The visit is done.
The file is not.
Most of the waiting happens after the appraiser drives away. The days go to writing the report, revisions, underwriting questions and value disputes.
What happens between the inspection and delivery?
The appraisal itself gets built: research, adjustments, reconciliation and writing, then a review before anyone releases it.
The inspection is data collection. Afterward the appraiser verifies comparable sales, often by calling agents, checks public records, finishes the sketch, makes adjustments, reconciles the approaches to value and writes the commentary that supports each step. Many lenders and AMCs then run their own quality check before the report moves on. None of that is visible from the borrower's side, which is why it feels like nothing is happening.
Why do revision requests take so long?
Because each one restarts a loop: someone writes the request, the appraiser reads and answers it, and the report goes back through review.
A revision request can be as small as a missing checkbox or as large as a demand for more comparable sales. Either way it lands in the appraiser's queue behind work already scheduled, and after the response it often waits again in the reviewer's queue.
Two habits make it worse. Vague requests, such as "please support value", force a round of guessing. And requests sent one at a time, instead of all together, turn one loop into three.
Regulation Z lists asking the appraiser to consider more property information, to explain or support a conclusion, or to correct errors as permitted actions. Asking for a particular number is not. A good revision request stays on the right side of that line and names exactly what is missing.
Which underwriting conditions hold up an appraisal?
The ones that send the report back to the appraiser, or need a second visit, hold it up the most.
Typical examples: a repair noted in the report that must be finished and then confirmed; a question about a room, a permit or an accessory unit the report did not fully address; a comparable the underwriter wants replaced or explained; a mismatch between the report and the loan file, such as the contract price or the legal description.
Fannie Mae makes the lender responsible for a report that accurately reflects the market value, condition and marketability of the property. An underwriter who is unsure will ask rather than guess, and every question is another loop.
The completion inspection is the slow one. It needs the work finished, access arranged again and a fresh slot on the appraiser's calendar.
Where does a reconsideration of value fit?
A reconsideration of value adds time because it is a structured review, not a quick edit.
In July 2024, five federal agencies including the Federal Reserve and the CFPB finalized interagency guidance on reconsiderations of value for residential valuations. When a borrower brings new sales or points out errors, the request moves through a defined process and the appraiser has to weigh it properly. Bring your best information once, in writing, rather than in pieces.
Straight answers
Can a rush fee speed up revisions?
Who is allowed to send a revision request?
Does the borrower get a copy of the final report?
What is the simplest way to avoid a revision?
- Selling Guide B4-1.1-02, Lender Responsibilities, Fannie Mae
- Regulation Z, 12 CFR 1026.42, Valuation independence, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Agencies finalize interagency guidance on reconsiderations of value for residential real estate valuations (July 18, 2024), Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
- Regulation B, 12 CFR 1002.14, Rules on providing appraisals and other valuations, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau