Appraisal guidance from people who've done the job.

3.6 & regulatory

The biggest near-term shift in the appraisal world, and the one most likely to touch your November closings.

• UAD 3.6 replaces the long-standing 2.6 family of forms — the 1004, 1025, 1073 and their siblings — with one dynamic report format and a different underlying data structure.
• Because appraisers must adopt new software and new reporting habits at the same time, panel capacity usually tightens during a forms transition. Ordering earlier protects your closing date.
• Questions worth asking any AMC before the deadline: what share of your panel is already writing 3.6 reports, how are they being trained, and what happens to a file that comes back on the wrong form.

For lenders

Practical guidance for keeping files moving and closings intact.

• A value below contract is not automatically a dead file. Start by confirming the assignment details — GLA, condition, and the comparable set the appraiser actually had available.
• A reconsideration of value works best when it is evidence, not pressure: relevant closed sales the appraiser may not have seen, with dates, distances, and a reason each one is comparable.
• Choosing an appraisal partner is a service question more than a fee question. Turn time consistency, revision rates, geographic depth, and whether a real person answers the phone decide whether loans close on time.

Behind the appraisal

Demystifying the process from both the appraiser and lender lens.

• Comparable selection is a hierarchy: similar physical characteristics first, then proximity and market area, then recency — with adjustments supported by what the local market shows.
• Property classification matters more than most people expect. Condo, townhome, and PUD designations change the form, the required data, and the comparable pool.
• Rural and complex assignments take longer for concrete reasons: fewer recent sales, longer travel, acreage and outbuilding contributions, and occasionally no appraiser within a reasonable radius.

Culture & brand

The relationship philosophy behind the service — and the gear people actually wear.

• We take care of appraisers first. Fair fees, clear scope, and fast answers are why our panel picks up our orders before someone else's.
• Every client works with the same named team, which is how context carries from one order to the next instead of restarting at a queue.
• The EA hat started as a thank-you to our panel and turned into a conversation starter at closing tables, courtside, and on tour.