{"id":781,"date":"2026-10-12T06:40:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T06:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/resources\/appraiser-interview\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T06:40:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T06:40:31","slug":"appraiser-interview","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/resources\/appraiser-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Questions to ask before hiring an appraiser"},"content":{"rendered":"<section class=\"hero single\">\n<div class=\"hero-inner\"><span class=\"eyebrow\">Total Loss Network \/ Resources<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Questions to ask before hiring an appraiser<\/h1>\n<p class=\"lead\">Use the answers to compare the actual work, not just the headline fee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><main id=\"main\" class=\"core-body\"><\/p>\n<section class=\"module\" id=\"people-and-qualifications\">\n<h2>People and qualifications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Who will research, review and sign my report?<\/li>\n<li>What experience do they have with this vehicle and claim type?<\/li>\n<li>What credential do they hold, who issued it, and how can I verify it?<\/li>\n<li>Do they accept assignments from insurers?<\/li>\n<li>How are conflicts disclosed?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"module\" id=\"scope-and-evidence\">\n<h2>Scope and evidence<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Is this a report-only assignment or appointed-appraiser service?<\/li>\n<li>How are equipment, condition and comparable history checked?<\/li>\n<li>What does AI assist with, and what does a human verify?<\/li>\n<li>Will an inspection or specialty research be needed?<\/li>\n<li>Who handles a third-party demand and negotiation?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"module\" id=\"fees-and-limits\">\n<h2>Fees and limits<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the total fee and payment schedule?<\/li>\n<li>What inspection, travel or umpire costs could be additional?<\/li>\n<li>What exactly does any refund policy cover?<\/li>\n<li>Is reimbursement represented as conditional or guaranteed?<\/li>\n<li>How are records handled and retained?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"module\" id=\"record-the-agreement\">\n<h2>Record the agreement<\/h2>\n<p>Ask for the answers in writing and compare them with the engagement terms. A provider should be able to explain its evidence and limitations without guaranteeing a settlement.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"module\" id=\"keep-exploring\">\n<h2>Keep exploring<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/resources\/\">Browse all resources<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/states\/oregon\/\">Oregon claim guidance<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/insurance-company-total-loss-claim-guides\/\">Find your insurer<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Total Loss Network \/ Resources Questions to ask before hiring an appraiser Use the answers to compare the actual work, not just the headline fee. People and qualifications Who will research, review and sign my report? What experience do they have with this vehicle and claim type? What credential do they hold, who issued it, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":737,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-781","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/781\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/totalloss.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}