A Veteran borrower recently wrote to us with the following: I am in the process of purchasing a home with my VA loan eligibility. I asked my real estate agent if I could get a copy of my VA appraisal. She stated that I could not get the VA appraisal until the closing on the loan. I want to know if this is true. Can I get a copy before I close on the home?

The real estate agent in this case is not correct. A veteran who pays for an appraisal is entitled to obtain a copy of the appraisal and of course, before the closing. A VA Automatic Company electronically places the order in the VA LAAP system. The VA Appraiser is selected by the VA and completes the appraisal. It is then electronically available to the lender and ready for distrubion to the borrower at that time. There is never a good reason to have to wait until closing.

Ordering an appraisal is not like ordering a Pizza and we want to set the record straight on exactly who can order the appraisal. We do know that the Veteran or their Real Estate Agent cannot. Only the Approved VA Automatic Lender can and here is how it works.

The lender initiates the request electronically from the VA. VA Regional Offices will assign appraisals only to fee appraisers whose professional ability and past performance warrant retention on the current roster of designated fee appraisers and who have been designated to appraise for VA in the area which the property is located.

Favoritism or unfair discrimination in appraisal assignments is prohibited by Federal law, so this requires that VA appraisal assignments be made on a rotational basis. Lenders who request appraisals from VA may not circumvent this requirement.

All requests for appraisal assignments must be ordered through the VA's Information portal which is only available to approved lenders through the Lender Appraisal Processing Procedure (LAPP). The lenders Staff Appraisal Reviewer (SAR) will review the appraisal report and issue a Notice of Value.