Investors: Your Appraisal Has an Expiration Date.
If you miss it, you can get trapped with one, miserable lender. An investor called me up this week with a deal that’s been dragging for 5 months. He got a solid appraisal and now wants to transfer it to a different lender. Here’s the problem: 🔺Lenders look at the original appraisal report date in order to accept a transfer 🔺You can *sometimes* get a Recertification of Value from the same appraiser 🔺That recert window typically runs 60–180 days from the original appraisal date, and it varies by lender 🔺Once you’re outside that window, many lenders will require a BRAND NEW appraisal What does this mean for you? 👉 Early on, you can still shop lenders and transfer the appraisal 👉 As the clock runs, you become effectively married to one lender 👉 Eventually, your options shrink or disappear, and switching means paying for a new appraisal and accepting whatever new value the market gives you If you’re planning a refinance, plan around: 🔴 Appraisal effective date 🔴 Lender’s recert / transfer policy 🔴 Your target close date That’s how you avoid getting trapped in a five-month file with no good options to get out.