If you are planning to purchase a home through a lender, then maybe you shouldn’t! That might be strange to hear, from an appraisal company, but there are situations where it is not helpful to get your own appraisal.   Most of the time, lenders are going to demand to have an appraisal by someone that they know to be neutral and not picked by you. It should be also noted that if you are buying an REO, a bank-owned home, you cannot get your own appraisal, except to just find out what another appraiser thinks the best purchase price should be.   If you simply want to know what your house is worth, so you can make a sales decision in the future or decide how much improvements to make, then the appraisal would be helpful to you. However, you should be prepared to potentially have to pay for another one once the loan process is underway.