Rick, I was thinking the same thing about the appraiser. When I had appraiser training (in Texas, no less!) they emphasized mentioning dead, diseased or dying trees on the property report, because they can be soooo expensive to have removed.
We've had so many storms here that insurance companies are picky about who and what they will insure. There's a few companies out there who would not write a policy on that house until the tree was removed, or they would limit coverage from damage from the tree.
Gotsqueeze, you are actually lucky because you get to choose a new, better tree. Find something that will hold up in storms because every year the storms get more and more intense. Or just do a flower bed there! Silver maple roots are the worst. I've about torn up my mower bouncing over the roots that have surfaced because of our drought. They are thirsty, greedy trees. If I had any other source of shade, I would tear out our maple in a heartbeat, but since it's so big, I'm stuck with it. Every single year, storms break off limbs in that tree.
