A desktop appraisal applies standard appraisal methodology to public records, MLS data and client-supplied photographs rather than to a personal inspection. It is a full appraisal, performed under USPAP, with the scope of work disclosed. It is also what lets me serve the entire state rather than the two counties I can reach by car.
What a Desktop Appraisal Is, Exactly
The analysis is the same: subject identification, highest and best use, comparable selection, adjustment, reconciliation, and a supported conclusion of value. What differs is the scope of work — I have not personally viewed the interior, and the report says so and identifies what I relied on instead.
That disclosure is not a weakness hidden in a footnote. It is the point. A reader knows exactly what the opinion rests on, which is why attorneys and the courts accept these reports for the purposes they fit.
Where It Fits, and Where It Does Not
Desktop appraisals work well for estate and trust reporting, divorce, bankruptcy, retrospective dates where no inspection was ever possible, and situations where the property is tenant-occupied, vacant, or two hundred miles away.
They do not fit everything. For residential and improved property, a desktop report does not satisfy IRS requirements — those assignments need a Standard appraisal. Vacant land is the exception. And where condition is genuinely unknown and central to value, an inspection earns its cost. I will tell you which situation you are in rather than selling you the cheaper product.
Statewide Coverage
Full-service appraisals with an in-person inspection are limited to San Diego and Riverside Counties, where I work on the ground. Desktop appraisals reach every county in California. For an out-of-area estate — the common case where a decedent's property is in Sacramento and the attorney is in San Diego — this is usually the right instrument.
Fees
Basic Desktop is $299 and Desktop is $449 for a single-family home or condominium; two-to-four-unit desktop work is $549. The difference between the two single-family tiers is report depth, not analytical rigor — see the fee schedule for what each includes.
Where I Can Take This Assignment
Two counties — San Diego and Riverside — I cover in person, which opens up the inspection-based report types. Everywhere else in California I work by desktop appraisal, and that reaches every one of the state's 58 counties. This site carries dedicated pages for 126 communities in 17 of them.
Getting a Figure From Me
The schedule opens at $299 and I pin down your number before any work begins. The whole fee schedule is published here; alternatively, describe the property and why you need it valued and I will come back with a price.