It is unfortunate that parties to a condemnation proceeding sometimes tamper with the independent opinion of value of their appraiser.
Appraisers typically send a draft of their appraisal report to attorneys for prior review or comment before finalizing the report. This review can be extremely helpful to ascertain if there is something missing or inaccurate in the appraisal. The law may require a certain formula in the assay of damages. There may also be factual information which is inaccurate. The appraiser may not be aware that the property should be valued as part of a larger holding. Consequential damages to the remainder may have resulted from the use that the property taken and has been devoted. An example is a partial taking for a high-voltage power line. A change in access to the highway may have created severance damages if it changed the highest and best use of the remainder property.
