The appraisal form changes on November 2. Here is what actually changes on your listings.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are retiring thirteen appraisal forms and replacing them with one dynamic report. Most of what you read about it is written for appraisers and lenders. This is the version written for the agent holding the listing — what to expect, what to hand the appraiser, and the thirty-seven questions Valley agents actually asked in the room.

Mandatory

Nov 2, 2026

Some lenders are already requiring it

Turnaround

~2 weeks

Up from about 1 week, once fully ramped

Typical fee

~$700

Up from ~$554, at least short term

Appraiser exit

10–15%

Expected to retire rather than retrain

Mandate date per Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Turnaround, fee and retirement figures are the presenter's estimates from the September 2026 session, not published national data — treat them as a practitioner's read on where the market is heading.

If you only do four things

Stop writing 14-day appraisal contingencies on anything closing after early November. Ask for 21 and explain why.
Tell your lender up front that you want a full appraisal, not a property data collection. You can ask. Most agents don't.
Build a real appraisal package — contract with the counteroffer highlighted, a room-by-room improvement list, and at least three comps with notes.
If you are excluding a low comp, say so and say why. Under the new form there is less room to argue it after the fact.

The timeline, and where we are in it

Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac UAD 3.6 and Forms Redesign implementation timeline. Between now and November 2 both the old and new formats are accepted, which is why two appraisals on your desk in the same week can look nothing alike. That is the transition working, not a mistake.

THE DETAIL THAT CATCHES PEOPLE

The mandate keys off the date the report is submitted to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal, not the effective date of the appraisal. An appraisal inspected in late October but submitted in November has to be on the new format. If you have an October contract closing in November, ask your lender how they are handling the changeover on that specific file.

What UAD 3.6 actually is

It is the biggest change to appraisal reporting since 2011, and arguably since the 2009 Home Valuation Code of Conduct. Fannie Mae does not license or govern appraisers directly, but it controls whether it will buy a loan — which gives it effective authority over how the entire industry works.

Thirteen separate forms — the 1004, 1073, 1025, 2055, 1075 and every condo, co-op, manufactured-home and exterior-only variant — collapse into one dynamic report that expands or contracts based on property type and scope of work.
Free-form narrative is being replaced by structured, granular data fields, which is the real point: the data becomes machine-readable so Fannie's systems can underwrite it automatically.
Software vendors, including ACI and First American, have been working to catch up to the format. Expect submission delays and technical glitches in the first weeks.
How a home is valued does not change. How the data is collected, structured and reported changes almost entirely.

Which of your files this applies to

Loan type	Status as of today
Conventional (Fannie / Freddie)	Mandatory for any appraisal submitted on or after November 2, 2026. This is the deadline everyone is talking about.
FHA	FHA has adopted UAD 3.6 and opened its Electronic Appraisal Delivery portal to optional submissions. It has not announced a mandatory date. Legacy reports are still accepted.
VA	No adoption timeline announced. VA appraisals run through VA's own portal, not UCDP. Industry expectation is eventual adoption, but nothing is confirmed.
USDA	No timeline announced.
Jumbo, portfolio, non-agency	Each investor sets its own requirement. Many mirror the GSEs, but they can diverge. Expect it to spread, since most jumbo lenders still run files through Fannie and Freddie's automated underwriting for approval.
Estate, divorce, tax appeal	Not affected. Non-lending appraisals sit entirely outside this.

Loan type

Status as of today

Conventional
(Fannie / Freddie)

Mandatory for any appraisal submitted on or after November 2, 2026. This is the deadline everyone is talking about.

FHA

FHA has adopted UAD 3.6 and opened its Electronic Appraisal Delivery portal to optional submissions. It has not announced a mandatory date. Legacy reports are still accepted.

No adoption timeline announced. VA appraisals run through VA's own portal, not UCDP. Industry expectation is eventual adoption, but nothing is confirmed.

USDA

No timeline announced.

Jumbo, portfolio,
non-agency

Each investor sets its own requirement. Many mirror the GSEs, but they can diverge. Expect it to spread, since most jumbo lenders still run files through Fannie and Freddie's automated underwriting for approval.

Estate, divorce,
tax appeal

Not affected. Non-lending appraisals sit entirely outside this.

This table corrects two points from the live session, where FHA was described as having no committed timeline and VA as not having confirmed adoption. FHA has in fact committed and is accepting optional submissions; it simply has no mandate date.

What the new form asks for that the old one didn't

Room-by-room condition and quality ratings
A separate exterior condition rating, in addition to interior
Foundation quality commentary
Roof detail: install date, full versus partial replacement, underlayment
Mechanical ages for every AC unit, water heater, and the plumbing and electrical history
Solar detail: ownership status, kilowattage, panel count, install year
Lot grade-to-entry measurement and ceiling heights throughout
Interior wall floor plans, which were not previously required
PUD and condo common elements, listed and photographed
Water source detail, including other parties on a shared well

THE TRADE-OFF WORTH KNOWING

Appraisers are no longer required to drive comps and photograph them. More data on the subject property, less firsthand exposure to the neighborhood. Jay's view, and it is a fair one, is that this is a real loss of local insight — and it is exactly why what you hand the appraiser matters more now than it did last year.

Value acceptance and property data collectors

"Value acceptance" is just the new name for an appraisal waiver, and 3.6 leaves it largely unchanged. The risk sits in the middle tier: value acceptance plus a property data collector, or a hybrid, drive-by or desktop appraisal.

Property data collectors are not appraisers and may hold no relevant credential. It could be a realtor, or nearly anyone with a real estate license.
You may never learn a data collector was sent, which means no chance to vet them or hand them a package.
One appraisal management firm's data shows Fannie Mae still requires a full appraisal roughly 70% of the time after property data collection anyway.

Practical move: tell the lender up front that you want a full appraisal rather than property data collection. It is a reasonable ask and it is rarely made.

Where value actually gets decided

Unpermitted additions

None of the three treatments below is wrong. They produce dramatically different numbers.

Full inclusion

Counted in living area at full value — if it is well integrated: HVAC tied in, construction quality matching, flows with the house.

Line-item value

Valued separately at a reduced rate. Partial credit.

No value

Treated as if it does not exist.

If a listing has an unpermitted addition, it is worth a conversation about retroactively pulling a permit before you go active.

Guest houses, ADUs and basements

Typically valued at 25–40% of the neighborhood's per-square-foot rate for the added square footage, because most buyers read a casita as a nice-to-have rather than full living space.
A guest space with an interior-accessible kitchen and bath values higher than one that is externally accessible with no kitchen. Functional utility is what drives it.
Basements follow the same logic — lower per-square-foot contribution than main living space.

Solar

Status	Appraised value
$0 Leased	No added value, and arguably a negative to a buyer.
$0 Owned, with a loan	No added value until the loan is satisfied.
+ VALUE Owned, free and clear	Typically adds $5,000–$15,000 depending on age, kilowattage and neighborhood.

Status

Appraised value

$0 Leased

No added value, and arguably a negative to a buyer.

$0 Owned, with a loan

No added value until the loan is satisfied.

+ VALUE Owned, free and clear

Typically adds $5,000–$15,000 depending on age, kilowattage and neighborhood.

If a solar loan is being paid off at closing, tell the appraiser. Many will value it "subject to" that payoff. And treat online solar valuation tools as sales tools, because that is what they are.

Building the appraisal package

This is the part you control, and under the new form it carries more weight than it used to.

The purchase contract with the counteroffer highlighted. Missed counteroffers have produced low valuations.
A room-by-room improvement list: what was done, where, when, and what it cost.
Never fewer than three comps, as a one-page printout plus notes.
Copies of permits for additions and conversions, with completion dates where known.
The Seller Property Disclosure Statement — for the appraiser's file, not for the report.
A list of PUD or HOA common elements and dues, especially for comps outside the subject subdivision.
If you are excluding a lower comp, explain why it is a poor comp instead of hoping it goes unnoticed.

"This is your one chance to be proactive. You can leave a bad comp out and hope I miss it — I won't — or you can include it and tell me why it's a bad comp. I need to hear that from you."
Jay Josephs, Josephs Appraisal Group

Comp selection

Aim for at least three sales from the last three months. A comp up to about nine months old can still be strong if it is a close match.
Start searches at ±15% of square footage, expanding to about 20% if comps are scarce. Similar logic on lot size, with more judgment on unusual properties.
For off-market sales, verify independently through county records or direct outreach. Many appraisers will not use data they cannot verify.

Three questions worth asking an appraiser

Worth doing on nuanced neighborhoods, green homes, horse properties, or anything with locational complexity. Frame it politely: "My seller asked me to check a few things with you, I hope you don't mind."

What geographic boundaries will you use for comps? Tests real locational knowledge, far more revealing than asking whether they have worked the area.
Are you certified? Certified Residential or General covers roughly 80% of the industry. The licensed tier can be earned in as little as six months.
May I meet you at the property with a package? A no is a red flag. Request a different appraiser if it feels off.

Every question from the room

All thirty-seven questions agents raised during the session, grouped by topic. Q-numbers match the original session recap.

The new form and process

Q12Is UAD 3.6 the new form for all purchases, refinances and listings?

Yes, for loans going to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. FHA has adopted it but set no mandatory date; VA has not announced a timeline.

Q3How do you account for street-to-street value differences without narrative space to explain it?

Adjustments still happen in the sales grid, and appraisers will still add commentary — an "inferior location adjustment," for example — where the form allows it.

Q4Will there still be a section to describe upgrades or complex work?

Yes. There are dedicated fields to describe work performed, including whether it was done by a licensed contractor.

Q11Does the new form require mechanical permits, for example on AC units?

Not that the presenter is aware of. Going that granular starts to cross from an appraisal into a home inspection.

Q22What actually counts as a "room" under the new detailed reporting — walk-in pantry, hallway, closet?

Hallways and pantries likely will not need individual itemization. But any space with significant work done, even a costly custom closet, should be listed, broken down per room and per year.

Q23Is flood zone still required on the new form?

It may have been removed, though this was not fully confirmed during the session.

Q26Does the form ask when the sewer lateral line was last replaced?

Not specifically, but it does ask about the pipe material running from the street to the property.

Q29Will appraisers measure pool square footage?

The form appears to call for exterior pool measurement, though practice may vary by appraiser.

Data collectors and waivers

Q1Can we interview property data collectors the same way we would interview appraisers?

Not really necessary. They are filling out simple, non-technical paperwork, unlike appraisers handling nuanced or complex properties.

Q2How do we get ahead of a full remodel being ignored by a property data collector?

Be proactive. Tell the lender up front that you do not want property data collection and want a full appraisal instead.

Q10If appraisals take longer after November 2, does it help to order one early ourselves?

Generally no. A private appraisal cannot be used as the lending appraisal under 3.6, so it will not speed up the transaction appraisal.

Valuation questions

Q20How do you value guest houses and ADUs — is it purely square footage?

Primarily driven by typical buyer perception of functional utility. Roughly 25–40% of the neighborhood's per-square-foot rate for the additional space, since most buyers see it as a nice-to-have rather than full living space.

Q21Does having a kitchen, versus just a bathroom, change an ADU's value?

Yes. A guest space with an interior-accessible kitchen and bath values higher than one that is only externally accessible with no kitchen, because of greater functional utility.

Q18Does more granular detail change how adjustments are made for features like pools?

Possibly. With more required detail, including water features, those specifics could become more prominent in adjustment calculations.

Q24Is well water valued differently than shared well water?

It depends heavily on location and reliability. Shared wells can develop performance issues over time and have been the subject of real disputes.

Q37How is solar currently valued, and is that changing?

Leased solar and solar with an outstanding loan are valued at $0. Owned free and clear is the only category that adds value, typically $5,000–$15,000 depending on age, kilowattage and neighborhood. If a solar loan is being paid off as part of the sale, notify the appraiser — it can often be valued "subject to" that payoff.

Your package and the appraiser relationship

Q30Besides the SPDS and a room-by-room improvement list, what else belongs in the packet?

The purchase contract with the counteroffer highlighted, and always at least three comps with supporting notes.

Q31If appraisers no longer drive neighborhoods, should we proactively explain why certain nearby comps were excluded?

Yes, strongly recommended. Explain why a lower-value comp was excluded — condition, distressed sale — rather than hoping the appraiser misses it, especially as appeal options shrink.

Q32How should zoning or overlays, like historic districts, be communicated?

Educate the appraiser on the neighborhood's character and how zoning affects allowed uses. Especially important now that appraisers have less firsthand neighborhood exposure.

Q15Should we give the appraiser a copy of a pre-listing home inspection?

Not an official requirement, but welcomed. Most of what an appraiser needs — mechanical ages, condition items — is already in a typical inspection report.

Q17Is the SPDS for the appraiser's eyes only?

Yes, it is kept in the appraiser's file for reference. It avoids redundant questions and shifts the information source to the owner rather than the realtor.

Q19What stops an appraiser from including the SPDS directly inside the report?

Nothing structurally, but it is not expected to become common practice. The SPDS is meant to inform the appraiser, not be embedded in the report.

Q25Are realtors expected to provide more material and finish comparison detail now?

It is good professional practice to document material choices and cost differences when comparing the subject to comps, though this is not fundamentally new.

Comps

Q33Is there a standard percentage guideline for comp size or lot size variance?

Start at ±15% of square footage, expanding to about 20% if needed. Apply a similar approach to lot size, with judgment playing a larger role on unusual properties.

Q35How should off-market sales be handled when details aren't available through MLS or agents?

Try to verify independently through county records or direct outreach. Many appraisers will not use a comp they cannot verify through an independent source.

Q36Is it better to use comps further back in time, or stay recent?

Both. Aim for at least three sales within the last three months, but a comp up to about nine months old can still be strong if it is a close match.

Timing, ordering and loan types

Q16How long will appraisals take once 3.6 is fully required?

Current average is about one week. Expect closer to two weeks once the industry has fully ramped after November 2.

Q8Is there value in ordering a private appraisal ("preval") for unique properties before listing?

Yes, in the right situations — complex or hard-to-price properties, or when a neutral third party is needed to set seller expectations.

Q14How do private appraisals compare to lending appraisals — can they differ by 10% or more?

Yes, sometimes significantly. Private appraisals are often ordered for inherently hard-to-value properties, so outcomes can vary.

Q13Will this eventually affect jumbo or luxury ($2M+) transactions?

Not required yet, but it is expected to spread there too, since most jumbo lenders still run loans through Fannie and Freddie's automated underwriting engine for approval.

Q34Could FHA or VA loans lose the flexibility to reorder an appraisal if the first comes in poorly?

Uncertain. That flexibility currently exists on conventional loans, but is not guaranteed to remain if 3.6-style controls tighten further.

Condition and repairs

Q5What about sewer condition — is that addressed on the new form?

Not a major focus on the form itself, but it is a real cost consideration in older neighborhoods. If a sewer line was replaced, note it in the comments for the appraiser.

Q6Do you expect more "subject to repair" requirements going forward?

Likely yes, but it is too early to say for certain.

Q7If a seller can't confirm information like permit dates, what's the appraiser's responsibility?

It may be marked "unknown," which can trigger a review flag. Appraisers may research aerial photos to fill gaps. Providing an SPDS up front helps prevent this.

Q27If a roof is around 28 years old, should that be flagged to the appraiser?

An aging roof in that range generally signals it is near end-of-life and is worth being upfront about.

Q9Does a recent renovation impact value more directly under the new form?

Likely yes. The added granularity means appraisers are expected to weigh these details more directly.

Q28What's expected from realtors regarding PUD or condo common elements?

Provide a list of common elements and monthly dues, especially when comps are not in the same subdivision. Appraisers must now document and photograph common elements for both the subject and the comps.

The bottom line

Change like this happens regularly in real estate. This shift is real, but it is nowhere near the scale of past disruptions like the buyer-broker agreement changes. Staying ahead means building better packages, asking better questions, and helping appraisers do their best work on your listings.

Have a listing going active before November, or a contract closing right after it? Send me the address and I will tell you what to expect on the appraisal and how to package it. No cost, no strings — I would rather help you get ahead of it than get a call about a low value later.

Get in touch →

Daniel Escobar · Mortgage Strategist, Phoenix Lending Group · 623.208.2852

Sources

Session content presented by Jay Josephs, Josephs Appraisal Group, at a Phoenix Lending Group agent training session, September 2026. All practitioner estimates — fees, turnaround, appraiser retirement, data-collector outcomes — are his, from that session, and are not published national statistics.

Implementation dates and loan-type applicability verified against Fannie Mae (Uniform Appraisal Dataset and Forms Redesign, singlefamily.fanniemae.com) and the Freddie Mac UAD Redesign timeline fact sheet (sf.freddiemac.com). FHA adoption status per FHA INFO 2025-42 and subsequent FHA guidance. Verified September 22, 2026.

This page summarizes an educational session and publicly announced agency timelines. It is general information for real estate professionals, not appraisal advice, underwriting guidance, or a representation of how any specific file will be handled. Confirm requirements on an individual transaction with your lender.