APPRAISALS

http://www.realtor.com/advice/before-you-buy-4-questions-home-appraisals/

What Is a Home Appraisal?

A property appraisal is an estimate of a property’s value. Property value is based on such factors as location, amenities, structural condition and recent sales of similar local properties.
A home appraiser conducts the process. The appraiser will do a walk-through of the property, noting anything that can alter the home’s value. For example, if the house has a swimming pool but swimming pools aren’t popular in the area, it might not add much value to the property—the pool might even detract from it.

 

Who Performs Home Appraisals?

Appraisers are third-party certified or licensed contractors, and the lender usually hires them. They are knowledgeable in real estate and are required to know how to evaluate a property on factors such as neighborhood growth, neighborhood housing trends and market conditions.
To be safe, make sure the appraiser is certified and deals with multiple lenders. If the appraiser only works with one other lender, he may have outside interests—and you may not receive a correct assessement.