This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice, nor a valuation in an individual case. Despite careful research, we assume no liability for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. For specific questions, please consult a lawyer or tax advisor. Older content may be outdated due to changes in legislation or case law.
Since the client of a private expert opinion naturally has a personal interest in the outcome, the court attaches less evidentiary value to it than to a neutral appraisal report commissioned by the court itself.
Nevertheless, a well-founded expert opinion can provide valuable professional arguments to substantiate doubts about an opposing or court-appointed appraisal report.
In many cases, a convincing expert opinion leads the court to direct additional questions to the court-appointed valuer or to order a supplementary appraisal report.
To increase its evidentiary value, an expert opinion should be structured just as methodically carefully and comprehensibly as a court appraisal report, ideally prepared by a publicly appointed or certified valuer.
A convincing expert opinion is often used already in advance of court proceedings in order to facilitate an out-of-court settlement between the parties.