Origination

Origination appraisals for Los Angeles mortgage lenders

Certified appraisers determining the market value of properties being used as collateral for mortgage loans. A physical inspection of condition, size and location, combined with verified comparable sales, produces an unbiased report your underwriting team can fund on rather than return with conditions.

Request fee and turn time

Send the property details and we will confirm fee, scope and delivery date, usually the same business day.

Lending appraisals we deliver

Origination work across the residential and small commercial spectrum, on the standard secondary market forms or in narrative format where the loan requires it.

Purchase and refinance appraisals

Full interior appraisals on the standard secondary market forms for single family homes, condominiums and planned developments, with the physical inspection, comparable analysis and reconciliation documented so underwriting can follow the conclusion.

Construction and renovation lending

As-is and subject-to-completion values based on plans and specifications, with completion certification and update reports as the project progresses through your draw schedule.

Private, portfolio and bridge lending

Valuations for lenders holding the paper rather than selling it, where the scope can be tailored to your credit policy instead of a secondary market template.

Jumbo and high value residential

Estates and luxury property where comparable sales are thin and each one needs to be verified individually. This is where automated tools break down and where a report either holds or costs you the loan.

Two to four unit and small multi-family

Income property valuation with rent schedules and operating analysis alongside the sales comparison, for loans where the income approach carries real weight in the underwriting decision.

Complex and non-conforming properties

Mixed use, hillside, unpermitted additions, ADUs, historic and legal non-conforming properties. We take assignments that other appraisers return, and we tell you before you order if the file will be difficult.

Who we work with

Institutional and private lending, and the management companies that sit between them and the panel.

Banks and credit unions

Ongoing origination volume on residential and small commercial collateral, with consistent methodology across the pipeline.

Appraisal management companies

Panel coverage across Southern California, including the complex and high value assignments that are difficult to place elsewhere.

Mortgage bankers and brokers

Orders placed through your appraisal desk or management company, with clear communication on timing so you can manage the borrower's expectations.

Private and portfolio lenders

Scope built around your credit policy rather than a secondary market form, for bridge, hard money and balance sheet lending.

The files that stall, and why they do not have to

Most origination delays in this market are not caused by turn times. They are caused by a property that does not fit the form, handled by an appraiser who has not seen one like it before. These are the situations we take routinely.

Hillside and view properties

View premiums are real and quantifiable, but only if the appraiser can isolate them from the other differences between properties. Guessing at a view adjustment is how a report fails review.

ADUs and multi-structure sites

Accessory units affect value differently depending on permitting, separate metering, rentability and how the local market treats them. There is rarely a clean comparable.

Mixed use and live-work

Properties combining residential and commercial space need both approaches applied properly, allocated between the components rather than blended into one number.

Unpermitted additions and conversions

Extremely common across Los Angeles. Whether the space contributes value, and how it is reported, changes the outcome. Ignoring it or silently including it both create problems later.

Luxury property with thin comparables

At the top of the market there may be very few relevant sales, some of them off market. Verifying and adjusting them individually is the only way to reach a defensible figure.

Legal non-conforming and historic

Grandfathered density, zoning that no longer permits what exists, and historic designations all affect value and marketability, and all require explanation in the report.

What clients say

From the lenders and management companies who place the orders.

Two appraisers had already returned the assignment. He took it, explained the unpermitted square footage properly, and the file cleared underwriting without a single condition.

Karen Liu

We route our hardest Westside assignments here. The revision rate is a fraction of our panel average, which is the only metric that matters to my team.

Anthony Fiore

He told us upfront that the date we wanted was not achievable and offered one that was. After years of being told yes and then waiting, that was refreshing.

Reza Farhadi

How an order runs

Four steps, with fee and delivery date confirmed before the assignment is accepted.

Order and acceptance

Send the property, loan type and form required. We confirm the fee, the scope and a delivery date, or tell you promptly if we are not the right fit.

Inspection

A physical inspection assessing condition, size, location and the other factors relevant to the assignment, scheduled directly with the contact you provide.

Analysis and reporting

Comparable sales verified and adjusted, approaches reconciled, and the reasoning documented on the form or in narrative as required.

Delivery and support

Report delivered to your desk or management company, with responses to underwriting questions and revision requests handled promptly.

Where we cover

Seven counties across Southern California, with the heaviest origination volume across Los Angeles County and the surrounding markets.

Origination appraisal questions

The questions lenders and brokers ask most before placing a first order.

What is an origination appraisal?

It is an appraisal ordered during the mortgage lending process to determine the market value of the property being used as collateral. The appraiser inspects the property to assess its condition, size, location and other relevant factors, then analyses comparable sales in the area to reach an unbiased opinion of value that the lender uses to size and approve the loan.

Who is allowed to order the appraisal?

On consumer purpose mortgage loans, appraiser independence rules restrict who may select and engage the appraiser, and orders generally need to come through an appraisal desk, a management company or another party independent of loan production rather than directly from a loan officer. Your compliance team will confirm the process that applies to your institution. We are happy to work within whatever ordering channel you use.

Which report forms and formats do you deliver?

The standard secondary market forms for single family, condominium and small residential income property, plus update and completion reports for construction lending, and narrative reports where a loan or a portfolio lender’s policy calls for one. Tell us the form when you order and we will confirm it with the fee.

What are your turn times?

Standard residential assignments typically run about one week from acceptance, subject to access and complexity. Jumbo, complex and small commercial assignments take longer. We quote against current capacity rather than a best case, so the date you are given is the date you can plan around.

Will you take a property other appraisers have declined?

Frequently, yes. Hillside sites, unpermitted additions, ADUs, mixed use, historic and legal non-conforming properties are routine work for us. Send the details and we will tell you honestly whether we can do it well, and what it will cost, before you commit the file to us.

How do you handle underwriting conditions and revision requests?

We respond promptly to reasonable requests for clarification, additional comparables or corrections. What we will not do is change a value because a party to the transaction wants a different number, since that would compromise the independence that makes the report usable in the first place.

Do you handle commercial and mixed use collateral?

We handle small commercial, mixed use and multi-family within our residential and small income property competence. For larger commercial assignments, tell us the details and we will confirm whether it is inside our competence rather than accepting work we are not the right firm for.

Can we add you to our approved panel?

Yes. Contact us and we will provide licensing, insurance, competency documentation and references in whatever format your vendor management process requires. We work with both institutional panels and private lenders who engage us directly.

Which areas do you cover?

Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Santa Barbara, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, with the deepest coverage across the Westside, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena and the South Bay.

Send us the file that nobody else will take

Property details in, fee and turn time back, usually the same business day. If we are not the right firm for the assignment, we will tell you straight away.

As an appraisal company, we offer origination appraisal services to clients in the mortgage lending industry. Our team of certified appraisers conducts property appraisals to help lenders determine the market value of properties being used as collateral for mortgage loans.

During the origination appraisal process, our appraisers conduct a physical inspection of the property to assess its condition, size, location, and other relevant factors. Using this information, along with data on comparable sales in the area, we estimate the property’s value and provide an unbiased appraisal report to the lender.

Our origination appraisal services are designed to help our clients mitigate risk and make informed decisions about lending. By providing accurate and reliable appraisals, we ensure that our clients have a thorough understanding of the value of the properties they are considering for collateral.

We understand the unique needs and requirements of the mortgage lending industry and have the expertise to provide professional and timely origination appraisals. Our appraisers are highly trained and experienced, and we use the latest technology and data analysis tools to ensure that our appraisals are accurate and reliable.

If you are in the mortgage lending industry and require origination appraisal services, our team is ready to assist you. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you make informed lending decisions based on accurate and reliable property appraisals.