Questions,
answered straight.

A real, licensed appraisal. A state-licensed appraiser reviews your walkthrough and comparable sales and signs the report under USPAP standards — the same qualification required for mortgage appraisals.

Zillow shows an automated estimate with no legal or appeal value. A licensed human appraiser reviews your property and signs a formal report. That’s the document that actually counts with tax boards, courts, and the IRS.

Appraisal Hawk is the consumer service of ValueSwell, the professional appraisal platform. Your order is fulfilled by state-licensed appraisers working on ValueSwell — you get consumer-simple ordering with professional-grade output.

For most orders, no. You do the walkthrough yourself with your phone, guided by the app, and the appraiser reviews remotely. If your assignment requires an on-site inspection, we tell you before you pay.

Before you buy an appraisal, we pull your actual assessment and real comparable sales and tell you honestly whether an appeal is worth pursuing — including an estimate of annual savings. The $5 is credited toward your appraisal if you proceed.

Yes. Tax appeal boards accept USPAP-compliant appraisals as evidence, and your report ships with a county-specific cover letter and comp pack in the format your board expects.

No one can guarantee an appeal outcome — the board decides. What we deliver is the strongest evidence a homeowner can file, and an honest verdict up front so you never buy an appraisal for a case that isn’t there.

$225 for the desktop report most appeals need; $600–700 quoted exactly when a property requires a full workup. Your $5 check is credited either way.

Just your phone. The app guides you room by room — you film and narrate for about 15 minutes, and that capture becomes the appraiser’s inspection record and your report’s photo exhibits.

The appraiser reviews your capture before starting and requests a quick re-shoot of anything they need, with exact instructions.

Yes. Your capture is visible only to you and the licensed appraiser working your order, and it’s stored encrypted. It never becomes public and is never sold.

Desktop reports typically deliver within 48–72 hours of your walkthrough. Complex or court-ready reports take longer — your quote includes the timeline, and rush options exist for filing deadlines.

A signed PDF plus a secure link you can share with your tax board, attorney, CPA, or servicer. Tax appeals include the county cover letter; estate and divorce reports deliver to your designated attorney or executor.

Usually no — an appraisal is prepared for a specific intended use and user (that’s what makes it defensible). If you need a second purpose covered, contact us; repeat orders on the same property are faster.

Tax appeals are pay-first ($5 check, then the quoted appraisal price). Other purposes: you place the order free and payment is arranged once your appraiser is confirmed.

All major cards, processed by Stripe. We never see or store your card number.

Yes — your dashboard shows every order’s status in real time, from appraiser assignment through delivery, plus a direct line to ask questions.