The process of purchasing a home can be tedious, as there are many legalities and service providers you’ll work with to accomplish buying a property. One of these vital steps is the appraisal process, in which mortgage lenders send over a professional appraiser to examine a property.
This is done to make sure its value is equivalent to the loan amount being requested. If you get a low appraisal offer, it’s valuable to know your options to proceed forward in the most orderly way possible.
Sometimes the appraised value of a home will come back lower than the requested loan amount due to a number of factors. If the home fails to meet certain guidelines, your lender may decide to offer you less funding than originally requested or may not agree to the loan at all.
However, there are options in favor of the buyer in the case a home appraisal comes in lower than expected.
In the case of a low appraisal, it’s essential to do research to get a better understanding of why the report came back lower than the purchase price. Research the local real estate market because in some cases, if the home has been on the market for a while, the listing price may be outdated.
If the low appraisal was justified, you can negotiate with the seller to help pay for needed repairs or ask if they can meet you in the middle with their listing price.
If there is an appraisal contingency in the purchase agreement, a buyer can back out of a home purchase if the appraisal comes back too low. This is why it’s vital to examine and pay close attention to detail with the help of your real estate agent to all items in the purchase contract.
A low home appraisal isn’t the end of your home buying process, it’s simply an obstacle that can be overcome with research and planning.
Johnna grew up in Amherst NH and still has strong ties to the Amherst & Mont Vernon Communities. Johnna moved to Manchester at 19 when she purchased her 1st home. She has resided in the West Side of Manchester since 2007. Always having a strong interest in real estate, Johnna and her husband, Jeff, started investing in rental properties in 2017 with the purchase of a 2 bedroom condo in Manchester. They now own 10 properties with the goal of growing to 60 total rental properties. In 2020 Johnna and Jeff started adding short term rentals to their portfolio focusing in the NH Lakes Region and Southern Maine Coast. Johnna achieved Airbnb Super Host and VRBO Premier Host status within the first year.
From May to October Johnna divides her time between Manchester, NH and her beach cottage in Wells Maine. Johnna’s extensive experience with both long term and short-term rental properties makes her the ideal real estate agent to help you start or build your real estate investment portfolio. Johnna works with a lot of home owners selling their homes and buying homes simultaneously and also sellers relocating out of the area.
Johnna prides herself in being hard working, dependable and down to earth. In her free time, she enjoys reading, jigsaw puzzles and spending time outdoors with her husband, dogs and friends.