How Long Does an Appraisal Take and What to Expect?

Dusty Rhodes • July 19, 2021

Congratulations! You’ve gotten preapproved for a home mortgage, found your dream home, negotiated an agreeable sales price, successfully maneuvered through the home inspection process, and finally, you have a fully executed sales contract in hand for your new house. 


If you’re a first-time homebuyer, you may not realize all the steps that go into buying a new home. Some of them, like the home inspection and obtaining the real estate appraisal, can be stressful. So, what should you expect with this next step in the appraisal process? And how long does an appraisal take?


Let’s go over some appraisal basics to help you understand what is involved in one of the last steps in your home buying journey.


What is an appraisal, and why do I need one?

An appraisal is an objective estimate of a home’s value. It is provided by a licensed professional real estate appraiser.


You need an appraisal for several reasons. First, an appraisal is needed primarily for your mortgage lender. By providing an estimate of the fair market value of your home, the appraisal assures the lender they are not lending more money for a piece of property than it’s actually worth. Also, the appraisal helps protect you, it assures that you’re not paying more for the home than you should.


How long does an appraisal take?

The home appraiser, on average, will visit a property for 1-3 hours, however, you most likely will not get back the final appraisal report for one to two weeks. The amount of time it takes for the appraiser to complete the appraisal process varies depending on the size and complexity of the house. For example, a 10,000 square foot property with a detached carriage house, horse barn, and lots of land in Dallas, TX will take longer to appraise than a three-bedroom, two-bathroom 1,900 square foot house in Seattle, WA. 


Remember, once the appraiser has done the physical inspection of the property, he or she then needs to begin the work of locating comparable properties and eventually writing up the final report. From the initial inspection of the property to obtaining a final report can take a week to two for a typical property, depending on how busy the appraisers are and what the housing market is doing in your area at the time.


Who orders the appraisal and when?

Your mortgage company or lender orders the appraisal once all the inspections are complete and inspection repair negotiations have been finalized (if there are any). The home appraisal cost is usually between $300 to $400 or more, depending upon the size and complexity of the property, and the appraisal is paid for by the buyer. 


What happens during an appraisal?

During an appraisal, the appraiser visits the home where they thoroughly inspect the property, inside and out. Unlike the home inspector who tests all of the systems within the home and recommends any needed repairs, the appraiser is interested in determining the market value of the property as it compares to similar homes in the area.


The appraiser does this by gathering information needed to complete a Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. This form is quite detailed and requires the appraiser to measure each room and the lot the house sits on. They also take pictures of every room in the home and the exterior, including the yard.


They have to note, among other things, how old the house is, where it is located, how big it is, and what the structure is made of. They also determine whether the layout of the house is optimally functional, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the overall condition of the interior, roof, and siding.


Once the appraiser has compiled all the necessary information from your property, he will obtain information on nearby homes. It is important that these houses are comparable to your property. He will use all of this information to determine a fair market value of the property, complete the Appraisal Report and forward the report to your lender so you can move forward in the closing process.


And in case you’re wondering, the buyer is typically not in attendance on the day of the appraisal. The seller can be present during the appraisal, but often their agent steps in and takes their place. This way, the agent is available to answer any questions that may come up while the appraiser is conducting the inspection of the property.

3 possible outcomes of a home appraisal

When the appraisal comes in, the fair market value assessed by the appraiser could go one of three ways. 


1. The appraisal comes in lower than the agreed-upon purchase price

You have several options if the appraised value comes in lower than the agreed-upon sale price. 



You can request an appraisal review. An appraisal review is when another licensed appraiser prepares an independent report using the same elements found in a standard appraisal. The purpose is for the reviewer to comment on the accuracy and completeness of the initial appraisal. 


You could also offer to make up the difference by bringing any additional amount needed to closing. For example, if the agreed-upon purchase price is $225,000 but the appraised value comes in at $215,000, you would pay an additional $10,000 in closing costs to make up the difference. Some closing costs are tax-deductible.


Another option would be to ask the seller to lower the purchase price by whatever amount fits your financial situation best. This includes having the seller drop the purchase price to match the appraised value, in other words, the seller would take $10,000 off the agreed purchase price. 


You could try negotiating with the seller. You may choose to increase the amount of cash you bring to closing by $5,000 and ask that the seller drop the purchase price by $5,000. This would make up for the $10,000 difference between the purchase price and the appraised value.


A final option would be for you to walk away. If you and the seller are unable to agree on a way to settle the issue concerning the low appraised value, and you signed an appraisal contingency, you have the option to withdraw your offer without being penalized. 


2. The appraisal comes in higher than the agreed-upon purchase price

If the appraised value of the property is higher than the purchase price, that’s great news. You’ve just bought a home with some equity already built in. An example of this would be if the agreed-upon purchase price is $225,000 but the appraised value is $230,000. In that scenario, you would have $5,000 worth of equity before you even make your first payment. And luckily for you as the homebuyer, the seller can’t demand more money, and the sale of the home will move forward. 


3. The appraisal matches the agreed-upon purchase price exactly?

Appraised values often match the amount of the agreed-upon purchase price. If that is the case in your buying situation, then everything is fine and no additional negotiations are needed.


Getting an appraisal will be a requirement if you are obtaining a loan to purchase your dream home. And although it can sometimes be a rocky part of buying a home, remember, once you successfully maneuver past the appraisal process, you can move on to working with a title company to finish out the closing process and finally enjoy your new home. 



Source: Redfin


Dusty Rhodes Properties is the Best Realtor in Myrtle Beach! We do everything in our power to help you find the home of your dreams. With experience, expertise, and passion, we are the perfect partner for you in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We love what we do and it shows. With more than 22 years of experience in the field, we know our industry like the back of our hands. There’s no challenge too big or too small, and we dedicate our utmost energy to every project we take on. We search thousands of the active and new listings from Aynor, Carolina Forest, Conway, Garden City Beach, Longs, Loris, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Pawleys Island, and Surfside Beach real estate listings to find the hottest deals just for you!

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Here’s Where To Start if You’re Selling and Buying at the Same Time

By Dusty Rhodes • August 3, 2026
If you’re a homeowner getting ready to move , one question usually comes first: should you buy your next home before you sell, or sell your current house before you start looking? There’s no single right answer. The best call depends on your finances, your local market, and your timeline. And a trusted agent can help you weigh all of it. But in a lot of cases these days, selling first puts you in the stronger spot. The Advantages of Selling First Selling is usually the trickier half of a move today, so getting it done first clears your biggest hurdle. And that’s especially true right now , because there are more homes for sale than there are buyers, which means houses are taking longer to sell than they did a year or two ago. So how does leading with your sale pay off? Let’s start with the money. 1. You Won’t Get Stuck Paying Two Mortgages Buy before you sell, and you could end up carrying two mortgages at once. And especially since houses are staying on the market longer these days, that overlap may drag on for more time than you’d planned. And if unexpected repairs come up, it could get even more expensive. Selling first takes that risk off the table, so you’re not multitasking homeownership. As Ramsey Solutions puts it: “It’s best to sell your old home before buying a new one to avoid unnecessary risks and possible headaches.“ 2. You Can Use Your Equity To Fuel Your Move This is always true, but one of the biggest perks of selling first is that you’ll know exactly how much money you’re walking away with. And one of the big figures that matters in that conversation is how much equity you have in your current place. Equity is basically your house’s value minus what you still owe on your mortgage. And it adds up fast. According to Realtor.com , homeowners who’ve been in their home for 5 years have about $180,000 in equity on average. And those who’ve had their home for 6-10 years? They have over $340,000. After you sell, you can use that money to cover your down payment or even buy your next home in cash. And knowing that profit up front helps you plan your next move. 3. Your Offer Will Be Hard To Pass Up When your house is already sold, you don’t have to make your offer contingent on that sale. In a market where buyers are taking their time, that’s exactly what a seller wants to see. Picture it from the seller’s side. If their house has been sitting for a while, they’ll gravitate toward the offer most likely to close without a snag. That can also give you room to ask for a little more, like repairs, since a motivated seller would rather keep things moving than lose you and wait for another offer to come in. Your agent can help you make the most of your upper hand in that scenario. Is There a Catch? Selling first has its tradeoffs too, and it helps to see the pros and cons side by side before you decide. Here’s a quick breakdown based on information from Zillow (see visual below) : 

7 Reasons to Use Real Estate Drone Photography for Your Listing

By Dusty Rhodes • July 26, 2026
Online listing photos often shape a buyer’s first impression of a home. They want to understand the home’s setting, the size of the lot, and what makes the property unique before deciding whether it’s worth a visit. That’s one reason real estate drone photography has become a popular addition to many listings. That said, aerial photography isn’t a must-have for every home. Whether you’re selling a home in Houston, TX or listing a rental in Asheville, NC , knowing when to use this style of professional photography can help highlight the features that matter most to buyers. Here are seven situations where real estate drone photography can make a listing more compelling. Key takeaways: Best for homes where the setting is part of the selling point. Shows lot size, layout, and nearby amenities at a glance. Helps buyers visualize features that aren’t visible from the ground. Less valuable for standard homes on small lots. Should be performed by a licensed drone operator following local regulations. 1. The property sits on a large lot or acreage Large properties are difficult to capture from the ground. Aerial photos show the property’s full footprint and help buyers appreciate how much land they’re getting. Bradley Harkey, owner at LuxRE Photos , says drone photography is especially valuable for homes with room to grow. “Drone photography can really be essential when you are selling a home with a lot of land. A view from above can showcase the potential even when it’s not exactly obvious from the ground.” He says buyers often struggle to picture what an undeveloped yard could become. “Oftentimes an unprepped backyard can just look like a bunch of weeds to a potential buyer, but when seen from above, you can visualize where that pool can go, or that basketball hoop, or that go-kart track you always wanted as a kid. Some homes have so much potential, but it’s hard to see between the weeds.” Whether it’s acreage, an equestrian property , or simply a spacious backyard, aerial images help buyers see the property’s potential. 2. The home has waterfront views or scenic surroundings Some of a home’s best features aren’t visible from the front yard. Waterfront access, mountain views, wooded privacy, and distinctive architecture all benefit from an elevated perspective. Doug Smith, principal and founder of Houzpics LLC , explains, “Aerial photography is especially valuable for waterfront or estates with large, feature-rich lots, multi-story architecture, and homes with scenic surroundings. Aerial images help buyers understand the property’s layout and highlight features that traditional ground-level photos may not fully capture.” Rather than focusing only on the home, aerial photography showcases the entire setting.

Psychology says people who keep going back to the beach aren’t just relaxing, they may be restoring something deeper

By Dusty Rhodes • July 21, 2026
Some people enjoy the beach. Others seem drawn to it. They choose beach vacations over city breaks. They find excuses to visit the coast whenever they can. They feel calmer the moment they hear waves crashing or catch sight of the ocean on the horizon. Friends and family may joke that they're "obsessed" with the beach, but psychology suggests there may be more happening beneath the surface. For many people, a love of the beach is not simply about sunshine, swimming, or beautiful views. Research suggests that coastal environments may provide something the modern brain desperately needs: a chance to recover from constant mental demands. Attention Restoration Theory may explain the attraction to the beach One of the most influential explanations comes from Attention Restoration Theory, developed by environmental psychologists Rachel Kaplan and Stephen Kaplan. The theory suggests that everyday life requires large amounts of what researchers call directed attention. This is the mental effort people use to focus during meetings, answer emails, ignore distractions, make decisions, navigate traffic, and manage responsibilities. Over time, directed attention becomes fatigued. Natural environments appear to affect the brain differently. The Kaplans proposed that nature creates a state known as soft fascination. Instead of demanding concentration, environments such as beaches gently hold attention without effort. As a result, the brain gets an opportunity to recover from mental fatigue . For frequent beachgoers, this may help explain why a few hours by the ocean often feels more restorative than an entire day spent indoors. Research on blue spaces supports the idea Psychologists and public health researchers often use the term blue spaces to describe environments that contain visible water, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and coastlines. Over the past decade, a growing body of research has linked blue-space exposure to improved psychological well-being . A 2020 research, Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits, led by environmental psychologist Mathew White has found that people who spend more time near coastal environments often report better mental health and higher life satisfaction. The authors propose that water environments may improve mental health through several connected pathways: Increased physical activity (people walk, swim, or move more near water) Psychological restoration (reduced mental fatigue and stress) Social interaction (waterfronts often encourage gathering and recreation) Environmental effects such as improved air quality and aesthetic satisfaction Importantly, the review also highlights that blue spaces share similarities with green spaces (like parks and forests), but water environments may have unique psychological effects due to their sensory characteristics and emotional associations. Why the ocean feels different from other environments Many people report feeling calmer almost immediately when they arrive at the beach. Psychologists believe part of the reason may be the unique combination of sensory experiences. The sound of waves is rhythmic and predictable. The horizon creates a sense of openness. The movement of water captures attention without overwhelming it. Unlike social media feeds, traffic, news alerts, and crowded urban environments, the beach provides relatively low levels of cognitive demand. In simple terms, the ocean gives the brain less work to do. That reduction in mental effort may help explain why people often describe feeling lighter, calmer, or more clear-headed after spending time near the water. Place Attachment Theory says beaches can become part of identity For some people, the connection goes beyond relaxation. Psychologists study a concept known as place attachment, which refers to the emotional bond people develop with specific locations. Certain places become connected to family memories, childhood experiences, important life events, or feelings of belonging. Over time, the beach may become more than a destination. It becomes part of a person's identity. This may explain why some individuals return to the same stretch of coastline year after year, even when countless other travel options are available.