We’re Seeing More Low Appraisals Lately

Jonesboro Real Estate Video Blog with Eric Burch

My experiences with appraisals not meeting the contract price.

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When you sell your house and the appraisal does not meet the contract price, what do you do? This has happened to me two or three times in the last month, despite only happening to me five other times in the last 16 years. For it to happen three times in the last month is a big deal. The great news was that I still closed all three transactions. One of the properties sold for around $195,000, although the appraisal came in at $185,000. The seller actually purchased that home from us two years before the close date for $150,000, so they made quite a bit of money. When the appraisal came in $10,000 under, we went back, renegotiated the contract, and ended up only moving about $5,000 total. I had another deal that came in $40,000 under the appraised value. I called the buyer and asked them how they would like to handle it. They said, “We love the house and we want it. We really don't care what the appraisal says. We have the funds to pay the difference.” So we went to closing with an appraisal lower than the contract price and the buyer was still thrilled with the transaction.

"These are the kind of sticky situations that you run into when selling your house."

Those were two great situations for the buyer and the seller. Everybody was happy, but what happens if the appraisal comes in under contract price and the buyer doesn't want to move forward? You have a couple of other options. In today's market, I'd be fine with that happening if it was my property. I would put it right back on the market and probably sell it for a little bit more depending on what was going on in your area. These are the kind of sticky situations that you can run into when selling your house. I've seen more people out there sell their house as a FSBO listing during these times because they think it’s going to be incredibly easy in a seller’s market. It's one thing to sell a house, but it's another thing entirely to close the house. When it comes to buying and selling homes, our team's here for you. We’ve closed over 3,000 transactions in the last 16 years, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you're taken care of. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We'll be happy to help you.