Appraisal Condition Ratings Under UAD 3.6 and the New URAR

Newz: Appraisal Condition Ratings,

Disaster Risks and Appraisals

December 26, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: Navigating Value Revisions in Appraisals
  • Understanding Appraisal Condition Ratings Under UAD 3.6 and the New URAR By Kevin Hecht
  • Off-Grid ‘Bug-Out’ Bunker With a Maze of Secret Rooms That Have Never Been Lived In Lists for Just $715K
  • Insurance problems aren’t going away in 2026 By Ryan Lundquist
  • My AD: Review of Appraiser’s Guide to the New URAR Class
  • Where to get the list of Fannie Mae’s list of verified (approved) appraisal UAD 3.6 software providers
  • Disaster Risk and the Housing Market: Telling the Future
  • Mortgage applications decreased 5.0 percent from one week earlier

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2024 Updated UAD and URAR – What does It Mean for You?(Opens in a new browser tab)

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Understanding Appraisal Condition Ratings Under UAD 3.6 and the New URAR

By Kevin Hecht

Excerpts: One of the biggest changes from the legacy forms is that condition is no longer captured with a single rating for the entire property. UAD 3.6 breaks condition into several components.

Appraisers now provide an exterior condition rating, an interior condition rating, room-level condition details for each kitchen and bathroom, and finally an overall condition rating in the Reconciliation section. The “overall” rating must reflect the information documented earlier in the report rather than serving as an isolated judgment.

How Updating Is Reported in UAD 3.6

The previous “not updated,” “updated,” and “remodeled” categories are no longer part of UAD reporting. Instead, the URAR captures updating within the required Kitchen and Bathroom Details.

For each kitchen and bathroom, the appraiser reports the update status, the time frame in which updates occurred, the room’s condition status, and brief comments describing the work. This approach provides better clarity and consistency without relying on broad categories.

More topics:

  • Understanding Each Property Condition Rating (C1–C6)
  • The Role of Defects, Damages, and Deficiencies
  • Where Condition Appears in the New URAR
  • Condition Ratings and GSE Eligibility

Video 7 minutes 20 seconds by Kevin Hecht – short and covers topics briefly.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Listen to the short video. The article is well written, explaining the difference between the current forms and new UAD 3.6 QC ratings. This makes the changes easier to understand.

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Q4 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update – AMC Risk, UAD 3.6

Newz: 12 Days of Appraiser Christmas,
Q4 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update –AMC Risk, UAD 3.6

December 19, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: A Family Feud and Intended Use
  • Q4 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update – AMC risk, UAD 3.6
  • 12 Days of Appraiser Christmas
  • Santa’s House is Back on Zillow with a Bold New Holiday Look
  • Highest and Best—and the Highest Value By Richard Hagar
  • AQB Proposed Changes in New Appraiser Requirements
  • MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 3.8 percent from one week earlier
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Q4 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update

As the year wraps up, we’re focused on what matters most to your success: clarity, consistency, and confidence in every appraisal. This edition gives you practical insights to stay ahead:

  • Several deep-dive articles on Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6, focused on condition/quality ratings, the inspection component of Scope of Work, disaster mitigation, energy efficiency, and training and resources;
  • Why time adjustments matter—and how to apply them effectively; and
  • Our approach to managing Appraiser Management Company (AMC) risk for stronger compliance and reliability. Excerpts: In Jul. 2025, Fannie Mae began sending letters to AMCs detailing appraisal quality issues identified through Fannie Mae loan quality reviews completed in 2024. Each letter contains a comprehensive list of the issues identified for appraisals associated with that AMC.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Worth reading. First time I have ever seen comments on AMCs. Good to see that GSEs are looking at AMCs.

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12 Days of Appraiser Christmas

NOTE on video: Click on image and it opens in Youtube.

Very funny!! 3.5 minute video

Sample appraisal requests:

On the fourth day of Christmas my best client sent to me falling

Shacks, three field reviews, two double wides, and a drive by single family.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my best client sent to me 10 tax appeals and eight Mega Mansions.

Singer in this video is comedian David Cassel as the Ukulele Bandito http://www.theukulelebandito.com / (he is not a Portland appraiser, but he is funny)

Many thanks to Gary F. Kristensen, SRA, ASA, AGA at A Quality Appraisals in Portland, Oregon.

My comment: I love this FUN video ;>

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ADU vs. Two-Family Property for Appraisers

Newz: ADU vs. Two-Family Property,
Everyone Must Be Ready for UAD 3.6

November 21, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA: Protecting My Appraisal Report
  • How to Identify a Single-Family with ADU vs. Two-Family Property
  • $1 Million Midcentury Modern Ranch House on Lake Michigan Holds a Wild Surprise in the Basement
  • Top Appraisers Advise on How to Generate New Business
  • When One Bulb Fails… Why Everyone Must Be Ready for UAD 3.6 By Tony Pistilli
  • A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Understanding the New UAD 3.6 Appraisal Report By Tom Horn
  • MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 5.2 percent from one week earlier

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SFR or 2 units with an ADU?

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How to Identify a Single-Family with ADU vs. Two-Family Property

Excerpts: Across the country, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are becoming more common. Cities and counties are updating zoning laws to encourage them, whether to increase housing supply, create affordable rental options, or allow families to live closer together. Appraisers need to understand how ADUs fit into their local markets, how they’re used and perceived, and how to properly distinguish them from true two-family properties.

The presence of an additional living unit can complicate the appraisal process by making it difficult for you, the appraiser, to know how to classify the subject property. How do you know whether you’re dealing with an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or a second unit? In this article, you’ll learn about ADU meaning and types as well as how to identify a single-family with ADU vs. two-family property.

Topics include:

  • What Is an ADU?
  • Do ADUs Add Value to a Property?
  • Types of ADUs
  • What Is a Two-Family Property?
  • Is It a Single-Family with an ADU or Two-Family Property?

To read more and watch an ADU video, Click Here

My comments: Good explanations of ADU issues. Well done short video. UAD 3.6 requires including details on ADUs.

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Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide Updates

Newz: Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide Updates, Appraisers and Certainty in Mortgage Lending

November 14, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA: Conflicting Assignments and Professional Ethics
  • Beyond Terminology: What Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide Updates Mean for Appraisers
  • Genius’ Midcentury Modern Home Designed by Jimi Hendrix’s Studio Architect Lists in Woodstock for $3.5 Million
  • App-solutely Clueless: When Sales Tries to School Appraisers
  • Trump Defends 50-Year Mortgage Plan as ‘Not a Big Deal’ After Furious Backlash
  • The Strategic Advantage of Certainty in Mortgage Lending What it means for appraisals
  • MBA: Mortgage applications increased 0.6 percent from one week earlier

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Changes to Fannie Selling Guide dated April 15, 2014

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Beyond Terminology: What Fannie Mae’s Selling Guide Updates Mean for Appraisers

by Scott DiBiasio, Director of Government Affairs, Appraisal Institute

Excerpts: Fannie Mae recently issued important updates to its Selling Guide that may look like technical revisions but have significant implications for appraisers, consumers, and the valuation profession. The most visible changes involve the retirement of the term “appraisal waiver” in favor of “value acceptance” and adjustments to the Reconsideration of Value (ROV) process. Together, these changes reflect the GSEs’ modernization priorities—but also highlight the ongoing tension between efficiency and transparency.

From “Appraisal Waiver” to “Value Acceptance”

Fannie Mae has decided to eliminate the term “appraisal waiver” from the Selling Guide, replacing it entirely with “value acceptance.” Even the parenthetical “(appraisal waiver)” has been removed. The stated goal is to unify industry language and create consistency across the valuation spectrum.

That may sound harmless, but let’s be clear: the average consumer is not going to recognize that “value acceptance” means their lender has waived an appraisal altogether. That lack of clarity undermines transparency at a critical stage of the lending process.

The Appraisal Institute (AI) will absolutely continue to call these products what they are: appraisal waivers. Language matters. Consumers and appraisers alike deserve accuracy, not euphemisms, when it comes to understanding whether an independent appraisal has been performed.

Why This Matters for Appraisers

Taken together, the Selling Guide updates and the expansion of waiver-based models point to several key takeaways:

1. Language shapes perception. If consumers don’t recognize that value acceptance is an appraisal waiver, transparency suffers. That’s why AI will continue to call these products by their true name.

2. Efficiency is not clarity. Simplifying disclosures may ease compliance for lenders, but it risks reducing borrower awareness of their rights.

3. Modernization is accelerating. With waivers, UPDs, and hybrid appraisals expanding, appraisers must adapt their skills to remain at the center of the valuation process.

4. Incursion is real. Regulators, property data collectors, and third-party vendors are positioning themselves between appraisers and their clients. The profession cannot afford to cede ground.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: I had never read about what is discussed in this article. I don’t always read the Fannie Selling Guide Updates. Now I know why it is important.

When I wrote my article on Appraisal Regulatory Chaos in the monthly Appraisal Today newsletter, Scott let me include excerpts from what he has written about it plus sent me new information. This article has a few “promotional” comments about AI and classes, but well worth reading.

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Appraisers – Disclose When You Did Not Do the Inspection 

Newz: 24 Hour Appraisal, Disclose When Some One Else Did the Inspection

November 7, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: When a Property Owner Wants to Do the Appraiser’s Job
  • The Hazards of Signing a URAR When Another Person Conducts the Inspection
  • Honolulu Diamond Head Estate for $34,000,000
  • The 24-Hour Appraisal Funded by Appraisers
  • How Policy, Data, and Technology Are Reshaping Lending and Valuation: MBA 2025 Recap
  • MBA: Mortgage applications decreased 1.9 percent from one week earlier

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The Hazards of Signing a URAR When Another Person Conducts the Inspection

By Dan Bradley

Excerpts: When using the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) to report the results of an appraisal, the appraiser’s signature on the report is not merely a formality, it is a certification. By affixing his or her signature, the appraiser is certifying to (among other things) having personally made an interior and exterior inspection of the subject property.

Clients, AMCs, and state regulatory agencies are reporting that appraisers are increasingly delegating their inspection responsibilities to others yet are signing the URAR certifying they made a personal inspection.

What are the risks if an appraiser signs a URAR report certifying an interior and exterior inspection that was actually conducted by someone else?

Conclusion

Signing a URAR appraisal report that states the appraiser personally inspected the property, when in fact another party performed the inspection, is a serious liability risk. USPAP permits an appraiser to value a property that they did not make an interior and exterior inspection.

However, USPAP does not allow an appraiser to communicate a misleading report. A report that falsely indicates that an individual made an inspection of a property when in fact they did not is misleading, and could result in disciplinary action, civil liability, or other negative consequences.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Good reminder, especially with the use by the GSEs of alternative valuation methods. Of course, you know nothing about the qualifications of the person doing the inspection. The article did not specifically address UAD 3.6, but I assume it would have the same certification section and requirements.

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Fannie: Inspection and Reporting Tips UAD 3.6

Newz: Fannie: Inspection and Reporting Tips UAD 3.6, Appraising Haunted Houses

October 31, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: Legal Request for Old Appraisal
  • Inspection and Reporting Tips for Appraiser Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) Specification Issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  • Penthouse One – 3 Story in Florida listed for $47,500,000
  • “No Name” Licenses, No Accountability: From Highways to Housing
  • Appraising Haunted Houses
  • Foolish Mortals or Bargain Buyers: 1 in 2 Americans Would Buy a ‘Haunted’ House for the Right Price
  • Mortgage applications increased 7.1 percent from one week earlier

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Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) Specification Issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Document Version 1.0

October 21, 2025

Excerpts: Navigating changes to the appraisal process can be complex – make the transition to the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 easier with the new Inspection and Reporting Tips for Appraisers guide. This resource clarifies key differences between the new Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) and legacy UAD 2.6 forms, providing the information you need when researching or physically inspecting a property.

The purpose of this document is to assist the appraiser by highlighting the notable differences between UAD 3.6 and UAD 2.6, and direct the appraiser to appropriate section(s) in the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) Reference Guide on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac UAD web pages.

The document offers tips for different sections within the URAR that may be helpful to an individual who is completing various aspects of an appraisal assignment.

• Inspection Tips: When physically inspecting the property, or

• Reporting Tips: When researching and completing the URAR, including new information that may require research from a website, the homeowner, or other source.

Items to Note:

• When there are no material differences between UAD 3.6 and UAD 2.6 with respect to

information collected, those URAR sections are omitted from this document. For example, the

information collected for “Assignment Information” is not included below because it’s very similar between UAD 3.6 and UAD 2.6.

• Review the URAR Reference Guide chapters 22 through 24 to understand the dynamic nature of the grids (Sales Comparison, Rental Comparison, GRM Comparison).

To access the Inspection and Reporting Tips for Appraisers resource, Click Here.

My comments: Worth reading. The only document I have read that compares UAD 2.6 (current form reports) and UAD 3.6 in specific fields. Uses tables that make it easier to understand. Refers to F-1, the document that contains information on fields. Hopefully, when you are doing UAD 3.6 Reports, your software will pull in the relevant sections from F-1.

I have written 6 articles on UAD 3.6 in my paid monthly newsletter, including a list of what has changed on each page of the sample SFR1 (Single Family) report. The November newsletter includes an update on software vendors and where to get demos. None have completed their UAD 3.6 software, including verification by GSEs.

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Appraisal Adjustments Tips

Newz: California College offers Appraiser Training, Appraiser Adjustments

October 24, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: Can an Attorney Really Force Me to Testify?
  • How to Defend Adjustments in Appraisal Reports By Jo Traut
  • Monumental Hollywood Hills Megamansion That Took 10 Years To Complete Is Listed for $125 Million
  • West Los Angeles Community College Launches More Accessible Home Appraiser Training Program
  • Flooded With Change: Appraisers Tackle a Dynamic URAR and UAD 3.6 by Isaac Peck
  • Mortgage Rates Won’t Fall Below 6% Anytime Soon, Top Economist Says in Grim Forecast
  • Mortgage applications decreased 0.3 percent from one week earlier

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Why AI Can’t Replace Appraisers

Newz: Why AI Can’t Replace Appraisers,
Value: Absolute or Relative?

October 3, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: Weather Impact
  • Five Reasons AI Cannot Replace Real Estate Appraisers, By Timothy Andersen
  • Malibu (CA) Waterfront Home for $110,000,000
  • How Bureaucratic Overreach Turned Real Estate Appraisers into Scapegoats
  • September 2025 Housing Market Updates for Appraisers
  • Value: Relatively Absolute or Absolutely Relative?, By Brent Bowen
  • Mortgage applications decreased 12.7 percent from one week earlier

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Five Reasons AI Cannot Replace Real Estate Appraisers

by Timothy Andersen

Excerpts:

QUESTION: When I got involved in real estate appraisal, nobody ever told me about AI, UAD 3.6, AVMs, and all the changes that would take place. I can’t keep up with these changes and the changes I will have to make to the way I appraise and report those appraisals. Please tell me there is some good news out there about the way I have chosen to make a living! Is there any such news?

RESPONSE: Traditionally, when there were questions of real property value, the party with the questions called a real property appraiser to answer them. Real estate appraisers are professionals who estimate the value of properties like homes or land. They are trained, licensed experts who visit properties, study local markets, and follow ethical rules to make fair valuations. Lately, artificial intelligence (AI) and computer models called Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) are helping estimate property values, thus possibly decreasing the demand for real estate appraisers.

From your question, you are asking if these innovations in AI are going to take your job. In all candor, AI is going to take some appraisal jobs. But the good news is that, with some upgrading on your part, that should not be a worry.

Reason 1

One reason you’ll get all the credit (or blame) is that humans exercise judgment, follow ethics, and accept responsibility. Algorithms cannot execute these since, to some extent, judgment, responsibility, etc. have an emotional component to them, rather than purely logic or reason. Remember, AI is a tool to help you. In so many ways it cannot replace you (nor was that its design).

Reason 2

One reason you’ll get all the credit (or blame) is that humans exercise judgment, follow ethics, and accept responsibility. Algorithms cannot execute these…

Reason 3

One reason it cannot replace you is simply because AI (i.e., AVMs) struggles with unique or complex houses, especially if those are rural properties…

Conclusion

At this point in the response, you rightly ask, “What does any of this have to do with me!?” That answer is essentially up to you….

To read more, Click Here

My comments: What AI means for your appraisals (and many jobs) can be scary. This article is understandable and comprehensive. Worth reading the details.

Read more!!

Q3 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update

Q3 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update, When Sales are not Comps

September 26, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down)

  • LIA AD: When a Property Owner Wants to Do the Appraiser’s Job
  • Q3 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update
  • 14 Mile Island House: $10.8 Million Historical Estate on a Private Island in New York Is Listed for Sale for the First Time in 60 Years
  • It’s the Right Time By Jeff Bradford, Founder and CEO of Bradford Technologies
  • Sales Don’t Always Become Comps By Ryan Lundquist
  • Is Commercial Property Appraisal Right for You?
  • Mortgage applications increased 0.6 percent from one week earlier
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  • Humor for Appraisers

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Q3 2025 Fannie Mae Appraiser Update

Excerpts: In this edition, we share information and resources to help you navigate recently announced changes.

Perhaps the most significant appraisal policy change in recent memory is the launch of the new Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6. In this edition we continue to unpack UAD 3.6 changes with the Update Report and the Completion Report.

To help with UAD 3.6 implementation, we have created a tool for appraisers to check their reports for UAD 3.6 compliance.

We also review recent Selling Guide changes related to reconsideration of value (ROV). Speaking of the Selling Guide, we provide some tips on how to make the most of this important resource for appraisers and we highlight changes to our ANSI fact sheet.

Topic LIst

  • Restricted Appraisal Update and Completion Reports
  • Comp driveby not required for UAD 3.6
  • UAD 3.6 compliance checker
  • Reconsideration of Value update
  • Stay up to date on Selling Guide changes

My comments: No more driving comps is a big change and is somewhat controversial for appraisers. Will lenders who don’t require UAD 3.6 drop the comp inspection requirement?

To read more, Click Here

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Appraisal Clipboards and UAD 3.6

Newz: Concessions, Clipboards in Appraisals?

September 19, 2025

What’s in This Newsletter (In Order, Scroll Down

    • LIA AD: Protecting My Appraisal Report
    • Robots in Surgery, Clipboards in Appraisals: A Tale of Two Professions
    • Custom Barndominium ‘Like No Other’ With Hobby Farm and Room for Helipad Hits the Market for $12.5 Million
    • Concessions: Sellers are struggling to listen to the market by Ryan Lundquist
    • Do Nearby Home Sales Affect My Home’s Value? By Tom Horn
    • The Short-Term Rental Dilemma by JoAnn Apostol
    • Mortgage applications increased 29.7 percent from  one week earlier

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Dear Clipboard and Measuring Wheel – A Walk Down Memory Lane

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Robots in Surgery, Clipboards in Appraisals:
A Tale of Two Professions

By Tony Pistilli

September 15, 2025

Excerpts: In the distant past, a doctor could build a career practicing medicine in much the same way for decades. But today, with the rapid pace of medical advancement, it means doctors who refuse to adopt new technologies either retire early, find their practices so limited that they cannot effectively compete or fade away into irrelevance.

The technological toolbox available to doctors today is full and growing. Consider just a few of these examples.

Robots allow doctors to perform minimally invasive procedures with greater precision, fewer complications, and faster recovery times. Surgeons control the robot’s every movement, combining human judgment with precision accuracy.

Doctors vs. Real Estate Appraisers

Of course there had to be a correlation to appraisers!  In summary, doctors have largely embraced technology, reshaping their profession and improving outcomes for millions of people around the world.

Contrast that with real estate appraisers.

While doctors are saving lives with robotic tools, appraisers are often still clinging to their clipboards, tape measures and manual data entry. While physicians have adopted telemedicine to expand their reach, many appraisers have resisted bifurcation that could streamline valuation processes and bring more work and ultimately more revenue.

To read more, Click Here

My comments: Interesting analysis. A few years ago, I had major surgery where robotics were used. I was worried, but when I research robotics I found out that they can work very well. And that the robots were not doing the surgery! My surgeon determined what the robots did by the surgeon manipulating the surgical instruments in an external device to do the surgery.

UAD 3.6 is coming. Using a tablet app in the field to collect data can really help. What if you don’t want to use an app and want to use a clipboard? I spoke with a software vendor recently who will have paper check lists of what data and photos are needed when using a clipboard.

Read more!!