You've decided it's time to buy a home. This is the single largest investment that you will make in your lifetime. That's something that can be pretty intimidating.

Also intimidating is the number of people with whom you will deal with as you look at buying that perfect house. There are a lot of people with a vested interest in your purchase.

• The real estate agent earns a commission.
• The vendor wants to get the best price possible.
• The city charges taxes on home and property.
• The bank gets a mortgage.
• The purchaser wants the best value

A lot of people are involved, directly and indirectly, and each one has their own agenda. Combine that with changing property values, market trends and new laws, and it can seem like there's no one really looking out for you. You may be asking yourself, "who's looking after my best interest?" - "who can I trust?"

Appraisers are Real Value Experts
There is somebody you can call. Somebody who's there, working for you to make sure that you get a fair deal. That somebody is a member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada. You can locate a designated member in your region using Find a Real Value Expert search tool.

When you hire a member of the Appraisal Institute of Canada, you're hiring a professional you can trust. They work for only one person: you. It's their job to determine the market value of any home or property so that you know the value of what you are buying or selling.

Last updated October 28, 2008