What happens when a property doesn’t appraise? Allow me to share a few ways this scenario can play out.
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What should you do if a home appraises for less than the sales price?
Well, if you’re the seller of that property: Don’t panic. Hopefully you’ve hired a great agent who will work to appeal the results of the appraisal. If you’ve hired someone on my team, we will do everything we can on your behalf to make sure the deal goes smoothly.
When our team works to appeal an appraisal, we begin by doing our research. We gather information on home values in the area and determine what other properties tend to sell for.
If, after presenting the findings of this research to the appraiser, the appeal doesn’t succeed, then it’s time to renegotiate with the buyer.
Sometimes when a home appraises for less than the agreed-upon price, the solution is for the buyer to make up the difference in cash. So if a home’s contract listed its price as $205,000, but the appraisal came in at $200,000, the buyer could still use financing for the appraised amount while making up the remaining $5,000 in cash. The seller could also lower the sales price to match the appraised value, or a combination of these solutions could be negotiated.
It’s also important to realize that the loan type a buyer is using to finance the purchase will impact how the scenario can be handled. In some cases, the best option is to seek out another appraiser’s opinion. FHA loans or VA loans will make this more difficult, though, because the initial appraisal figure will stick with the property for some time.
If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give my team or me a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
