An estate agent guides you through selling or buying a home and negotiates the price on your behalf. An appraiser does something else: they independently establish what a home is worth and record that in a report a lender can work with. Plenty of estate agents are appraisers too, but for the same property those two roles cannot run together.
That separation regularly causes confusion. Someone asks their selling agent for "a quick valuation", receives a market appraisal, and only finds out at the mortgage application that the bank cannot use it.
What an estate agent does for you
An estate agent works for one party and looks after that party's interest. If you are selling, they set the asking price with you, put the home on the market, handle the viewings, negotiate on price and conditions, and guide you through to the transfer. If you are buying, they sit on your side of the table: they test the asking price against what is actually being paid in that neighbourhood, assess the condition of the home and the paperwork, and work out the bidding strategy with you.
So an estate agent has an interest in the transaction, and that is how it should be. They are paid to get the most out of it for you. That same involvement is exactly what makes them unsuitable for establishing the value of that same home for a bank.
What an appraiser does for you
An appraiser has no party to serve in the negotiation. They establish the market value on a reference date and support it with sales of comparable homes nearby. They describe the state of maintenance, measure the home according to the official measurement instruction and record all of it in a valuation report.
Our appraisers are registered with the NRVT and every report is validated by the NWWI. That validation is what makes the report usable for a lender: the institute checks whether the valuation process and the report were carried out in a uniform, professional way. The bank does not have to take your word for it that the value is right.
Why the two roles stay separate
An appraiser who also earns money on the sale has an interest in the value coming out high. That is why an appraiser has to be independent of the transaction they are judging. A lender receiving a report from the agent who sold the home has no way of knowing whether they are looking at a value or at a sales argument.
One person can master both trades. I have been an estate agent since 2000 and an NVM member since 2009, which makes me an appraiser as well. It is only per property that the two hats are kept apart. A home we have on the market ourselves is therefore one we do not appraise for the buying party. If you need a validated report for such a property, we refer you to another agency.
Market appraisal or valuation report
Of all the terms in this trade, these two get mixed up the most, while they have little in common.
| Market appraisal | Validated valuation report | |
|---|---|---|
| By whom | the estate agent | an NRVT-registered appraiser |
| What it costs | free and without obligation | € 850 including VAT and validation costs |
| What you get | a substantiated price indication and sales advice | a report, validated by the NWWI |
| What it is for | orienting yourself on a sale | mortgage, NHG, renovation, divorce, inheritance |
| How long it takes | during the conversation itself | within 5 working days of the inspection |
| Does the bank accept it | no | yes |
A market appraisal is meant to show you what your home would fetch today, so you can decide whether to sell. We do those free of charge and without obligation. A valuation report is a formal document that ends up in a file somewhere, and that is where the price difference comes from.
When you need an appraiser
The most common reasons our clients ask for a report:
- You are applying for a mortgage on a home you are buying. Nationale Hypotheek Garantie and almost every lender require a validated report.
- You want to revise your mortgage. If your home has gone up in value, your interest rate surcharge can go down and you pay less interest. Check your lender's conditions: some look only at how much you have repaid and not at the value, and that is precisely when a report earns its keep.
- You want to finance a renovation and the bank needs to know the value after the work is done.
- There is a divorce or an inheritance and someone has to be bought out.
In Almere the average sale price in the first quarter of 2026 was around € 461,000. A valuation at € 850 is roughly two tenths of a per cent of that. And because the costs of financing, including the valuation report, are tax deductible, you get an average of € 300 back from the tax authorities.
How it works at IMMO
You submit a request and receive an email asking you to accept the terms of the assignment. The appraiser then makes an appointment to visit the property. That inspection takes about an hour: photographs of the exterior, of every room and of the installations, and the home is measured for the floor area calculation. The appraiser writes up the report at the office and you receive it by email within five working days, together with the invoice. If a purchase is under way, you can often pay the valuation invoice through the settlement statement at the notary.
Because the mortgage advisers of Vynanzie work in our office, you can arrange the valuation and the financing question in one go. That first conversation is free.
Frequently asked questions
Can my own selling agent also appraise the property?
Not for the buyer's financing. The appraiser has to be independent of the transaction, so for a home we have on the market we refer the buyer to another agency. For your own orientation on the sale price, your agent can certainly do a market appraisal.
Is a free market appraisal enough for the bank?
No. A lender wants a validated valuation report. A market appraisal is advice from your agent and carries no NWWI validation.
What does a valuation cost in Almere?
We charge € 850 including VAT and validation costs. If the report belongs to a financing application, those costs are tax deductible and you get an average of € 300 back.
How long is a valuation report valid?
Six months as a rule. It varies per lender and per situation, so if your application takes longer than you expected, check whether your report still counts.
Want to know which one you need?
If you are unsure whether you need a market appraisal or a valuation report, call our office in the centre of Almere. Tell us what you need it for and you will know straight away which of the two it should be. Request your valuation or let us look at your home without obligation first.
Further reading: What does a buying agent cost in Almere? and Choosing an estate agent in Almere: what to look for.
