An appraisal practice focused on the Colorado River Valley and the White River Valley
Based in Rifle, Colorado
Appraisal Practice Established in 2018
Defensible, market-derived residential valuation for lenders, attorneys, and property owners across Pitkin, Garfield, Rio Blanco, and the portion of Eagle County extending into the Roaring Fork Valley. Emphasis of the practice is on Western Garfield and Rio Blanco counties.
Covered Territory
Rifle·Silt·New Castle·Parachute·Battlement Mesa·Meeker·Rangely·Glenwood Springs·Carbondale·Redstone·Marble·Basalt·El Jebel·Willits·Old Snowmass·Snowmass Village·Aspen·and the country in between
Practice centered on Western Garfield & Rio Blanco Counties
Scope of Practice
Residential appraisal for lenders, appraisal management companies, and portfolio lenders ordering directly. Reports prepared in conformity with USPAP, the Fannie Mae Selling Guide, and applicable secondary market and investor requirements. FHA-approved appraiser on the HUD Roster.
Independent review of third-party appraisal reports, evaluating compliance, methodological soundness, adequacy of support, valuation integrity, and risk. Available for both desk and field review assignments.
Dissolution of marriage, estate planning, and date-of-death matters, including retrospective valuations. Formal training in expert witness testimony and extensive experience presenting and defending valuation conclusions in adversarial administrative proceedings.
Mass appraisal experience employing regression analysis of neighborhood sales data, with resulting values defended at administrative hearing. Prior service as an impartial hearing officer deciding assessment protests. Independent appraisals prepared for owners contesting assessed value, including the 2027 Colorado reassessment cycle.
Single-family through four-unit residential property, including acreage parcels, manufactured housing, attached and semi-detached dwellings, and assignments in markets with limited comparable sales.
Pre-listing and pre-purchase opinions, retrospective valuation, and analysis for owners and advisors who need a supportable answer before a transaction, filing, or proceeding.
Professional Profile
Michael Bracher is a Colorado Certified Residential Appraiser with an MBA focusing on real estate from an AACSB-accredited program, practicing from Rifle, Colorado. He has completed approximately 1,100 residential appraisal assignments, 200 independent appraisal reviews, and 200 attorney-directed assignments, and has held a Colorado appraisal credential continuously since 2018.
His practice combines fee appraisal for mortgage lending and private clients with a background in ad valorem valuation and administrative adjudication. He has served as a Real Property Appraiser for the City and County of Denver Assessor's Office, performing mass appraisal and defending assessed values before the County Board of Equalization and the Colorado State Board of Assessment Appeals. He has also served as an Assessment Hearing Officer for the Denver Board of Equalization, presiding over several hundred contested assessment protests.
Having sat on every side of the table, he builds conclusions that hold up when examined.
He previously practiced across Colorado's Front Range mountain counties — including Park, Jefferson, and Boulder — and completed nearly a decade of assignments in central Denver with particular emphasis on historic neighborhoods and architecturally distinctive property. He relocated to Rifle in June 2026 and now serves the Western Slope full time.
CV available upon request.
For the Record
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