Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms & Parties

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our"), operated by Certified Residential Appraiser Levi Mateo (California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers License #3008278).

These Terms govern your access to and use of mateoappraisals.com, including all subdomains, contact forms, quote request tools, blog articles, FAQs, and digital communications (collectively, the "Website"). If you do not agree to every provision contained herein, you must immediately cease accessing and using the Website.

2. Informational Purpose Only — No Appraisal or Appraiser-Client Relationship

All content, articles, square footage calculations, guides, pricing estimates, FAQs, and valuation discussions published on this Website are provided strictly for general educational and informational purposes.

No Appraisal Created: Visiting this Website, reading published materials, submitting a quote request, receiving a preliminary fee estimate, or communicating with Levi Mateo via phone, email, or chat does NOT constitute an appraisal, an appraisal consultation, or a certified opinion of value under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) or California state law.

No Appraiser-Client Relationship: No appraiser-client relationship, fiduciary duty, or duty of confidentiality is formed between you and Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC solely through your use of this Website or by submitting a preliminary request form.

3. Professional Appraisal Services Require a Written Letter of Engagement

All formal real estate appraisal assignments undertaken by Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC require a mutually executed, separate written contract ("Letter of Engagement" or "Appraisal Agreement"). The Letter of Engagement explicitly specifies the subject property, the identified client, the intended user(s), the specific intended use, the effective date of valuation, the definition of value, the scope of work, fees, and delivery schedules.

In the event of any direct conflict between these Website Terms of Service and a fully executed Letter of Engagement signed by Levi Mateo, the terms of the signed Letter of Engagement shall govern with respect to that specific appraisal assignment.

4. Disclaimer of Legal, Tax, Financial, and Engineering Advice

Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC is a professional real estate appraisal firm licensed by the California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers (BREA). Neither the Company nor Levi Mateo is an attorney, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), an estate planning attorney, a financial advisor, or a licensed professional engineer.

• Legal Matters: Information relating to divorce asset division, marital dissolution, probate proceedings, trust administration, or tax appeals does not constitute legal advice. You must consult a qualified family law, probate, or civil attorney for legal counsel.
• Tax & Accounting Matters: Information concerning step-up basis under Internal Revenue Code Section 1014, capital gains calculations, or property tax assessments does not constitute formal tax or accounting advice. You must consult a licensed CPA or tax attorney.
• Physical Structures: Appraisal observations are not structural, geotechnical, architectural, or environmental engineering evaluations.

5. Mortgage Lending & Loan Financing Disclosures

Under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act (FIRREA), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and federal Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines, federally regulated mortgage lenders (banks, credit unions, and mortgage institutions) are legally required to directly engage and order appraisal reports independently or through an authorized Appraisal Management Company (AMC).

Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC cannot and does not guarantee that any private appraisal ordered by a homeowner, buyer, or borrower will be accepted by a mortgage lender for loan origination, refinancing, or underwriting purposes. You are strongly advised to check with your loan officer before ordering a private appraisal for lending purposes.

6. Visual Observation Scope vs. Home Inspection

An appraisal site visit is an independent visual observation of readily visible and accessible areas of a property, conducted solely to identify market-relevant physical characteristics, quality of construction, and general condition for valuation modeling.

An appraisal is NOT a Home Inspection. An appraiser does not test mechanical, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, or security systems; does not enter inaccessible crawl spaces or attics; does not inspect roofs or chimneys; does not evaluate soil stability or foundations; and does not test for environmental hazards (such as lead paint, asbestos, radon, toxic mold, contaminated water, or underground tanks). Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC expressly disclaims all liability for latent, hidden, concealed, or unobservable physical, structural, or environmental defects. Users and property owners should always retain licensed home inspectors and certified structural specialists.

7. No Third-Party Beneficiaries & Strict Reliance Prohibition

Website materials, quote responses, and appraisal work products are prepared strictly for the intended use and identified intended users agreed upon in writing.

No Duty to Third Parties: To the fullest extent permitted by California law, Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC and Levi Mateo owe no duty of care, fiduciary obligation, or liability to any third party who accesses this Website, receives forwarded preliminary quotes, or acquires appraisal documentation without our express prior written consent. Unintended parties (including prospective buyers, prospective lenders, prospective tenants, opposing litigation parties, or non-client family heirs) who rely on any information obtained from this Website or through our services do so solely at their own peril and risk.

8. Fee Quotes, Pricing, and Turnaround Estimates

Any fee estimates, turnaround times, or price ranges displayed on the Website or provided via preliminary email, text, or telephone are non-binding estimates. Final fees are determined based on property verification, public records research, property complexity, geographical location, scope of work required, and property accessibility, and become binding only upon mutual execution of a formal Letter of Engagement.

9. Intellectual Property & Prohibited Website Uses

All content on this Website—including but not limited to text, blog articles, graphics, illustrations, photographs, logos, brand names, page layouts, and underlying software—is the exclusive intellectual property of Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC and is protected under United States and international copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws.

You agree that you will not:

• Copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, license, or create derivative works from Website content without express prior written permission.
• Use any robot, spider, scraper, deep-link, AI crawler, automated querying software, or automated data extraction mechanism on the Website.
• Frame, mirror, or utilize framing techniques to enclose any trademark, logo, or proprietary materials without our written approval.
• Introduce viruses, trojan horses, worms, logic bombs, or other malicious computer code to the Website or our servers.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Website, server, database, or network connected to our services.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Website, its contents, and all information, materials, and preliminary tools provided are offered on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC and Levi Mateo disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, quiet enjoyment, accuracy, non-infringement, and any warranties arising out of course of dealing or usage of trade. We do not warrant that the Website will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, free of viruses or other harmful components, or that any defects will be corrected.

11. Comprehensive Limitation of Liability & Fee Cap

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE CALIFORNIA LAW:

• Exclusion of Consequential and Indirect Damages: In no event shall Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC, its members, managers, officers, employees, agents, affiliates, or Levi Mateo be liable to you or any third party for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages whatsoever, including but not limited to damages for loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss of goodwill, lost real estate opportunities, financing delays, tax penalties, loss of data, diminution of property value, or business interruption, arising out of or in connection with your use of, or inability to use, this Website or our services, whether based on warranty, contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or any other legal theory, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
• Website Use Liability Cap: Under no circumstances shall the aggregate cumulative liability of Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC and Levi Mateo for any and all claims arising out of or related to your use of this Website exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100.00).
• Professional Services Liability Cap: With respect to any professional appraisal assignment undertaken pursuant to an executed Letter of Engagement, the total aggregate liability of the Company and the appraiser for any error, omission, breach, or negligence shall in all circumstances be strictly capped at and limited to the total fee actually paid by the client to Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC for that specific appraisal assignment.

12. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC, Levi Mateo, and their respective members, officers, employees, independent contractors, and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees and court costs) arising out of or relating to:

• Your violation of these Terms of Service or applicable law;
• Your misuse of this Website or unauthorized reliance on any website content, guides, or preliminary quotes;
• Your provision of false, incomplete, or misleading property information or documentation; or
• Any third-party claim arising out of your unauthorized distribution, reproduction, or disclosure of our appraisal reports or preliminary materials.

14. Contractual One-Year Limitations Period

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY CAUSE OF ACTION, CLAIM, OR DISPUTE YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS WEBSITE, THESE TERMS, OR ANY DEALINGS WITH MATEO APPRAISAL SERVICES, LLC MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES. OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY AND IRREVOCABLY BARRED.

15. Governing Law and Exclusive Venue

All matters relating to the Website, these Terms, and any dispute or claim arising therefrom or related thereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of California, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule. To the extent any judicial proceeding is permitted under these Terms (such as enforcement of an arbitration award or small claims matters), you agree to submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Riverside County, California.

16. Severability & Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is held by a court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions of these Terms will continue in full force and effect.

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any mutually executed Letter of Engagement, constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and Mateo Appraisal Services, LLC with respect to the Website and supersede all prior understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral.

17. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify, revise, or update these Terms of Service at any time. Any changes will become effective immediately upon posting to the Website with an updated "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Website after such modifications signifies your acceptance of the updated Terms.