How to contest an FHA appraisal
March 9, 2010 11:38 AM Subscribe
How to contest an FHA appraisal after they omitted our roof.
We are buying a house, and the seller is only willing to fix the roof if the FHA says it's a requirement for the loan. I have had two roof inspectors tell me that the FHA requirement of 2 years of physical life remaining is not met on this roof, however, I was not present at the FHA appraisal to point it out, and they did not notice it. They also made other omissions on their inspection.
I am questioning the competency of the appraiser. The roof is very high, and a lot of roofs in this town were replaced several years back due to a storm, so I believe that they just assumed it was new rather than climbing up to look at it.
How do I get the FHA to come back and actually look at it? I don't want to be rude and call the appraiser lazy, but I don't think the seller will pay to replace the roof any other way.
We are buying a house, and the seller is only willing to fix the roof if the FHA says it's a requirement for the loan. I have had two roof inspectors tell me that the FHA requirement of 2 years of physical life remaining is not met on this roof, however, I was not present at the FHA appraisal to point it out, and they did not notice it. They also made other omissions on their inspection.
I am questioning the competency of the appraiser. The roof is very high, and a lot of roofs in this town were replaced several years back due to a storm, so I believe that they just assumed it was new rather than climbing up to look at it.
How do I get the FHA to come back and actually look at it? I don't want to be rude and call the appraiser lazy, but I don't think the seller will pay to replace the roof any other way.
Best answer: FHA appraisers are almost universally lazy. In many cases I'm not even sure they ever even drove by the property. I'm not kidding. It's magical how the appraisals come in almost exactly at the number needed to seal the deal. Funny how that works.
If you have an agent, let them handle it. If the roof is that important, be prepared to lose the deal. No joke.
posted by aramaic at 12:35 PM on March 9, 2010
If you have an agent, let them handle it. If the roof is that important, be prepared to lose the deal. No joke.
posted by aramaic at 12:35 PM on March 9, 2010
Response by poster: Yeah, they marked that our house didn't have an alley. You have to drive through the alley to park in the driveway...
posted by idyllhands at 12:55 PM on March 9, 2010
posted by idyllhands at 12:55 PM on March 9, 2010
We are buying a house, and the seller is only willing to fix the roof if the FHA says it's a requirement for the loan.
If this is really a dealbreaker, then you tell the seller that you're only willing to buy the house if the seller is willing to fix the roof, and if they won't budge, walk away. Whether the FHA says it's needed or not, it's a dealbreaker for you, and there's no sense leaving it in the hands of the FHA whether your roof gets fixed or not.
posted by davejay at 6:20 PM on March 9, 2010
If this is really a dealbreaker, then you tell the seller that you're only willing to buy the house if the seller is willing to fix the roof, and if they won't budge, walk away. Whether the FHA says it's needed or not, it's a dealbreaker for you, and there's no sense leaving it in the hands of the FHA whether your roof gets fixed or not.
posted by davejay at 6:20 PM on March 9, 2010
Response by poster: If this is really a dealbreaker, then you tell the seller that you're only willing to buy the house if the seller is willing to fix the roof, and if they won't budge, walk away
That's basically what it's come to. We talked to the FHA appraiser who claims he looked at the roof...so now comes the painful part.
posted by idyllhands at 2:09 PM on March 10, 2010
That's basically what it's come to. We talked to the FHA appraiser who claims he looked at the roof...so now comes the painful part.
posted by idyllhands at 2:09 PM on March 10, 2010
Response by poster: Just an update for you: after some investigation, it turns out that the insurance company has refused to insure the roof. Apparently when this lady bought the house 2 years ago, a claim had already been filed and paid out on the roof. Of course, she didn't put this on the full disclosure.
So now we have a lying seller, along with an incompetent FHA appraiser.
My new question is: how can I get out of paying for the appraisal that didn't catch the fact that THE ROOF WAS DAMAGED ENOUGH FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO REFUSE TO INSURE IT?
So much for the HUD...
posted by idyllhands at 2:20 PM on March 12, 2010
So now we have a lying seller, along with an incompetent FHA appraiser.
My new question is: how can I get out of paying for the appraisal that didn't catch the fact that THE ROOF WAS DAMAGED ENOUGH FOR THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO REFUSE TO INSURE IT?
So much for the HUD...
posted by idyllhands at 2:20 PM on March 12, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
Some cursory searching suggest FHA appraisals are difficult to contest and can be done only every six months. Despite that, if there are serious omissions, you should be able to get get another appraisal by contacting HUD on the phone and in writing.
posted by barake at 12:03 PM on March 9, 2010