Home Appraisal

Real Estate Appraisal Illinois
Lansford & Associates
Real Estate Appraisers
Appraisal Quality Assurance
PO Box 88508
Carol Stream, IL
630-681-8128
Est. 1983

Litigation Support for Attorneys  

  • Lee Lansford has experience(including qualified as an Expert Witness in the judicial
    systems of both Cook and DuPage counties) in developing and communicating appraisals and review of same for use in matters of a legal nature.   

  • Appraisal LitigationThough service quite often applies for appraisals for market value for use in divorce proceedings, such may include (for example) settlement of estate and the like. 

  • Have need for support where an appraiser is being sued specific to one of his or her appraisals? Lee Lansford is 1 of 27 (in Illinois, as of Nov. 2007) Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) Certified Instructors of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). He is a residential (single-family, 2-4 unit residential income properties) specialist and past-instructor of “appraisal principles” at the College of DuPage. 

  • Do you have an appraiser who is licensed by the State of Illinois and is facing disciplinary proceedings by the agency of state government charged with appraiser licensing? 

    Lee Lansford, IFA, has provided (2000, 2003-2007) services to the state agency as an (independent contractor) investigator charged with reviewing appraisals for compliancy with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) and applicable State of Illinois licensing requirements; following an investigation, he has provided the state agency with a report of his findings for use by the agency in the disciplinary proceedings. 

    For you and your client, he can review the appraisal that is the subject of the action and offer
    an opinion as to its compliance with the USPAP and applicable state rules and regulations. 

  • Lee Lansford, IFA, is uniquely qualified to serve you and your clients.

    PART II…ATTORNEYS

    You probably have various needs associated with the market valuation of a residential property that is the subject of current, or future, legal action.
    Here are 3 ways in which Lee Lansford, IFA, can be of assistance to you:

    #1…APPRAISAL

    Perhaps the most common type of service is when I am engaged to develop and communicate an appraisal for a property.  The appraisal is used in a legal action which requires an opinion of Market Value (whether a current opinion of value or a retrospective opinion of value).

    #2…APPRAISAL REVIEW

    You may have possession of an appraisal with an opinion of market value that you question! 
    I can provide you with an intensive (the “scope of work” for which we can mutually determine”) review of that appraisal!  If an appraiser is careless or is otherwise providing unsupported opinions and conclusions, a review can pin-point those inadequacies!
    This service would not include my development and communication of an opinion of market value.

    #3…CONSULTATION

    In conjunction with my review (see #2 above) of another appraisal, I can provide you with suggested questions to ask (i.e., for a deposition or trial) of the other appraiser regarding his or her appraisal!  Appraisals are seldom “perfect” with a few having more deficiencies than others.  It takes a trained-eye to determine what is significant and what is not! Be aware that not all appraisers are prepared to defend their work-product…if the “right” questions are asked!

    ADVOCATE

    Though the attorney must be an advocate for the client, an appraiser cannot take the same stance!

    For the appraiser who is subject to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), it would be an ethical violation (“An appraiser must not advocate the cause or interest of any party or issue.”; current USPAP, Ethics Rule—Conduct) for an appraiser to act as an advocate for his or her client.

    Consider this:  If an appraiser provides an opinion of value that is, due to the   bias of the appraiser, slanted in favor of the client’s position, the opinion of value will not withstand scrutiny—particularly in those instances where two appraisers are required to testify in a court of law!

    From the start, it is best to engage a competent and ethical appraiser who is prepared to develop and communicate a credible (“worthy of belief”) report of an appraisal.

     

     

 

Real Estate Appraiser