If there are legitimate errors in the appraisal, the appraiser should correct them. Otherwise, start looking for another lender.

Unfortunately, some mortgage brokers and lenders insist that the appraisal be purged of any information which might jeopardize loan approval. This includes references to long marketing times, unpermitted construction, underground storage tanks, unpermitted uses, second residential units, wells and septic tanks, unpaved driveways, the lack of recorded access easements and even unflattering photographs. They are attempting to represent the property as something it isn’t.

Some lenders insist that all comparable sales be virtually identical to the property being appraised, recently sold and close by. This of course is almost impossible in rural areas. These lenders are finding “problems” with your appraisal because they aren’t comfortable or familiar with the type of property you own and don’t want to loan you money.

It’s the appraiser’s job to be the “eyes and ears” of the lender, not to do whatever is necessary to get the loan approved. If your mortgage broker or lender is attempting to obtain a fraudulent appraisal on your behalf they are not doing you a favor. Get another mortgage broker or lender who is comfortable lending on the type of property you own and let the appraiser tell it like it is.
What Do the Letters After an Appraiser’s Name Mean?
The letters that some appraisers put after their names are private designations conferred by more than a dozen appraisal organizations throughout the United States and Canada. These include the Appraisal Institute, the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, the International Right of Way Association, the National Association of Real Estate Appraisers and others.

Some designations are harder to get than others. The most prestigious is the MAI designation awarded by the Appraisal Institute. However, few people other than appraisers know what these designations mean. Some clients still require appraisers with specific designations and undesignated appraisers can’t get certain types of legal and commercial work, especially in urban areas.

The proliferation of appraisal groups and designations is another throwback to the days before appraisal licensing, which occurred in the early 1990s. There is some movement towards consolidating the various appraisal groups into one national organization, similar to what other professions have done