As the housing markets across the country have shifted, sometimes dramatically, no one has been more center stage than the real estate appraiser. This professional swears to identify the accurate value of a property to support mortgage loans that are secured by real estate.

Ergo, the appraiser deals  with a variety of factors, including all parties of the transaction who have  a vested interest. It seems that coming up wtih the right info to support the sale is made all the more challenging by market shifts and especially where there are lots of foreclosures and distressed sales.

To add fuel to the fire, appraisers are prohibited from talking with the involved parties to get the latest data. That leaves sellers in needing to be  proactive in the process. A few tips:

• Be at the house  with your realtor when the appraiser visits.
• Be proactive during the inspection; stay with the appraiser, pointing out important  features.
• Make sure the appraiser does not miss anything of importance.  While  you may not know what is important and what is not important, that really doesn't matter. The appraiser will decide and if  they don't have the info, they can't make a good decision.
• Ask questions. Do they have the right boundaries of the property? The neighborhood? Does the appraiser know specific information about  the  neighborhood that may make it more attractive? For example, can children walk to school? 
• Copies of documents  such as  the latest tax bill, invoices for any major home improvements can be helpful. 

A big  factor in home value is determined by the use of what is called "comparables." That's the job of your realtor. Comparables are other properties that have sold that will determine the value of your property, including whether or not these homes were distressed sales.

If  the appraisal does not come in at the agreed sales price,  you don't have to  accept the value. The appraisal is the property of the lender and the purchaser. Will they provide you with a copy of the document for review? It is important to make sure the value is accurate and the purchaser has a vested interest in determining this as well.