Seven of them, in plain English, and none of them are a surprise.
The fee is fixed, and it is not contingent on anything The fee below is the whole fee for the scope described. It does not change with the value reached, whether a transaction completes, or whether the conclusion helps your position. This is a USPAP requirement rather than a policy choice: a fee that moves with the number would make the opinion worthless to the party relying on it, which is usually the whole point of commissioning it.
Intended use and intended user are part of the scope A report written for IRS charitable donation is not interchangeable with one written for an insurer or a court, even for the same asset on the same date. Changing the intended use after the fact generally means new work, and it will be quoted separately rather than absorbed silently.
You get an opinion, defensibly supported — not an outcome The conclusion is whatever the evidence supports. If that is unwelcome, you will still be told it, and told why. Where the evidence is thin, the report will say so rather than paper over it.
Timing runs from complete information, not from acceptance The delivery estimate assumes the documentation and access described are available. Where something critical is missing, you will hear about that specific thing rather than receiving a late report with no explanation.
What is not billed The consultation and the quote are free. Questions about a delivered report are free. Reasonable clarification for the party relying on it — a lender, an adjuster, an attorney — is free. Deposition and trial testimony are quoted separately and are never bundled into an appraisal fee.
Either side may decline If the assignment turns out to require competence NextPhase does not hold, or the intended use cannot be supported credibly, you will be told and the engagement ends with nothing owed.
Your material stays yours Documents and photographs you supply are used for this assignment. The report and the working file are retained for the period USPAP requires, and are not shared with anyone outside the assignment except where law or a court compels it.
Confirm and sign
I have read the fee, the scope, and the intended use above, and they match the written quote I received. I understand the report is prepared for the intended use stated above, and that using it for a different purpose may make it unreliable or invalid. I understand I am engaging an independent opinion of value — not a predetermined number, and not a guaranteed outcome.
Email for the invoice
Typing your name
above is your electronic signature and has the same effect as signing on paper. The date,
time, and the exact terms shown to you are recorded with it.
