Who the appraiser is and how the visit is scheduled
The buyer's lender orders the appraisal, usually through an appraisal management company that assigns a state-licensed appraiser. Neither the buyer, the buyer's agent, nor your agent selects the person. The appraiser calls the listing agent to arrange access, and your agent coordinates a time with you. Most visits take thirty minutes to an hour for a single-family home and involve measuring the exterior, photographing every room, and noting condition, updates, and features.
Access is arranged the same way showings were. If the lockbox is still on the door, your agent can authorize the appraiser to use it; if you prefer to be present, your agent will set an appointment. Appraisers are on tight schedules, so flexibility on the first proposed time keeps the loan on track.
The appraiser's client is the lender. They will not tell you or your agent the value at the visit, and they are not permitted to discuss it. The report goes to the lender, who shares it with the buyer.
Presenting the home
The appraiser records condition and quality, so present the home the way it was presented for showings: lights on, surfaces clear, beds made, pets out, every room accessible. Small repairs you have been meaning to do, such as a dripping faucet or a cracked outlet cover, are worth finishing beforehand because the report may note them. If you agreed to repairs on the Form 35R, complete any that are visible before the appraisal if the timing allows.
Leave a one-page summary on the counter listing improvements with years and approximate costs: roof, windows, furnace, kitchen and bath remodels, electrical or plumbing upgrades, and permitted additions. Appraisers welcome accurate information, and a clean list keeps them from missing an upgrade that is not obvious on a walk-through. Include permits where you have them.
If the home has features that photographs undersell, such as a finished space with a legal egress window or a view that depends on the season, your agent can point them out at the visit or note them in the packet.
What your agent may share with the appraiser
Your agent may provide the appraiser with a copy of the purchase and sale agreement, which the lender requires the appraiser to review, a list of the home's improvements, and a set of recent comparable sales your agent believes are relevant, with an explanation of why. This is standard practice and appraisers expect it. On the Eastside, where a few blocks can separate school boundaries or lake access, the context your agent adds about which sales are true comparables often matters.
What your agent may not do is pressure the appraiser toward a value or condition access on a number. Federal appraisal independence rules exist for exactly that, and a listing agent who crosses the line does the seller no favors. Providing information is allowed; advocating for a result is not.
Jennifer, RexMont's transaction administrator, notes the appraisal appointment and asks the buyer's agent for a status once the report is expected, so you learn quickly whether the value supported the price.
If the appraisal comes in low: Form 22A
When the appraised value is below the contract price, the lender bases the loan on the appraised value, leaving a gap between what it will lend and what the buyer agreed to pay. Form 22A addresses this. If the buyer still holds the financing contingency, the addendum lets the buyer give you notice of the low appraisal, with a copy of the report, and request that the price be reduced to the appraised value. You then have a response period written on the form to agree or not; if you do not agree, the buyer has a period to terminate and recover the earnest money or proceed at the contract price.
In practice one of four things happens. The parties renegotiate to a price between the two numbers. The buyer covers the gap with additional cash. The buyer's lender submits a reconsideration of value to the appraiser, backed by comparable sales the appraiser did not use, and the value is revised. Or the parties stand on the contract and the buyer chooses between closing and terminating within the window.
Your agent will tell you which sales the appraiser used and whether a reconsideration has a realistic chance. Reconsiderations are the lender's process, but the listing side supplies the comparables that make them work.
Timing, waivers, and cash buyers
Appraisals in King County typically take one to two weeks from order to report, longer in busy seasons or for unusual properties. The report is one of the last items before the lender issues a clear to close, so a delay here is the most common reason a financed closing moves. Jennifer tracks the order date and expected delivery against your closing date.
If your buyer waived the financing contingency, or if your contract uses a separate appraisal addendum, the low-appraisal path is different from the one above. A buyer who has waived financing has agreed to close regardless of the appraisal and must cover any gap; a buyer with a separate appraisal condition has the rights written in that addendum. Your agent will read your file with you so you know which applies.
Cash buyers are not required to appraise. Some order one anyway for their own information, and if they do, the contract does not give them a low-appraisal remedy unless an addendum says so.
Your checklist
- 1Confirm the appraisal appointment with your agent and decide whether to allow lockbox access or be present.
- 2Present the home in showing condition and finish small visible repairs beforehand.
- 3Prepare a one-page list of improvements with years, approximate costs, and permits, and leave it on the counter.
- 4Give your agent anything the appraiser should know about the home that is not obvious on a walk-through.
- 5Ask your agent for the appraisal status once the report is due; the buyer's side will confirm whether it supported the price.
- 6If a low-appraisal notice arrives, meet with your agent within the Form 22A response period to choose a response.
What RexMont tracks for you
- The appraisal order date, appointment, and expected report delivery against the closing date.
- Confirmation from the buyer's side that the report came in at or above the contract price.
- If a low-appraisal notice arrives: the seller response deadline and the buyer's decision deadline from Form 22A.
- Comparable sales gathered for any reconsideration of value the buyer's lender submits.
- The lender's clear to close after the appraisal condition is satisfied.
Jennifer Johansen, RexMont’s transaction administrator, coordinates every date and document from mutual acceptance to keys. Questions on price, terms, or strategy go to your RexMont agent.
Sources
This guide explains the process and the standard NWMLS forms in general terms. It is not legal, tax, or lending advice, and your contract controls. Talk to your RexMont agent, escrow officer, lender, or attorney about your specific situation.
