Homeowner Resources

What to Do If You Disagree With Your Appraisal

Not every disagreement calls for the same response — here's how to sort out which kind you're dealing with.

Homeowner Resources6 min read

"I disagree with my appraisal" can mean several different things — and each one has a different, more productive next step than simply objecting to the number.

Three Kinds of Disagreement

A Factual Error

Wrong square footage, an incorrect bedroom or bathroom count, a missed permitted addition, or an inaccurate lot size — these are objective, verifiable details worth raising regardless of the appraisal's purpose.

Missing Information

The appraiser wasn't aware of a specific improvement, a recent comparable sale, or a relevant document — often resolved simply by providing that information through the proper channel.

Disagreement With Professional Judgment

You believe the comparable sales chosen, the adjustments made, or the final reconciled value should have been different. This is the hardest category to act on, since it involves the appraiser's professional opinion rather than a verifiable fact.

Lender-Ordered vs. Private Appraisals

If your appraisal was ordered by a lender for a purchase or refinance, disputing it runs through a defined reconsideration of value (ROV) process initiated by your lender — not a direct call to the appraiser. If you ordered the appraisal yourself (for a tax appeal, estate matter, divorce, or pre-listing decision), you're the client, and you can raise factual questions with the appraiser directly, though professional-judgment disagreements are handled the same way in either case.

How to Raise It Effectively

Specific, documented, verifiable points land better than a general objection to the number. A permit record for an addition, a recent closed sale the appraiser may not have had access to, or a clear factual mismatch between the report and the property gives the appraiser (or the lender, in an ROV) something concrete to review.

What This Does Not Mean

Disagreeing with an appraisal doesn't guarantee it will change. Appraisers are required to reach a supportable, independent opinion — providing a comparable sale you'd prefer, or simply restating that the number "feels low," isn't grounds for revision on its own.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. An error is something objectively wrong — a fact. A disagreement is a difference of opinion about judgment calls the appraiser is professionally entitled to make. The right response differs for each.

It depends on who ordered the report and what the intended-use terms allow. In a lender-ordered appraisal, direct borrower-to-appraiser contact about the value is typically not the process — it runs through the lender instead.

That's the reconsideration of value (ROV) process, which is initiated through your lender using specific supporting information — not a general complaint. See our dedicated ROV guide for the full walkthrough.

As the client, you can raise factual errors or missing information directly with the appraiser. For a disagreement about professional judgment, the appraiser may explain their reasoning, but isn't obligated to change a supportable opinion simply because a client prefers a different outcome.

Sometimes — if the disagreement is substantial and the purpose justifies it (for example, a major transaction or legal matter), ordering an independent second appraisal is a legitimate option rather than continuing to dispute the first.

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Provided for general educational purposes. Last reviewed: August 2026.

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