by eddie_walker:
""I'm a builder and have had some success buying and selling raw land. Without trying to offend anybody, I can tell you that an apraiser works for the person that hires him/her.""

Wrong, most of the time, an appraiser works for themself, living and dying by the decision they make.

""Their job is to get the amount their employer asks for. ""

Wrong again, it is to determine an independant opinion of value, not to "get the amount their employer asks for". I'd imagine, if this is the way you think, there would be a whole lot of appraisers who would ask you to pay their back social security, etc.

""The big descrepancies seem to come from the appraisers who work for the bigger firms.

A bank will have several appraiser they use for their loans. If they want to make the loan, they can get the appraiser to justify the ammount.""

If they "can get the appraiser to justify" they are crooks, the banker, and the appraiser. Plenty of crooked of both, normally pushed by crooked builders/developers, and homeowners.

""The bigger real estate agents also have certain appraisers that they use all the time. They can also get the numbers to reflect the amount they require.""

"they require"? Again, only if they are crooks and hire crook appraisers.

""As a small builder, I've been on both the good and bad end of this. I've had a buyer's agent bring in their appraiser to run down the value of the property I'm selling.""

Probably because you sold it above market, to some uniformed person from out of state. Just a guess.

""I contacted my banker and had him get "his" appraiser to give me one that reflects my selling price. ""

What did I say about crooked builders/developers and bankers?

""Comparing the two apprasals can be quite interesting. Ponds and Lakes vary allot depending on the angle the appraiser is shooting for. Some call them liabilities or deduct the value based on the work required to "fix it up." Others will increase the overall price of all the acerage based on this one feature.""

OK

""Just my 2 cents.""

Not sure it's worth half of that.

""I don't mean to imply all appraisers are so easily swayed. ""

Oh really? Didn't read that way.

Water maters where it is scarce, and doesn't make a dang where it is abundant. Alligators $5,000 a surface acre of water, would sound reasonable, considering construction costs, in many areas, and not reasonable where costs are higher or lower.

Eric pretty well nailed it.