Dueling Appraisals: What Happens When the House Values Don’t Match? Artwork

Love Court Off the Record

In the podcast, Love Court Off The Record, we look at specific legal questions regarding all family law matters. From child custody to child support to divorce. We also take a humorous look at divorce. It does make people go crazy!!

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Love Court Off the Record

Dueling Appraisals: What Happens When the House Values Don’t Match?

May 18, 2026 • Anderson Keuscher Brachmann

0:00 | 1:50

“My ex husband and I are in the middle of a divorce and we both got appraisals on the house. His came in at $520,000 and mine came in at $615,000. That’s a huge difference. He wants to use his appraisal because it’s lower and says mine is ‘inflated. I feel like he’s trying to undervalue the house so he can buy me out cheaper"

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In this episode of Love Court, divorce attorney Jessica Anderson addresses a listener’s frustration over conflicting home appraisals during a divorce. One spouse’s appraisal values the house at $520,000, while the other comes in much higher at $615,000—creating a major disagreement about the home’s true value and the potential buyout amount.

Jessica explains how courts typically handle dueling appraisals, why different appraisers can arrive at very different numbers, and what options exist when spouses cannot agree on the value of the marital home. She also discusses common solutions such as averaging the appraisals, hiring a neutral third appraiser, or having the court decide which valuation is more reliable based on the evidence presented.