Brannen Appraisals

Things started going bad from the start. Prior to even arriving at the home, the appraiser postponed the meeting from Friday when he was supposed to have been there, to the next monday. He didn't give any reason for this though, leaving us hanging. Passing that off as a fluke, we did some cleaning around the house and come Monday waited. He was to arrive there at ten that morning. About nine fifty, the appraiser, Gary (Owner) calls to inform us that he's going to be late. He figures maybe ten minutes or so, but given he's not sure, well we just have to wait. He finally got there, and I met him at the door. At first he seemed somewhat friendly, and yet there was a curious distance about him. He gave a rather cursory glance to the front porch after I spoke with him for a moment, and then he went inside. He took notes, in as much that he did some rough sketches of the home, but he seemed somewhat disinterested with the whole process. It was not until he got outside that he started taking pictures, making note that there was in his words "Just a tiny bit of rot" on a portion of the roof line and the end of the house. In the back yard, he took more pictures, some of the back door, and then the house and that was pretty much it. After that, he just left. A few days later, we were informed by the mortgage brokers that he was giving them a hard time. He had appraised that "little bit" of rot at costing over four thousand dollars to fix, and furthermore was claiming that the rear door, which is steel, was rotten out and needed fixing. His claims went as far as causing the mortgage company to wonder if the house was even in habitable condition and might need condemned. Over time, it became apparent, after the mortgage company got the photos, that he was upset that he had not been paid up front. However he had never asked for any payment, and it was assumed that the loan company would foot the bill as they had hired him. What's worse, the gentleman went so far as to act unprofesionally, and when told that he would be paid at closing, to state that he doubted it and dug in his heels. Meaning that in order for his false claims of the rot and condition of the home to be corrected, he requires payment for the appraisal in the first place. I wouldn't suggest anyone use this guy ever. He's at best unprofessional, and at worst a crook.