A recent report by a la mode, inc., a leading provider of appraisal-related technology and services to the mortgage industry via its online Mercury Network vendor management platform, recently released new analysis of independent appraisal fees. 

The report was based on data collected from hundreds of thousands of verified and validated appraisals across every county in all 50 states.

According to the February 2010 report, the most expensive counties to get an appraisal were not in the major cities.  Instead, the 50 most expensive locations were dominated by counties in Alaska, Hawaii, and Wyoming.  Overall, the most expensive region for appraisals was the West Coast, with a median appraisal fee of $400.

The Great Lakes region had the lowest median appraisal fee of $300.  Appraisers in Ohio were perhaps the worst paid; of the 50 counties with the lowest appraisal fees, Ohio had the most of any state, with 18.  Four nearby states -- Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Illinois, and Wisconsin -- also had three to four counties each in the bottom 50.

In general, appraisers were better paid in the West and the South than in the Midwest and the Northeast.

Nationwide, the report showed a nationwide median appraisal fee of $350, with an average of $351.