New Maas Began Work as Top Appraiser of the Most Complex Cases

Kerli Koha, Estonia's highest level 7-grade property appraiser, has taken up the position of leading court expert assessments and compensation value assessor at Uus Maa, Estonia's largest real estate office. She previously worked as the head of the Arco Vara appraisal group.

According to Argo Pillesson, head of Uus Maa's appraisal department consisting of 30 professional appraisers, Kerli Koha's joining is an important addition, as she has extensive experience in appraising assets for court expertise and compensation purposes, and Kerli is also registered as a private expert at the Estonian Court Expertise Institute. "These are specific and specialized fields requiring special knowledge, and specialists of similar level and experience can be counted on the fingers of one hand in Estonia," said Pillesson.

"The need for compensation value appraisal typically arises when the state needs to alienate land for some important object. Often the cases are complex and conflictual in nature, and regular appraisers do not deal with them, as the highest level qualification and relevant experience are required," said Pillesson, adding that appraisers' work is becoming increasingly complex and specialized along with growing requirements.

With nearly 20 years of specialized experience, Kerli Koha points out that the cutting edge of specific compensation value cases is related to major state projects such as Nursipalu and Rail Baltic, as well as issues related to the Transport Administration and road construction. The other major area is court expertise related to property appraisal, which is carried out throughout Estonia," added Koha.