Serving Bakersfield since 1991 . . . J. L. Henderson & Company, is a full service real estate appraisal firm. Our service areas include metropolitian Bakersfield as well as the surrounding communities of Taft, Frazier Park, Buttonwillow, Delano, McFarland, Wasco, Shafter, Tehachapi, Lamont and Arvin. While our primary focus has been "all things residential" we also have experience in commercial/industrial properties as well. Experience Matters . . . Our founder, James L. Henderson, SRA has been an appraiser in the Bakersfield and Kern County areas for seventeen years. He holds a Certified General license from the State of California and has experience in a wide variety of property types. In addition to working with lenders for mortgage finance transactions, he has extensive experience in providing appraisals for litigation support, estates and trusts, bankruptcy, divorce, PMI removal and eminent domain proceedings by City, County and State Governments. He also has experience in the valuation of subsidized housing for the Kern County Housing Authority and the United States Department of Agriculture. Mr. Henderson holds the prestigious SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute and has served in several local, regional and national positions with the Appraisal Institute. He has given testamony in Federal and State Court and is recognized as an expert in the field of real property valuation in Kern County. He has been a member of the adjunct faculty at Bakersfield College, a California Community College, since 2003 and has developed the curriculum for the real estate appraisal courses at both the entry and advanced levels. He has also been quoted on numerous occasions in the local newspaper as well as local radio and TV. Along with his oversight, our staff provides appraisal reports to many national and local builders, attorneys, accountants, mortgage lenders and others looking for quality appraisal services. We can provide reports either in narrative or form format, depending upon your requirements, and are fully EDI capable. We use the latest and most up-to-date computer systems, digital photography and software and have access to the most reliable data sources. For more information, or to order an appraisal, please see our contact page. The Value of a Designation . . . In the simplest terms possible, an appraisal is an "opinion of value" nothing more, nothing less. With so much riding on an "opinion" isn't it important just who's opinion you rely on? The ever increasing numbers of recent mortgage finance transactions that were completed using inflated appraisals bears this out. And a search of the names of appraisers involved in the majority of those questionable transactions reveals that few, if any, were designated members of the Appraisal Institute. By using the services of an appraiser that has earned one of the designations of the Appraisal Institute you can be sure that your appraiser has taken the extra step in terms of education, peer review, and experience. Designated appraisers are also required to meet a higher standard when it comes to ethics and professional practice than those appraisers that are simply State licensed and/or certified. The Internal Revenue Service recently recognized the value of a designation from the Appraisal Institute and has defined a "Qualified Appraiser" for all appraisals performed for non-cash charitable contributions and estate and gift taxes as an appraiser who "Has earned an appraisal designation from a recognized professional appraiser organization." The MAI and SRA designations have long been recognized by attorneys, accountants, municipalities, and others who know the benefit of dealing with true professionals. They demand the best when looking for appraisers, shouldn't you?