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Divorce Appraisals

The marital home is usually the largest single asset in a dissolution, and it is the one most often argued about. A divorce appraisal exists to replace that argument with evidence.

Independence is the whole product

In a divorce assignment the appraiser has two audiences who want different answers. The value of the report comes entirely from the fact that it does not serve either of them. We take instruction on scope — effective date, property access, what is being valued — and no instruction at all on the conclusion.

That matters practically. A report produced for one spouse and visibly tilted toward them will be challenged, and a challenged report costs more in fees and delay than an independent one cost in the first place. We are equally willing to be engaged jointly by both parties or by both attorneys, which is often the cheapest path for everyone.

The date is a decision, and it is not ours

Florida courts have discretion over the valuation date for marital assets, and it may be the date of filing, the date of trial, or another date the court sets. Your attorney decides which date the assignment carries. We can value as of a current date or retrospectively as of a past one — a retrospective assignment uses only sales available as of that date and the property's condition as of that date.

What the report has to survive

Cross-examination, in some cases. A divorce file is prepared on that assumption: comparable selection explained, adjustments supported rather than asserted, the property's condition documented at inspection, and any limiting condition — a spouse who would not permit interior access, a renovation half-finished — stated plainly rather than smoothed over.

Our experience

Appraising South Florida since 1992. 34,000+ appraisals in Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie and Broward counties, including 391 field reviews — assignments where our work was to examine another appraiser's report and say whether it held up. That is the same skill a contested divorce valuation calls for, applied to our own file first.

Our staff includes an MAI and SRA designated appraiser. Residential only.

How the assignment runs

Engagement letter naming the parties, the property, the valuation date and the intended use. Inspection with access arranged through counsel where the parties are not cooperating. Comparable analysis built to the assigned date, adjustments supported from the market, and a report both sides can read — because in a joint engagement both sides will. Where we are engaged by one side only, the work is identical; the file does not know who paid for it.

The equity math nobody explains

The number that usually matters is not the value — it is value minus what is owed, and who keeps the house at that equity. An anchored, optimistic value inflates the buyout the staying spouse must fund; a lowball deflates what the leaving spouse receives. Both spouses have a number they privately want, which is precisely why the appraisal has to come from someone with no stake in either. That independence is the entire product, and it is why a report shaded toward its client is worthless the moment opposing counsel reads it aloud.

Call 561-853-2129 or use the contact form.

Questions we hear about this work

Can one appraiser be used by both spouses?

Yes — joint engagement by both parties or both attorneys is common, usually cheaper, and removes the duelling-expert dynamic. We take scope from both sides and the conclusion from neither.

What date is the house valued as of?

Whatever date counsel or the court sets — filing, trial, or another date. We value currently or retrospectively to match, and occasionally both when appreciation between dates is itself disputed.

What if my spouse won't allow access?

The appraisal can proceed exterior-only with stated limiting conditions, but it is always better to resolve access through counsel first. A limited report helps neither side.

Will the appraiser testify?

Yes. Deposition and trial testimony are part of the practice, and every divorce file is built on the assumption it may be examined.