Elena:  Yikes!  Bad enough to have him out of state, but he moonlights to boot?  Double yikes!

Elaine:  Very good point.  Out of state lenders often have their preferred list of local appraisers, but they are not necessarily the best choices.  It is not uncommon to have an appraiser who is not very familiar with a particular area do the evaluation.  The local institutions/brokers often know which appraisers to employ based on location.  Any time I get a call from an appraiser for scheduling, I cringe when an area code shows up on my caller ID from the far reaches of the Valley.

Susan:  Your example sums it all up perfectly.  If you aren't familiar with procedures and customs of an area, don't do business there!  If you do, don't open your yap to mislead the client with false information.  On my current transaction, we are a week out from closing.  The lender asked to see a mold clearance yesterday.  We don't routinely inspect for mold here unless there is specific cause.  Nothing in the general inspection report nor the termite inspection led the buyer to believe the additional expense was necessary.  Now, well after our inspection period elapsed, the bank figures it knows better than the buyer and the general home inspector.  Further, according to the terms of our contract, documents will be required to be at title and signed by the buyer no later than this coming monday.  Until this matter gets resolved, I don't see that happening.  I am going to plant dynamite along the San Andreas fault line if this institution sends another loan in this direction.  Don't worry, Elaine, I'll give you plenty of notice ;)

Lenn:  You've got it.  Everything local.  I want to deal with folks who are familiar with the nuances and norms of a transaction's locality.  The notion that "money is money" and does not matter where it comes from is naive.  For instance, someone lending money out of California is going to have an entirely different set of requirements based on the legal issues and pitfalls encountered in that market, not here.  They don't even know which forms to use and what purposes they serve.  As for an out of state title company ... yikes.  The very last third party I want handling the transfer of ownership is an entity that has little understanding of Arizona standards.  Danger, Will Robinson!

Gary:  As outlined by the scenario Susan described, that is an excellent point.  We have no transfer tax here, so I imagine an Arizona lender trying to complete a loan for a buyer in her area could very easily be blindsided by ignorance.  "Sorry that didn't show up on the GFE, Mr. Buyer.  My bad."

Jesse:  The stink eye is bad enough, but I like the way you think.  You can only accomplish so much by shouting into a phone or angrily typing an email.  Sometimes it requires a personal visit.

William:  Simply put, just because you are legally permitted, that doesn't mean you should.  I can legally sell Real Estate in all corners of Arizona, but I wouldn't even purchase something for myself without the use of professional help from a LOCAL agent who knows the particular nook for more than I.  It doesn't serve the client to work an area you don't know, regardless of the financial incentive provided.  It is too fraught with risk.

Lisa:  Send the bouncer ;)

Adam:  Now that is a first for me.  I've had appraisers get their backs up when questioned on their evaluations, but I have never encountered a blatantly hostile one, especially prior to the actual visit.  I agree that a local institution is much more likely to know which appraisers to use for a professional and accurate job.  Take my market for example.  A "local" appraiser might make the trek from Casa Grande to Scottsdale to evaluate a property.  Only someone who is not familiar with the area would consider this appraiser to be "local."

Kelly:  Ah, what a rare treat that is!  There are precious few lenders that I have encountered who actualy accompany the buyer to closing.  I attend every one, and can count on one hand how many times the lender was there to explain the costs.  That usually falls to the title officer or myself.  While I can help explain the myriad fees, I certainly cannot answer questions based upon the terms decided upon between borrower and bank.  My go to guy does not attend closings, but his service is so superior otherwise that I remain loyal.