Asheville and Western North Carolina
Residential appraisals for mountain property
Independent, well-supported opinions of value for homeowners, attorneys, CPAs, and real estate agents across five Western North Carolina counties.
Clay Collins, NC Certified Residential Appraiser, License No. A8450
Services
An independent value when the number matters
Some decisions depend on knowing what a property is really worth. Here is the work taken on most often.
Homeowners
- Pre-listing and pre-purchaseKnow the market value before you set a price or make an offer.
- PMI removalDocument current value for a request to drop private mortgage insurance.
- Property tax appealsSupport for an appeal of a county assessed value.
- Divorce and equity divisionA neutral value both parties can rely on.
Attorneys and CPAs
- Estate and date of deathRetrospective valuations for estate settlement and basis reporting.
- Trust and gift planningCurrent market value for transfers and planning work.
- Litigation supportReports written to be read closely and questioned.
- Appraisal reviewField and desk reviews of reports prepared by others.
Real estate agents
- Pre-listing valuationA third-party value for hard-to-price and unusual properties.
- Rural and acreage propertyMountain tracts, private roads, views, and limited sales data.
- Duplex and small income propertyTwo-unit and small residential income valuation.
- Second opinionsWhen a contract price and a value do not agree.
Lenders: conventional and FHA mortgage assignments are also accepted. Reports have been completed in the new UAD 3.6 redesigned URAR format since August 2026, ahead of the November 2, 2026 mandate. Every report is developed in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).
The report
Written to be read, not just filed
Many appraisal reports are forms filled with checkboxes and codes. That works for a lender's underwriting system, but it leaves a homeowner, an attorney, or a judge guessing at how the value was reached. Reports from Southern Highland Appraisals explain the reasoning in plain language, written for the person who will rely on it.
Plain language narrative
The property, the market, and the reasoning are described in full sentences that a reader outside the appraisal profession can follow.
Support you can see
Adjustments are market-derived and supported by paired sales analysis. Market trends are shown in charts built from local MLS data.
Built for the intended user
An estate report answers different questions than a pre-listing report. Each one is organized around what its reader needs to decide.
See sample pages
These pages come from a sample report written on a fictitious property with made up sales data. Client reports are confidential and are never shared.
How it works
From first call to finished report
Tell me about the property
Send the address and the reason you need a value. You get a fee and a delivery date before anything is scheduled.
Site visit
The home is measured, photographed, and its features and condition are recorded.
Market analysis
Comparable sales are researched and verified. Adjustments are derived from the market data.
Report delivery
You receive a written report by email, and your questions about it get answered.
About
Local, licensed, and independent
Southern Highland Appraisals is an Asheville appraisal firm owned and operated by Clay Collins, a North Carolina Certified Residential Appraiser.
Mountain property is rarely uniform. Elevation, access, views, slope, wells, septic systems, and private roads all affect value, and no two coves sell alike. Every assignment here is completed by an appraiser who lives and works in these counties and knows how those differences show up in sale prices.
Clay holds appraisal industry certifications in luxury homes, green and energy efficient homes, and manufactured homes, three property types that come up often in these mountains and that call for more than standard training.
Before appraising, Clay spent years in operations management at UPS, where deadlines and accuracy were the whole job. That habit carries over: reports are delivered when promised, and the conclusions in them are supported by market data you can follow.
- Appraiser
- Clay Collins
- Credential
- NC Certified Residential Appraiser
- License
- No. A8450
- Specialty certifications
- Luxury homes, green and energy efficient homes, manufactured homes
- UAD 3.6
- Completing redesigned URAR reports since August 2026
- Education
- BS, Western Carolina University
- Assignments
- Private, conventional, FHA, review, small income
- Based in
- Asheville, North Carolina
Coverage area
Five counties in the Blue Ridge
Buncombe
Asheville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Arden, Candler, Fairview, Leicester, Swannanoa
Henderson
Hendersonville, Fletcher, Flat Rock, Mills River, Etowah
Haywood
Waynesville, Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley, Lake Junaluska
Madison
Marshall, Mars Hill, Hot Springs
McDowell
Marion, Old Fort, Nebo
Not sure if your property falls inside the area? Send the address and you will get a quick answer.