FAQs

Federal Banking regulations require that regulated financial institutions making a loan of $1,000,000 or more must commission an appraisal. If a fee appraiser is chosen, the financial institution must engage the appraiser directly. Moore Real Estate Group is approved with over 100 banks. Check with us to find out if Moore Real Estate Group is approved with your lender.

Your new bank may accept an appraisal that was prepared directly for the first lender if the appraisal was independent and meets their standards. However, the appraiser cannot legally transfer or “re-address” the appraisal report from one bank to the next. If you have questions about this, contact us for more information.

An appraisal is an opinion of value. We all have our own opinions of value based on our own needs, priorities, and desires. Appraisers most commonly provide opinions of market value. Instead of determining what a property is worth to them, appraisers conduct research and analysis in order to determine what an interest in property is worth to the market of potential buyers. We think of appraisers as real estate journalists – it is not our personal opinion that matters; rather, it is our expertise in market research and analysis that we use in order to develop a professional opinion of the most likely price at which a property will sell.

Real estate brokers and real estate appraisers must both be licensed in order to conduct business. The highest level of appraisal licensure in California is a Certified General Appraiser. Only a Certified General Appraiser is legally allowed to provide an appraisal of any type of real estate without restrictions on complexity or value.

Brokers do not provide appraisals of market value, but might offer a Broker Price Opinion (BPO) as part of a listing presentation. But what if you need an opinion of value for a purpose other than selling your property? If you need a value opinion for bank financing, internal decision making, audit/reporting for investors or fiduciaries, estate planning or income tax purposes, independent arbitration or expert witness testimony, then you will want to hire a real estate appraiser. When an appraiser provides an opinion of value, the appraiser must certify in writing that they have no personal interest or bias with respect to the property or any of the parties involved. Using a commercial real estate appraiser to value your property ensures that you have an expert whose interest is in accuracy, credibility, and transparency above all else.

We are happy to provide you with a free appraisal quote based on your specific property and need. In order to generate a proposal, we are going to ask you a few basic questions needed to determine the scope of the work. These include:

1. Where is the property located? We may ask you for assessor’s parcel numbers (APNs) in addition to address in order to verify that we know precisely what is being appraised?
2. What is the type/use of the property? Is it retail, industrial, apartment/multifamily, office, medical, or some other use?
3. Is the property owner-occupied, leased, or vacant?
4. What is your intended use of the appraisal? Clients’ varying needs affect the scope of work for an appraisal. You might need an appraisal of commercial real estate as an aid in negotiations between parties, for financing, trust and estate planning, litigation support, eminent domain, property tax appeal, or internal reporting.
5. Are you looking for a current valuation, an appraisal as of some date in the past, or perhaps an opinion of what the value will be at some future date?

I am a lender and need an appraisal for asset monitoring purposes. Why should I hire you instead of a national real estate firm?

The quality of an appraisal depends largely on the experience and capability of the appraiser. Whereas national firms might be the right choice for the valuation of large multi-state portfolios of similar-type assets, they might not be ideal for the appraisal of a complex commercial property in the Southern California markets. Moore Real Estate Group is a boutique commercial real estate appraisal firm focused solely in Southern California, and employs certified general appraisers with significant local experience. Matthew Moore is an MAI member of The Appraisal Institute, a California certified general real estate appraiser, California licensed real estate broker, and a graduate of the Master of Real Estate Development program at University of Southern California. Matthew has taught real estate courses at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and has purchased, managed, and developed a portfolio of commercial properties.

Moore Real Estate Group works with several law firms and trust managers who specialize in estate planning, and prepares appraisal reports that comply with Internal Revenue Service guidelines. If you need an appraisal of a commercial property for a stepped up basis, charitable gift, or other income tax purpose, we would be happy to assist.

Matthew Moore has been designated as an expert witness in numerous cases in the California Superior Court system and in US Bankruptcy Court. Matthew has given depositions and trial testimony, and can offer a depth of perspective on real estate matters that involve highest and best use, loss in value from construction defects and delays, eminent domain, real estate contract disputes, and land use and entitlement matters.

If you have received a notice, offer, or agency appraisal stating that your property may be taken by eminent domain for a public road or infrastructure project, you should know that you have the right to your own appraisal. Under California law, the agency must provide you reimbursement up to $5,000 to hire a qualified appraiser who can help ensure that you are justly compensated for any property taken in a condemnation action.

The nature of work continues to evolve in response to new technology and lifestyle preferences. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many firms to think differently about what type of office space suits their workforce, and how much office space is really needed. Creative office is often an adaptation of a single-story warehouse or flex building with an open floor plan and high end finishes and amenities. While our overall need for being “in the office” may have diminished, creative office product is still sought by firms seeking to attract top talent. Moore Real Estate Group has appraised numerous creative office projects ranging from entertainment companies headquarters in Burbank, Santa Monica, and Hollywood to design and engineering offices in Orange County and San Diego, and even creative offices occupied by major Los Angeles law firms.

Moore Real Estate Group has provided appraisals for private schools, churches, synagogues, and other special use properties like tennis clubs and assembly halls. Often these appraisals will compare the value of the property in its current use to the value of the land for potential redevelopment in order to determine highest and best use. We have also appraised churches and schools considering expansion and new construction in order to determine their financing needs.

Child care properties are a particular specialty. In addition to their real estate careers, Matthew and Jennifer Moore are franchisees for a national preschool chain. Jennifer had developed preschools from the ground-up, and has navigated permitting and licensing approvals in several Southern California cities. Our in-depth understanding of child-care licensing requirements, construction, and the operational realities of managing a preschool/day care facility informs our appraisal work.