You aren’t entitled to it unless it is under very specific circumstances which are outlined in each states books.Thinking like this can guide you in your “hold em or fold em” decision

Especially since if it was me, I'd rather have someone that would not want to be looking over my shoulder with decision making power.

I might suggest you make the decision once you know where you headed in December.

The town as marked where they believe they are based on survey results but the neighbors are not satisfied and are disputing the decision.

What could I be missing in order to make a more informed decision? 

I know many will say you don't need to hire someone like this but that is your decision.

I think there are a few homework items for you to do to make a decision: define your long term goals, Run the numbers, and research local regulations.Define your long term goals: Set this property aside for a second.

You can buy from a turnkey company and then learn more from them and make your own decisions down the road after networking.

Who is the general partner and decision maker?

In this case, the appraisal is for the lender to make a lending decision, not for the Borrower to get an estimated value.