"But speaking of comps, anyone ever had luck pointing out a comp the appraiser totally overlooked? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part..."
It's definitely not wishful thinking—I've seen it work firsthand. If you genuinely feel the appraiser missed a solid comp, here's what I'd suggest: gather clear documentation (recent sales data, MLS listings, etc.) and politely present your case to the lender. Appraisers are human, they miss stuff sometimes. I've had clients successfully challenge appraisals this way, but keep expectations realistic...it doesn't always pan out. Still, worth a shot if you're confident in your comps.
I've actually had success with this once. Like you said:
"Appraisers are human, they miss stuff sometimes."
I just clearly laid out the overlooked comp with solid data and kept it respectful. Didn't drastically change things, but bumped the appraisal enough to matter...
Nice job handling that. I've found the same thing—being clear, respectful, and backing it up with solid data usually gets results. Like you said:
"Didn't drastically change things, but bumped the appraisal enough to matter..."
Sometimes that's all you need to tip things in your favor.
Had a similar experience myself a few months ago. Our appraisal came back lower than expected, and I was pretty skeptical that providing comps would help much—but figured it couldn't hurt. Pulled together some recent sales data from our neighborhood, clearly laid it out, and politely asked the appraiser to reconsider. Surprisingly, it worked...not by a huge amount, but enough to drop us into a better rate bracket. Definitely worth the extra effort.
"Pulled together some recent sales data from our neighborhood, clearly laid it out, and politely asked the appraiser to reconsider."
Good call on providing comps. People underestimate how flexible appraisers can be if you approach them respectfully with solid data. Another tip—double-check your credit reports before refinancing. Even minor errors can ding your score and cost you on rates. Had a friend find an old collection listed by mistake, disputed it, and gained 25 points. Anyone else spotted errors that impacted their refinance?
