John Morris, Appraiser

I wanted my house appraised before I put it on the market to sell because I had had two R.E. agents tell me a price that i considered was based on houses in my neighborhood . I didn't want a low-ball price. I wanted a more accurate market price based on my property's characteristics, not my neighbors. Anybody can sell a great house at a low price, but what is the right price for an unusual property? I wanted a price based on real comparables. I called the Bearoff office and left a message explaining what I was looking for. John Morris called me back shortly afterwards and we set up a date for two weeks later. The next day,he sent me a list of documents that he wanted to have copies of, and a copy of his contract and bill. I got all that together, including the payment check, and had it ready for him when he arrived. He arrived on time, with computer, tape measure, and notebook. I left him alone to look around the house, but stayed where he could find me to ask questions. When he was finished going over the house, he came and sat down at the dining room table and we went over his questions and my paperwork. Then he went out to measure the house, to see if it agreed with the documents I had given him, and it had. He said he would have the appraisal to me in a week, and he did. He was polite and knowledgeable, just the kind of professional one wants to deal with. I would use him again, without even looking at his competition. In these kinds of situations, thoroughness, experience, and integrity are more important than price. And he has all 3.