Pricing
What an appraisal costs
Describe the property on the call and the figure comes back in writing, before the inspection is booked.
| Assignment | Fee | Turnaround | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Divorce & equitable distribution | Quoted on request | 5–7 business days | Quoted in writing before any work begins. |
| Estate & date-of-death | Quoted on request | 5–7 business days | Quoted in writing before any work begins. |
| Gift tax | Quoted on request | 5–7 business days | Quoted in writing before any work begins. |
| Litigation support | Quoted individually | 7–14 business days | Priced on the record involved, the effective date, and whether deposition or testimony is in contemplation. |
| PMI removal | Quoted on request | 3–5 business days | Quoted in writing before any work begins. |
| Pre-listing | Quoted on request | 3–5 business days | Quoted in writing before any work begins. |
| Retrospective valuation | Quoted on request | 5–10 business days | Dates more than a few years back, or a municipality with very thin turnover, are quoted individually. |
| Two-to-four family | Quoted individually | 7–12 business days | Priced on the unit count, whether leases and a rent roll exist, and how thin the comparable sales are in that municipality. |
What the fee covers
- The inspection, and the building measured on site
- Research and the comparable sales analysis
- The written report, delivered digitally
- Onward delivery to counsel or an accountant, on your written instruction
Quoted individually
- Two-to-four family
- Acreage and multi-parcel
- Retrospective dates more than a few years back
- Rush turnaround
- Additional effective dates on the same property
- Deposition or testimony, engaged separately
No fee here ever turns on the value reached, on a predetermined result, or on how the underlying matter ends. All three are prohibited under USPAP, and an appraisal produced on those terms is worth nothing at all to the person you needed to convince with it.
FAQ
Questions about pricing
Why is the figure not published here?
Because a number on a page is a number for a property nobody has described yet, and the honest version of it is a range wide enough to be useless. Describe the property on the phone and you get a real figure for that property, in writing, before anything is booked — which is the same number that appears on the invoice. What will not happen is a headline price that grows once the work is under way.
What actually moves the price?
The property and its complexity, far more than its size. On an ordinary single-family house the research, the comparable analysis and the report are much the same job at 1,400 square feet as at 3,000. What genuinely changes the work is a property that does not behave like a house on a street: a two-to-four family needing an income approach, acreage or multi-parcel holdings, an effective date several years back, or a municipality where almost nothing sells. Rush turnaround carries a premium too, because it pushes other people down the queue.
Which assignments get priced individually?
Two-to-four family buildings, since those want an income approach rather than comparable sales alone. Acreage and multi-parcel holdings. Effective dates far enough back, or municipalities thin enough, that the research lengthens materially. Rush work. Each of those is priced on its own facts and confirmed before anything begins.
When do I pay?
The fee is agreed in writing before the inspection is booked, and the payment terms sit in the engagement. What never happens is a fee that depends on the value reached — prohibited under USPAP, and it would leave the report worth nothing to the person you needed to persuade.
Is a cheaper appraisal a worse one?
Not necessarily, but find out what you are buying. Two things are worth asking anybody: whether they will use the effective date your purpose actually requires, and whether the report explains its adjustments or simply announces a number. A cheap report carrying the wrong date is not a saving of any kind — it cannot be used at all, and you will pay twice.
Someone else advertises a lower starting price.
"Starting at" is not a price. It is the bottom of a range whose top you discover later, and it usually describes a small, simple, easily-compared house on a standard timeline. The additions — square footage, acreage, distance, complexity, a second effective date — arrive afterwards. It may still work out cheaper for you, and that is worth knowing. So ask whoever quoted it what the figure becomes for your actual property, on your actual date, and then compare the two things that are genuinely comparable.
What clients say
Read these on Google5 out of 5 stars
Mr. Zaccone is one of the top appraisers out there. He clearly knows his craft and has an excellent grasp of the real estate market. He’s approachable, professional, and an absolute pleasure to work with.
Gabriela Emiliano· via Google 5 out of 5 stars
I appreciated the service that was rendered by Al and his team. I found him to be definitely top tier with his knowledge, professionalism and keen attention to details. I highly recommend CSR Appraisals.
Sashoir· via Google
Next step
Two minutes on the phone settles most of this
Say what the number is for and when you need it. That is enough to fix the effective date, the fee and the turnaround on the call. And if an appraisal is the wrong instrument for your situation, or a cheaper one would do the job, you will be told so before anything is ordered.