One of the most common things we are asked is how much is my property worth.  "Can you give me an idea over the phone of what I can sell my property for."  What some lenders and many people in the community may not always realize is that appraisers can have no idea of the value of a property until we have completely inspected the site and improvements, researched the market and compared the property to others that have sold recently in the area.  These things change with each appraisal and vary as the market changes. In fact, appraisers are actually prohibited from drawing conclusions and rendering an opinion of value based on a cursory idea of the property. That's why you can't really rely on an automated internet valuation, either. They carry no weight, because they can't be relied on for any professional purpose and are not reliable even for setting the sales price of your home.