USPAP & Appraiser Ethics

What is USPAP?

USPAP — the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice — is the set of quality-control standards that governs how licensed appraisers in the United States develop and report an opinion of value. It's issued by the Appraisal Standards Board and required for any appraisal used in a federally related transaction.

In practice, USPAP is what makes an appraisal different from an estimate. It requires independence from any party with a financial interest in the outcome, a documented and repeatable process, and confidentiality of client information.

Why independence is non-negotiable

An appraiser cannot adopt someone else's research — a homeowner's, an agent's, or an attorney's — and present it as their own independent conclusion. Every USPAP-compliant appraisal is developed from the ground up: the appraiser researches the comparable sales, inspects the property, and reaches the conclusion independently. That's what gives the resulting number weight with a lender, a court, or a tax board.

Confidentiality

USPAP's ethics rule requires appraisers to protect the confidential information of clients, which matters most in sensitive situations — a divorce, an estate dispute, a family conflict over a property.

A note on neutrality

Because independence is central to this work, appraisal services here are not paired with pressure to sell to any particular buyer, investor, or program. The value opinion comes first, and what a client does with it is entirely their decision.