Home appraisal cost in Sacramento, and answers to common questions
A typical home appraisal in Sacramento costs $400 to $500 here, and the report arrives 3 to 7 business days after the inspection. These are the questions homeowners, heirs, trustees and attorneys ask most, answered plainly.
How much a home appraisal costs in Sacramento
How much does a home appraisal cost in Sacramento?
$400 to $500 for a typical single-family home or condo. That covers the inspection, the research and a signed written report with its effective date. Larger, rural, multi-unit or unusual properties are quoted individually. You get the quote before any work starts.
What makes the price go up or down?
Mostly the size and complexity of the job: a large or custom home, acreage or a rural location with few nearby sales, a two-to-four unit property, or a home with unusual features takes more research and is quoted individually. Extra effective dates, rush requests and court testimony are quoted separately.
How long does an appraisal take?
3 to 7 business days after the inspection. Retrospective assignments, such as a date-of-death appraisal, can take a little longer because the research is historical, and the timeline is confirmed with the quote.
From inspection to report
What happens at the inspection?
Daniel R. Nelson walks the exterior and interior of the home, measures it, photographs each area, and notes the condition, updates and any features that affect value. Someone needs to let him in and be able to show him every room, the garage and any accessory dwelling unit.
How should I prepare for the appraiser's visit?
Make sure every room, the attic or crawl space access, the garage and any ADU are reachable, and secure pets. Have a short list of improvements with approximate dates and any permits, plus anything unusual about the property. For an estate or trust, tell us the date the value is needed for and who else should receive the report.
What do I receive when it is finished?
A signed, written appraisal report with the effective date, a description of the property, photographs, the comparable sales used and the reasoning behind the conclusion, prepared under USPAP, the profession's standards.
Which date can the appraisal be as of?
Either today's market (a current appraisal) or a past date (a retrospective appraisal), such as a date of death, the date of a transfer or a divorce date. Tell us the date when you request the quote. Additional effective dates are quoted separately.
Private, lender and online values
What is the difference between a private appraisal and a lender appraisal?
A lender appraisal is ordered by the lender, usually through an appraisal management company, for a mortgage, and the lender is the client. A private appraisal is ordered by you for your own purpose, such as an estate, trust, divorce, tax matter or a sale between family members. You are the client and the report is addressed to you.
Is an appraisal the same as Zillow or an agent's market analysis?
No. An online estimate is a computer model that has not seen the inside of your home. A real estate agent's comparative market analysis is a useful opinion for pricing a listing, but it is not an appraisal. A licensed appraiser inspects the property and follows USPAP, which is why attorneys, trustees and tax professionals ask for one.
Who can order an appraisal?
The owner, a trustee or executor, an heir or beneficiary, an attorney or a CPA acting for a client. Whoever orders it is the client, so tell us at the start who the report is for and how it will be used.
Will a court, the assessor or the IRS accept it?
Whoever receives a report decides what weight to give it, and no appraiser can promise the outcome. What we can say is that the report is independent, supported by market data and prepared to professional standards. If it is for a court, the assessor or the IRS, tell us the use first and ask the attorney, CPA or agency what they need.
Licensing, property types and service area
What does Licensed Residential mean?
Daniel R. Nelson holds California Licensed Residential appraiser license AL3008584 from the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. It covers residential properties of one to four units. Federal rules limit the value and complexity of properties a Licensed Residential appraiser can handle on federally related lender transactions, but a private appraisal for an estate, trust, divorce or tax matter has no such value cap. The About page explains this further.
What types of property do you appraise?
Residential 1-4 unit properties, including single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes through fourplexes, and homes on acreage. We do not do commercial properties, FHA appraisals or VA appraisals.
Which areas do you serve?
Sacramento and 18 other Northern California counties. The full list is on the service area page.
How do I get a quote?
Call (916) 268-1016, email daniel@vwappraisals.com or use the contact page. Send the property address, what the appraisal is for and the date of value if it is not today. Daniel responds personally with a quote and timeline.
Appraisals by purpose
- Date-of-death and estate appraisals for heirs, executors and trustees
- Trust appraisals for trustees and beneficiaries
- Prop 19 appraisals for parent-child property transfers
- Divorce appraisals for dividing a home fairly
- PMI removal appraisals to support removing mortgage insurance
- Property tax appeals when your assessed value is higher than market value
See everything on the services page, check the service area, or read about Daniel.
Google reviews
Valley-Wide Appraisal Services is rated 5.0 on Google from 13 reviews.
“A very fast, precise, and professional this company is. The appraiser Daniel was amazing! Would recommend this appraiser to anyone in need of one”
Joshua W.
“The appraiser was a nice guy was very detailed and report was back in a timely manner ... I felt the report was accurate”
Vanessa P.
Ready for a quote?
Send the property address and what the appraisal is for, or call to talk it through.
Important information about this service
Valley-Wide Appraisal Services provides independent real estate appraisal services only. Daniel R. Nelson is a licensed residential real estate appraiser, and is not an attorney, CPA, tax advisor, or estate planner. Nothing on this page is legal or tax advice. Prices shown are typical for a single-family home or condo and are confirmed in your quote before work begins. An appraisal is an independent opinion of value and does not guarantee any outcome with a lender, court, assessor or tax authority.