If you're going to fight, use the best tools available.
In trial or with legal problems, a strong, accurate, defendable real estate appraisal is a vital component
of your legal position.
"Richard Hagar - is the best expert witness I've ever dealt with.
His knowledge of real estate and ability to discover problems with the opposing appraisal, solved our clients problems."
Richard Hagar SRA:
Expert witness -
United States Federal Court and the Superior Courts of Washington and Colorado
Provider of expert witness testimony instruction and case study - University of Washington
Provides high quality appraisals on complex properties, suitable for
court
Testified before the House and Senate concerning appraisal and
mortgage issues
Holds the SRA designation with the Appraisal Institute
(Fewer than 1% of all appraisers hold this designation.)
Provides education to MAI's and SRA's of The Appraisal Institute
Appraisal questions concerning:
Valuing a portion of a lot taken by a neighbor
Determining value for a view, restricted by the illegal construction of a new home
Government taking a strip of land for street widening
Tax Assessed Value vs. True Market Value
His appraiser said... / her appraiser said...
Divorce and owning one of the most expensive homes in the state
The garage was on the neighbors property, and nobody knew of it for years
Native Growth Protection Easement on the site, and the new buyer wasn't informed. What's the property really worth
Massive sewer easement across the yard, and the seller hid the information from the buyer
Did a violent death in the house impact value?
...and many others
He has worked with great law firms:
Foster, Pepper & Shefelman
Perkins, Coie
Davis Wright & Termaine
Gutterman, Carlton & Heckenbach
Badgley Mullins Law Group
Don McCarthy
Paul Wallenbach
Summit Law Group
Farmers Insurance Company
...and many others
"He has a strong presence on the stand that's hard to rattle."
View resume HERE.
We provide all forms of appraisal services for:
- Divorce/Separation
- Estate value/IRS
- Estate Planning
- Historic value
- Insurance Purposes
- Adverse Possession
- Reduced value due to adverse conditions
- Government taking
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- Attorneys
- Courts
- Government Agencies
- State's Appraisal Commission
- Plaintiffs
- Insurance Companies
- Defendants
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"Thank you for your dedication to service and quality.
Of the 8,237 (nationwide) appraisers, you are rated in the top 3%! You are one of the select few who hold this distinguished designation.
Our personnel contact you first when an assignment appears."
John Noonan, Appraiser Department Manager, PHH Mortgage
Do you want someone with these credentials on your side.....
....or the other side of the argument?
- Certified (Licensed) Residential Real Estate Appraiser - Residential/120
- SRA designation with the Appraisal Institute
- SRA review appraiser for the Appraisal Institute
- Past, Secretary for the Appraisal Institute (Seattle Chapter)
- Regional Member (past), Ethics & Counseling Panel for the Appraisal Institute
- Educational Chair for the Appraisal Institute
- On the approved lender list with more than 75 different lenders.
- Involved with the appraisal of 20,000± homes through out King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.
- State of Washington approved class instructor for: • Real Estate Appraising • Sales • Market trends • Principles & Practices • Construction and Land Use • Business Opportunities, and • Use of Computers and other Technologies.
- Creator of educational class for SRA and MAI members of the Appraisal Institute, licensed appraisers and agents.
- Teacher at Seattle Community College, classes in: real estate appraisal and investment.
- 15 years experience as a real estate appraiser and consultant.
- 12+ years experience as a review appraiser - reviewing work for lenders plus directly overseeing work for six+ appraisers.
- 12+ years as owner of American Home Appraisals.
- Provider of appraisals, concerning complex properties, lending purposes, court testimony and insurance companies
- Provider of expert witness testimony instruction and case study for law students at the University of Washington
- Expert witness, Federal Court, Washington's Western District. U.S. Courts
- Expert witness, Superior Court for the States of Washington and Colorado.
- Testified before Washington State's Senate and House concerning appraisal, and the mortgage industry 1992, 94, 97.
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- 24 years experience as a licensed real estate agent.
- Million+ dollar sales agent 1979 through 1982. Involved with more than 63 sales transactions per year, in successive years.
- Rated in the top 5% of all residential real estate agents in the Western United States.
- Primary focus was selling homes to first time home buyers.
- Plat manager (670 and 89 lot subdivisions) selling new construction in North Bend and Redmond.
- Directly involved with the subdivision of properties between 10,000sf and 21,000 acres.
- 4 years as a principle with a general contracting firm building single family residences in King County
- Advisory panel, State of Washington Mortgage Broker's Commission, 1992-1994.
- One of the authors of Washington State's Mortgage Broker's Protection Act. (RCW 19.146)
- Created and successfully implemented a business and action plan for the assemblage and profitable sale of a real estate portfolio.
- Managed a multi-million dollar real estate portfolio that included single family homes, condominiums, vacant land and office building.
- Consultant to residential portfolio managers throughout the Pacific Northwest.
- Wrote the Real Estate-Advisor. Portions of the book are being individually sold on the Internet.
- Wrote the book Real Estate Investesting, which is the text for the real estate program at Seattle Community College.
- Personally involved with legal actions and lawsuits against Government Agency's regarding The Shore Line Management Act, Building Codes, Code Interpretations, Stop Work Orders, and Private Property Rights (Constitutional).
- Lobbied Government Agency's concerning the field of Property Rights, appraisal and Bonding requirements for Sub-Contractors and Third Party Providers of services.
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General Fees -
Fees for our appraisal services vary considerably depending upon the complexity of the property in question. The typical residential appraisal fee is $550, assuming a simple valuation as of the current date. More complex valuation issues may require both more time and expense. Naturally, if the luxury of having more time is available, we would consider that beneficial. Consulting fees are billed at an hourly rate of $175.00. Meetings outside our office, (depositions, testimony, etc.) are billed at a 4 hour minimum (unless other previously negotiated arrangements have been made.)
Typically, a retainer of one half the fee or $1,000 (whichever is the lesser) is requested upon our being listed as an expert or when the appraisal process is initiated. The remainder is due upon completion.
Should you have any questions or need for our services in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us at:
206-236-3037
Links to more information
Expert Witness Seminar
Comments from the Bench
Expert Witness Psychology
Expert Witness Seminar
Real Estate - Legal Help
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