Real estate appraisal engagement checklist and comparison worksheet

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How to use this resource

Write down why an appraisal is being considered, who may rely on it, the property type and interests involved, important timing, access conditions, and records that may be available. Do not guess a value, select a method, or assume a report format. Ask each professional what assignment, property information, inspection or access, report, delivery, assumptions, and client responsibilities they would propose. If a lender, attorney, tax professional, court, insurer, estate representative, or other party is involved, confirm its requirements directly before ordering work.

Open the PDF in a form-capable viewer, save a copy, then fill it in. Reopen your saved copy to check your answers. You can also print the blank pages and write by hand. Your answers are not submitted to PickYourPro.ai.

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Real Estate Appraisal preparation checklist

• State the decision or situation prompting the appraisal and identify any lender, attorney, court, tax professional, insurer, estate representative, or other party involved.
• Ask the receiving party to confirm its current requirements before ordering work, including who may engage the appraiser and who may rely on the report.
• Describe the property, ownership or interest to be discussed, occupancy, access, and known unusual features without estimating value.
• List available deeds, surveys, plans, leases, income or expense records, prior reports, improvement records, or other documents without assuming relevance.
• Identify access contacts, keys, tenants, animals, gates, operating hours, safety concerns, and areas that may be unavailable.
• Prepare questions about assignment scope, property visit, information requests, report format, delivery, revisions, communication, and confidentiality.
• Request written assumptions, exclusions, client responsibilities, timing dependencies, complete fee structure, and engagement terms.
• Compare proposals against the same purpose, property, intended recipients, access, records, timing, and open questions.

Questions to ask a real estate appraiser

1. How will you confirm the assignment purpose, client, intended users, property interest, relevant date, and applicable requirements before accepting the engagement?
2. What property visit, access, measurements, photographs, records, interviews, or third-party information would you expect to request?
3. What report or deliverable would you propose, what would it contain, and what important limits, assumptions, or exclusions should I understand?
4. Who performs and reviews the work, how are questions handled, and how are independence, confidentiality, conflicts, and corrections addressed?
5. What timing depends on access, documents, third parties, property complexity, or other conditions, and how will changes be communicated?
6. What is the complete fee structure, what could change it, what client responsibilities apply, and how will the engagement terms be documented?

Write down the answers and any exclusions. If two proposals describe different work, clarify the difference before comparing their totals. Leave unanswered points blank until the professional confirms them.

Official references and scope

These are original planning prompts, with AI assistance, prepared by PickYourPro.ai. Official links checked October 10, 2026. This pack has not been independently reviewed by a licensed specialist.

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: What are appraisals and why do I need to look at them? ↗

  CFPB describes an appraisal as a written opinion of property value that provides information about the property. This worksheet uses that basic consumer context only; it does not explain lending rights, estimate value, select methodology, or interpret an appraisal.

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