Get matched with top property appraisers in Chateaugay, NY

Both conventional loans and FHA loans are types of mortgages, but they have a few key differences. Conventional loans are backed by private lenders without any government backing, and FHA loans are guaranteed by a government agency. FHA loans are designed to be easier for borrowers with low credit scores or income to qualify for.

A property valuation, sometimes called a comparative market analysis or CMA, provides a real estate expert’s opinion on how much your property will sell for. It takes many things into consideration, like the condition and location of the home, but ultimately, all that matters for a property valuation is what a buyer might be willing to pay for the property. An appraisal is more concerned with determining the value. A valuation is to estimate what you’ll get for a property, while an appraisal helps a lender establish loan-to-value ratios and loan amounts.

Appraisals can come in above or below the list price or offer price for a property, and where it falls depends on many factors. Those include the condition of the property, the location, and the age of the home, but often, the condition of the market is the biggest determining factor. Where demand is high for properties, buyers compete with each other for homes, which tends to drive up offer prices above where appraisals come in. Where demand is low, you’ll often see the opposite happening.

As a seller, it might feel tempting to skip the appraisal, especially in a hot market that sees a lot of all-cash offers. While you can technically forgo it and hope for an all-cash offer, you’ll likely have a very tough time selling without an appraisal. 

In addition to protecting lenders from risk, appraisals also protect buyers’ investments. As such, it isn’t typically recommended for buyers to skip appraisals.