Man, I hear you on the sticker shock with all those fees—feels like you need a spreadsheet just to keep track. The appraisal is really just the VA’s way of making sure the house isn’t about to fall over, but it’s not exactly a deep dive. I always tell folks, if you’d rather pay a few hundred now than a few grand later, the inspection is the way to go. Out of curiosity, did your lender ever push back or try to explain the difference, or was it all just “sign here, pay here”?
Yeah, my lender was all about the “sign here, pay here” routine—felt like buying a used car. I actually asked about the difference between appraisal and inspection, and got a lot of vague answers. Ended up doing both anyway. The inspection caught a leaky water heater that the appraisal totally missed. Worth every penny, honestly.
That’s a classic—people mix up appraisal and inspection all the time, and lenders don’t always clarify. The VA appraisal is really just about value and safety, not nitty-gritty stuff like leaky water heaters. Did your inspector find anything else that surprised you? Sometimes those “small” issues turn into big headaches down the road...
I get where you’re coming from, but I’d push back a bit on the idea that the VA appraisal is “just about value and safety.” It’s true they’re not digging into every little thing, but I’ve seen appraisers flag issues that most buyers would consider pretty minor—peeling paint, missing handrails, even cracked windows. Sometimes those things can hold up closing if you’re not prepared.
The VA appraisal is really just about value and safety, not nitty-gritty stuff like leaky water heaters.
That’s mostly accurate, but in my experience, the line between “safety” and “nitty-gritty” can get blurry. Had a deal last year where the VA appraiser called out a loose stair tread—nothing major, but it delayed us two weeks while we got it fixed. Meanwhile, the inspector found some old wiring that could’ve been a much bigger problem down the road.
Point is, I wouldn’t rely on either process alone. Even if the VA doesn’t require a full inspection, skipping it feels risky to me. Those small issues have a way of snowballing... especially if you’re planning to hold onto the property for a while.
I’ve seen that too—VA appraisers can be surprisingly picky about what counts as a “safety” issue. Had a client once who thought they’d breeze through, but the appraiser flagged a missing smoke detector and some chipped steps. Neither seemed like a big deal, but it stalled things for days. Honestly, I always tell folks: the VA appraisal isn’t a substitute for a real inspection. You’d be shocked how many little things can turn into budget-busters later if you skip that step.
