Dickman and Associates, LLC provides honest and ethical appraisals for Fairfax County

For honest and ethical appraisals, count on Dickman and Associates, LLC

Appraising is typically a long term career. The rigors of becoming a licensed appraiser have increased more than ever in the past. So it goes without question these days that real estate appraisal can unquestionably be considered a profession as opposed to a trade. In our field, as with any profession, we are bound by an ethical code.

We have a lot of obligations as appraisers, but our chief duty is to our clients. Typically, in residential practice, the lender (or an agent of the lender) places the order to the appraiser, becoming the appraiser's client. Thereon, appraisers have certain duties of privacy to their clients, plus many rules and regulations to which we must adhere. As a homeowner, if you would like a copy of the appraisal document, you generally have to request it through your lender and not the appraiser.

Other obligations include accurate sums 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. Maintaining high ethics is what we do every day at Dickman and Associates, LLC.

There are some scenarios in which appraisers will have fiduciary responsibilities to third parties, including homeowners, both sellers and buyers, or others. Generally the third parties are specifically defined in the appraisal report. An appraiser's fiduciary role is only to those parties who the appraiser is aware of, based on the scope of work or other written parameters of the order.


	Dickman and Associates, LLC has worked hard for its track record for providing competent and ethically superior appraisals. Contact us today to learn more.

There are also ethical standards that have nothing to do with whom we share information. For example, appraisers must backup their work files for a minimum of five years - something else Dickman and Associates, LLC makes a part of their standard routine.

We require the highest professional integrity possible from ourselves. Working on assignments based on contingency fees is never an option. In other words, we are not able to agree to do an appraisal report and collect payment on the contingency of the loan closing. There's certainly a conflict of interest if an appraiser can report an unsubstantiated value and then get paid more money! This isn't how we operate.

Finally, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice also defines 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" in addition to other situations We diligently follow these rules to the letter which means you can be confident we are going above and beyond to provide an unbiased determination of the home or property value.

With Dickman and Associates, LLC, you won't have any doubts that you're receiving 100 percent ethical, professional service.