APPRAISAL WAIVER CONSIDERATIONS
What is an appraisal waiver? How can one get an appraisal waiver? What is the benefit of an appraisal waiver? Why would one not want an appraisal waiver?
What is an appraisal waiver? An appraisal waiver is when the lender approves a home mortgage loan without requiring an appraisal.
How can one get an appraisal waiver? Mortgage loans for the most part are run through automated underwriting. Through that process Fannie or Freddie may indicate the value as input is acceptable and an appraisal is not needed. When automated underwriting accepts the value without an appraisal, the borrower can still request an appraisal if they want.
Usually a home located in a rural area is less likely to receive an appraisal waiver simply because it does not have all the comparable sales a home in an urban area would have.
Usually the larger the down payment in the case of a home purchase or equity in the case of rate/term refinance, the more likely an appraisal waiver will be an option.
What is the benefit of an appraisal waiver? Obviously, the cost and speed to close. Appraisals have become more expensive since the CFPB opened the door for Appraisal Management Companies (AMC) as the primary source for appraisals. Not needing an appraisal can save anywhere from $500 to $700 for a primary residence in my market. Because the appraisal report may take up to 2 weeks to be returned by the appraiser, not requiring an appraisal is a big time saver in getting to close.
Why would one not choose an appraisal waiver? There could be several reasons, but the most common one is a situation where a borrower would find a valuation to be helpful in negotiating a price, or just wants the satisfaction of knowing the home is worth what they are paying, or needs an actual valuation when refinancing.
This topic has to do with an appraisal waiver, there are other variations of automated underwriting approval where the collateral consideration could be for an exterior only, desk review, or hybrid report. Even with these options, they are not always less expensive or faster. Each situation is different and needs to be analyzed for the pros and cons.
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