In 2022, selling a house in Sacramento can seem like you have a lot of power from start to finish, but there are still obstacles to overcome in order for the deal to go through smoothly. Let’s examine three things you may do if you get a poor appraisal for your Sacramento house to look at one of the largest barriers in your path.
Why Does the Appraisal Matter?
First and foremost, we need to have an understanding of what the appraisal actually is and why it affects anything at all.
Selling a house in Sacramento an appraisal examines the qualities and state of your house to ascertain the reasonable market value it might fetch. In order to arrive at that estimated market worth, the appraiser is educated to take into account these attributes and then consider recent market trends. The appraisal is meant to provide a fairly thorough examination of your property overall.
You’re probably in a bad situation if your buyer has given an absurd price and you get an appreciably low evaluation. The buyer is probably certainly trying to obtain a mortgage from a lender, and the lender isn’t keen on issuing the loan for that absurdly high price if an appraiser informs the lender that the property isn’t worth that much.
If the buyer were to fall behind on their mortgage payments, the lender might be left with a lesser value property they can’t sell to repay their losses. The buyer’s loan is ultimately rejected, they are left without financing, and your home’s sale is effectively over.
Go Through the Appraisal Report
Now that we have a decent grasp of both what an appraisal is, and the purpose it serves, what do we do if the appraisal comes in low?
Whatever the outcome of your appraisal when selling a house in Sacramento, you should take some time to carefully read the entire document from cover to cover. Verify every detail to make sure your home was appropriately represented and assessed and that no errors occurred.
You won’t have much of a case in the event you believe something should be valued more or less than the report states, but you could definitely dispute the report if it contains glaring errors.
Request a Do-Over
If the first appraisal comes back low, you do have the option of requesting a second appraisal be performed by a different appraiser.
If there are questions about the competency, experience, or credentials of the initial appraiser, this is typically the path adopted. When you get a second chance, you should go all out and make sure your house is as ready as possible.
Deep clean everything, make any quick repairs you might have neglected previously, and hopefully the numbers come back a bit more in your favor.
Renegotiate
What should you do if, despite the fact that both of your appraisal reports are flawless, there is still a significant value deficit? The buyer does have the option to pay out of pocket for the difference between the appraisal and their offer because their lender would only authorise a loan up to a certain amount that doesn’t cover the total sale price, but this isn’t a popular solution.
Instead, the failsafe can be a bit awkward but it is the quickest way to turn things around: renegotiate.
Ideally, this won’t happen because you’ll have another buyer lined up, but if it does, you can always lower the price to a level the buyer can afford.
Help When You Get a Low Appraisal When Selling in Sacramento
When try to selling a house in Sacramento getting a low appraisal can be frustrating, but you can get help by contacting our team of skilled professionals at (916) 507-2502!