NORTHERN ILLINOIS REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS

I requested an appraisal to update adequacy of homeowner's insurance coverage. I described my request and was told that a licensed and certified appraisal would call me back and the cost would be $275. I did not receive a reply that day or the next. When I called back the owner of the company explained that the specifications of my house were evaluated and that this company hasn't appraised houses of my size and that the cost would be more. Perhaps I should look elsewhere. The owner did explain that appraisal companies can't guarantee the replacement cost dollar value for insurance purposes. I could look for a builder to give this estimate. In the end I did not feel I needed the services of this company.

Appraiser came to the house on time, examined inside and out, took photos, sketched layout. They did tax lookups and checked for comparable houses sold. I got a report on a standard form in just a few days, both fax and an email PDF file. It seemed complete, but I'd never seen one before. The charge seemed fair for the work done and knowledge it took to do the appraisal.