How to Request a Reconsideration of Value for a Home Appraisal
Think a lender-ordered appraisal contains an error? Learn how to gather relevant evidence and submit a reconsideration of value request through your lender.
Common Home Measurement Errors: A Troubleshooting Checklist
When square-footage records conflict, check dimensions, sketch geometry, area definitions, additions, and the source date. A practical appraisal measurement error guide.
Where Appraisers Find and Verify Comparable Sales
Appraisers use MLS, deeds, assessor records, maps, and transaction verification to analyze comparable sales. Learn what each source can—and cannot—tell you.
IRS Estate Valuation vs. Qualified Appraisal: What’s Different?
Estate date-of-death valuations and qualified appraisals for charitable donations follow different rules. Learn which questions to ask before hiring a residential appraiser.
How Appraisers Classify a Bedroom in Virginia
A bedroom count involves layout, safety, code questions, lender reporting, and market evidence. Learn why a closet or listing label alone does not settle the issue.
The History of Home Appraisal: From Caves to Computers
Travel through home appraisal history with caveman guides, verified milestones and Joe Ellington’s firsthand story of changing tools and enduring judgment.
How a Home Appraisal Affects a Mortgage Decision
An appraisal can affect a lender’s collateral review and loan-to-value calculation, but the lender decides loan approval, terms, and mortgage insurance.
ANSI Z765-2021 in Home Appraisals: Fannie Mae’s Current Rules
See how Fannie Mae uses ANSI Z765-2021 to report home area, why appraisal and listing square footage may differ, and what to check if you find a discrepancy.
Appraisal Reconciliation: Why the Final Value Is Not an Average
A reconciled appraisal value weighs the reliability of comparable sales and other evidence. Learn why the final conclusion is not simply an average.
What Is an Automated Valuation Model? AVM vs. Home Appraisal
What is an automated valuation model, and how does it compare with a home appraisal? Compare accuracy, Zestimates, confidence scores, lender waivers, and when to order a private appraisal.
Home Appraisal Preparation Guide: A Practical Timeline and Local Checklist
A simple seven-day plan for an appraisal: confirm the assignment, gather records, arrange access, and know what happens after the inspection.
Pre-Listing Appraisals in Hampton Roads: A Seller’s Planning Guide
Learn when a pre-listing appraisal is worth considering, how it compares with a CMA, and how Hampton Roads sellers can prepare and use the report.
PMI Removal and Home Appraisals: Eligibility, Ordering and Cost
A home appraisal may support a PMI cancellation request, but your mortgage servicer sets the rules. Learn the original-value and current-value paths before ordering a valuation.
FSBO Appraisal Services in Hampton Roads: How to Hire
A for-sale-by-owner seller can hire a private appraiser for a defined listing decision. Learn the scope, credential, property information and lender limitations.
Home Services and Your Appraisal: What Matters and Who Handles It
Joe Ellington explains how cleaning, lawn care, repairs, and inspections differ from an appraisal, with firsthand examples from Hampton Roads.