Marie Wentling, MA Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser

Appraising is a profession, and appraisers are professionals. In recent years, the requirements to become a certified appraiser have increased more than ever before.  As with any profession we have a strict ethical code.

We have many obligations as appraisers but our chief duty is to our clients. Appraisers are required to only disclose information to their clients. If your lender orders an appraisal for your mortgage and you would like a copy of the appraisal document, you generally have to get it through your lender.

Other appraisal responsibilities include, accurate figures appropriate to the parameters of the report, attaining and sustaining an appropriate level of competency and education, and the appraiser must conduct him or herself as a professional. As a Massachusetts Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, and member of the MBREA, the association for valuation professionals, I take my ethical responsibilities very seriously.

Appraisers will regularly need to consider the interests of third parties, such as homeowners, buyers and sellers, or others. Those third parties are normally defined in scope of the appraisal assignment itself. An appraiser's fiduciary duty is limited to those third parties who the appraiser is aware of, based on the scope of work or other things in the framework of the assignment.

Appraisers must store their work files for at least five years.

When busy with an order, we follow the highest ethical standards possible. We have a responsibility not to do assignments on contingency fees. That is, we don't agree to do an appraisal report and collect the fee only if the loan closes. We don't do assignments on percentage fees. 

The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) also states 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," "the amount of a value opinion," as well as other situations. We diligently follow these rules to the letter which means you can be assured we are doing everything we can to provide an unbiased determination of the home or property value.

As soon as you engage Marie C. Wentling, MA Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, I will make sure you're getting the professional and ethical service you expect.