“Hey, Can You Keep the Value Low?” – What Do You Do When Clients Make the Ask
If you’ve been doing private work—especially divorce or family transactions—you’ve probably heard this one:
“Hey, I really need the value to come in as low as possible.”
Cue the dramatic music.
It usually shows up in divorce cases where one spouse is buying the other out. Suddenly, the house that was their pride and joy becomes the worst house on the block—”The roof is ancient, the A/C is shot, and have you seen the neighbors?!” All in the hopes that a lower value means a smaller buyout check. And hey, I get it. People are just trying to save money. But here’s the thing: we’re not in the business of strategic devaluation.
I recently had another one—a guy buying a property from his family. He wanted the value low to reduce the tax hit since he was from another country. Again, I get the motivation. But here’s what I told him, and what I tell every client in these situations:
“I can’t promise you a number. The value is what it is. There’s always a range, and I’ll be somewhere in that range—supportable and credible. If it ends up working in your favor, great. But I’m here to be independent, impartial, and objective. Period.”
Now I know some appraisers who would immediately decline the assignment at the first whiff of influence. And if someone’s putting actual pressure on you—like “hey, here’s a cash bonus if you hit X value,” or something wild like threats (yes, that happens too)—then sure, you absolutely walk away.
But a client saying “I hope it comes in low” isn’t influence. That’s chatter. That’s noise. It’s our job as professionals to filter that out and stay laser-focused on supportable data.
So what do you do when someone says, “Can you keep it low?” Me? I nod, I listen, and then I appraise the property like I always do: based on facts, comps, and common sense.
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