"Welcome to Mike Ernest's home page" 

Mike is a well-qualified accomplished Senior Appraiser/Broker with 28 years of demonstrated expertise in the areas of complex appraisal analysis and review, this includes Single Family Residential (interim & permanent financing, BPO, AVM), Condominiums, 2-4 Multi-Family units, Vacant Land, and Light/Small Commercial properties for various purposes including lending.  Mike can also assist you with appraisal's for Divorce, IRS, Estate Tax, Personal Property, lowering your Property Tax and Condemnation Proceedings.

As a seasoned professional, Mike has provided expert witness testimony for both divorce and condemnation proceedings. He is a SRA member of the APPRAISAL INSTITUTE and Graduate of REALTORS Institute.

As a former approved FHA/203K Appraiser, Mike understands problems associated with remodeling jobs and the high cost of some seller induced repairs that don't return your investment dollars.  As a broker Mike can assist you with structuring your jobs so that only the needed repair services that increase value are your true focus.  He is results-oriented with the ability to coordinate multiple projects and teams simultaneously, coupled with the skill to effectively work with people of all levels with diverse backgrounds.

Forensic Appraisal which includes retrospective value reports, pre-foreclosure, foreclosure or post-foreclosure reports for financial decision making are past and present services are also offered.

Through this web site, you can perform a number of tasks. Ordering an appraisal is just a click of a button away. Or, spend some time and find out a bit more about the appraisal business. The more you know, the better decision you can make. And check back frequently, as our content is always being updated.

Appraising vs. Consulting

Appraisers aren't supposed to accept appraisal assignments if payment is contingent on coming up with a certain "value". This means that if your loan doesn't go through because the appraised value of the home is lower than what the mortgage company needed to do the loan, you still have to pay the appraiser.

An appraisal should present a professional, independent, unbiased opinion of value. But some types of assignments require an advocacy position. These are often considered consulting assignments, rather than appraisals.

For example, some appraisers specialize in tax consulting. They defend their client's point of view in order to get the client's property taxes lowered. Payment is often contingent on how much the client saves in taxes. This is clearly an advocacy role, and the tax consultant's position is rarely mistaken for an independent, unbiased opinion of value. As long as the tax consultant's advocacy position is made clear, no one will be misled by his or her actions.

Other forms of consulting are not so clear-cut. When a seller asks for an appraisal because they want to put their home on the market, what do they really want? An independent, unbiased opinion of value? Or a puff piece with an inflated number the seller can wave in front of a buyer to say "Here, my house is worth THIS MUCH?" If an appraiser does a puff piece and it looks like an unbiased appraisal they're going to be misleading anyone using the report, which is a violation of their professional standards. A good appraiser won't do a puff piece. They'll give you a solid valuation, with explanations. A really good appraiser will explain the difference before accepting the assignment.