- Rural loans can be great, but I've seen a few deals fall apart due to appraisal hiccups.
- Curious though, did your friend have to challenge the appraisal directly, or was it more about negotiating with the seller?
- Appraisers can be stubborn...
Honestly, I wouldn't put all the blame on appraisers being stubborn... sometimes they're just stuck following strict guidelines. Had a friend who challenged an appraisal once—turned out the comps used were way off. Worth double-checking before assuming they're just being difficult.
That's a good point about appraisers. I've dealt with a few appraisals myself, and honestly, it's rarely about stubbornness or personal bias. Usually, they're just following the rules they're given, even if those rules sometimes seem overly rigid or outdated.
A couple of years ago, when we refinanced our home, the appraisal came back way lower than expected. At first, I was pretty annoyed—felt like the appraiser didn't really understand our neighborhood or the improvements we'd made. But after calming down and looking into it more closely, I realized the comps they used were from a completely different part of town. It wasn't intentional stubbornness; it was just a mistake or oversight.
We ended up politely challenging it by providing better comps ourselves (homes that had recently sold nearby and were genuinely comparable). The appraiser reviewed them and agreed to adjust the valuation upward. It wasn't a huge jump, but enough to make a difference in our refinance terms.
So yeah, definitely worth double-checking their work before assuming they're just being difficult. Appraisers are human too—they can overlook things or make mistakes. And sometimes they're just stuck with guidelines that don't always match reality perfectly.
Congrats on finding your dream home through the rural loan perks, by the way! Those programs can be fantastic if you qualify... wish I'd known more about them when we bought our first place years ago. Would've saved us some headaches (and probably some cash too).
"Usually, they're just following the rules they're given, even if those rules sometimes seem overly rigid or outdated."
Yeah, that's been my experience too. Initially thought our appraiser was being overly cautious, but after digging deeper, realized they were just bound by strict guidelines. Still frustrating though... glad your challenge worked out!
Yeah, navigating those guidelines can be a real headache sometimes. Had a client last year who almost lost out on their dream place because the appraisal came in just slightly under. We dug into it, and turns out the appraiser was just following some pretty strict rural loan criteria—nothing personal. Glad you stuck with it and got through the challenge... makes finally getting those keys feel even sweeter, doesn't it?
