaries of clients and others. For example, appraisers must backup their work files for at least five years - something else Kristie Hankel makes a part of her standard routine.

When creating reports, I follow the highest ethical standards possible. Working on orders based on contingency fees is never an option. That is, I 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 larger value with the reward of getting paid more money! We set ourselves to a higher standard.

Finally, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice clearly states unethical behavior as accepting 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" as well as other situations. We diligently follow these rules to the letter which means you can be confident we are doing everything we can to provide an unbiased determination of the home or property value.

With KLH Appraisals, you can be assured of 100 percent ethical, professional service.