Preparation guide
Property records and appraisal preparation
Six steps that make an appraisal assignment in Birmingham go smoothly. None of them require special expertise — just an hour with your paperwork before you pick up the phone.
Step one
Identify the parcel
Start with the parcel, not the street address. A mailing address can be ambiguous, shared or outdated, while a parcel number identifies exactly one piece of land in the county record. Look for it on your deed, your annual tax notice, or closing paperwork. If the property includes more than one parcel — a side lot, a strip of rear acreage, a separate garage lot — write down every parcel number, because each one has to be accounted for in the assignment.
Where property records come from
In Jefferson County, Alabama, the Tax Assessor's office handles property assessment and publishes Property Tax Information and a Tax Map Viewer. Those pages are the place to look up how a parcel is recorded and where its boundaries sit on the county map.
Jefferson County, AL Tax Assessor
County assessment records exist for tax administration. They are not this business's appraisal and are not a guaranteed statement of current market value. Availability of any downstream lookup tool is controlled by the county, not by this site.
Step two
Compare recorded characteristics with your own records
Recorded characteristics are a starting point, and they are not always current. Additions, converted garages, finished basements and corrected measurements often lag the record. Read what the county shows and mark anything that does not match what you know.
- Living area — does the recorded square footage match plans, a prior appraisal or a listing sheet?
- Year built, and the year of any addition.
- Bedroom and bathroom counts, including anything added or removed.
- Lot size and whether adjoining parcels are included.
- Outbuildings: detached garage, shop, barn, guest quarters.
- Anything shown in the record that no longer exists on the property.
Step three
Gather prior photos and renovation information
Photographs are the most undervalued documents in an appraisal file, especially when the effective date is in the past. A phone album, an old listing sheet, or photos taken for an insurance claim can establish what a kitchen, roof or floor actually looked like on a date nobody can revisit.
- Dated photographs or video of interior and exterior, especially near an effective date in the past.
- Renovation invoices and contractor estimates, with approximate dates.
- Permits for additions, electrical, plumbing, roofing or HVAC work.
- Records of damage, insurance claims and repairs.
- Any prior appraisal, listing sheet or inspection report.
Step four
Settle the intended user and the effective date
These two items define the assignment more than anything else. The intended user is whoever will rely on the written report — you, an attorney, a tax preparer, co-heirs, or another named party. The effective date is the date the opinion of value applies to, which can be today or a date already passed.
If someone else asked you to obtain the value, ask them to state both in writing. A one-line email saying which date is required and who will rely on the report prevents the most expensive kind of rework.
Step five
Work out property access
Access sets the pace of almost every assignment. Sorting it out before the first call often saves more time than anything else on this page.
- Who holds keys, and whether a lockbox or code is available.
- Whether the home is occupied by an owner, family member or tenant, and what notice they need.
- Locked rooms, outbuildings, crawl spaces or attics, and who can open them.
- Pets, alarm codes, gate codes and parking constraints.
- Rear acreage or structures that can only be reached on foot.
Step six
Write down your questions
A written list keeps the scope conversation efficient and makes it much less likely that something important surfaces only after the report is delivered.
- What exactly will the written report contain, and in what form?
- Which effective date will it state, and why that one?
- Who will be named as the intended users?
- What assumptions are likely, given the condition of my documents?
- What does the recipient of this report require, and have I confirmed that with them?
- What could change the scope of work once the property is seen?
When the list is ready, the service pages show which documents matter most for your particular situation.
Ready to talk through the assignment?
With the parcel identified, the effective date settled and access arranged, a first call is usually short and productive.