ABACUS APPRAISAL SERVICES INC

First, the appraiser was 30 minutes late after I had made clear my need to start promptly so I could leave for work. The appraisal started out sketchy since the appraiser was in our kitchen for, no kidding, under a minute. Snapped one photo and was off. So set the tone for quality. Just a few errors include: we actually do have a full basement, refrigerator, attic, w/d. We did not update the master bathroom we ADDED it, we do not have granite countertops in the kitchen, they are imported marble. We don't have concrete pavers in our yard, it's parquet brickwork, my name is misspelled. Moreover, the comps used in the appraisal are not comps any real estate would ever use. We checked with two agents and they were shocked at the comps used. Subsequently the appraisal came in $15 over the price we paid for the home 3.5 years ago and after very significant improvements on a home in one Seattle's most desired neighborhoods on a very desirable street Federal Ave E.. It gets worse. Our Fair Estimate from WCS Lending listed the appraisal fee of $300. The appraiser would not take a check when she arrived and insisted on a credit card. I did not get a receipt. The charge on my Visa was $450. When I notified WCS Lending they were surprised and said they'd check into it. They proved to be equally incompetent and we dropped our pursuit of refinancing through them. In the end, we overpaid by $150 for an appraisal that is so riddled with errors it is useless. Happily, it's been quite a while since we've had such a bad experience. Of the maybe dozen reports I've written for Angie's List, this is only the second that is negative. And oh boy is this negative. I am also pursuing resolution through the Better Business Bureau. Like all of us, I have better things to do on a Saturday but I am really steamed as we were both lied to and given a c*** product.