I understand separating appraisers from mortgage brokers and bankers but do these third party firms have to use appraisers from way out of the area?

We have had two appraisals recently by banks that are way off the mark. One of these appraisals is off by $55000 and the bank then advises the client not to get another appraisal. The banker is in Texas, so may not know or understand the pricing in our area.

Another is a townhouse development and the same model two doors over is listed in the report as having 2000 square feet, but the subject property is only allowed 1600 square feet, the same model. This difference more than makes up for the under appraisal.

Who is selecting these appraisers and why are they using people who do not know the areas or the developments. We see many of these homes showing them or open housing so we know the market, they reject our comps and our knowledge of these homes. Yes this was a bigger model but needed to be completely updated. They work off photos of the homes in the MLS but we all know that we only show the best features of a home and don't highlight the areas that need updating.

So when is this going to change?