{"id":4673,"date":"2025-08-11T05:43:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T12:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=4673"},"modified":"2025-10-21T14:53:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T21:53:47","slug":"what-to-expect-from-a-home-appraisal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-to-expect-from-a-home-appraisal\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Expect From a Home Appraisal"},"content":{"rendered":"

With a stellar offer in hand, you\u2019re relieved to have the bulk of your home sale behind you. But the deal isn\u2019t set in stone yet. There are several steps ahead that could impact your ability to close, including the appraisal<\/a>. If you\u2019re wondering what to expect from a home appraisal, it\u2019s essentially a professional assessment of your property\u2019s value<\/a>, performed by a licensed appraiser.<\/p>\n

We spoke with Jolene Jacobs<\/a>, a top agent who sells homes 55% quicker than the average Royal Oak, Michigan real estate agent<\/a>, to help explain what to expect from a home appraisal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n \"homelight\n <\/div>\n \n

Get an Estimate on Your Home's Value<\/h3>\n

While not a substitute for a full, professional appraisal, HomeLight’s Home Value Estimator can give you an idea of your home’s value based on local real estate data.<\/p>\n \n

\n Get Estimate<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n

The purpose of a home appraisal<\/h2>\n

A home appraisal allows a buyer\u2019s mortgage lender to determine whether the house is worth the amount of money that the buyer wants to borrow to buy it. The lender won\u2019t loan more than the property is worth, so if the appraisal comes in low<\/a>, the buyer will need to make up the difference in cash, or you\u2019ll need to accept a lower purchase price. Otherwise, the buyer can exit the deal with their earnest money intact<\/a> through their appraisal contingency<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a balanced market, appraisals come in at less than the agreed contract price 7% to 9%<\/a> of the time. In hot markets that see a lot of bidding wars<\/a> or where prices are rising quickly, this \u201cappraisal gap\u201d tends to get higher. Low appraisals are also more likely when there aren\u2019t great comps<\/a> available to help sellers set an accurate listing price<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In June 2025, contract settlement was delayed in 6%<\/a> of home sales due to appraisal issues, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what to can expect from a home appraisal to help avoid this issue:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curious about what to expect from a home appraisal? Learn how appraisers determine your property\u2019s value and what it means for your closing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":35491,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[242,322],"tags":[729],"class_list":["post-4673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-appraisals","category-logistics","tag-preparing-for-the-appraisal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to Expect From a Home Appraisal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Curious about what to expect from a home appraisal? 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Learn how appraisers determine your property\u2019s value and what it means for your closing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-to-expect-from-a-home-appraisal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T12:43:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-21T21:53:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/what-to-expect-home-appraisal-header-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gina Rodrigues\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gina Rodrigues\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What to Expect From a Home Appraisal","description":"Curious about what to expect from a home appraisal? 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