B4-1.4-10, Value Acceptance (Appraisal Waiver) (03/01/2023)

For certain loan casefiles, DU offers value acceptance (appraisal waiver), in which case an appraisal is not required. For loan casefiles that are not eligible for value acceptance (appraisal waiver), DU will require an appraisal reported on the appropriate appraisal report form for the type of property being appraised.

For value acceptance (appraisal waiver) to be considered, generally a prior appraisal must be found for the subject property in Fannie Mae’s Collateral Underwriter (CU) data. When required, DU will compare the address for the subject property to the property addresses found in CU. DU will use the information from the prior appraisal to determine if the loan casefile is eligible for the appraisal waiver. In some cases, the prior appraisal may not be acceptable. For example, if a CU “Overvaluation Flag” was issued on the prior appraisal, or the appraisal could not be scored, that prior appraisal will not be used and an appraisal waiver will not be offered on the new loan casefile.

A value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer will be considered for the following transactions:

• one-unit properties, including condos;

• principal residence and second home transactions;

• investment property refinance transactions;

• certain purchase, limited cash-out, and cash-out refinance transactions; and

• DU loan casefiles that receive an Approve/Eligible recommendation.

The following transactions are not eligible for a value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer:

• two- to four-unit properties;

• co-op units and manufactured homes;

• proposed construction;

• construction-to-permanent loans (single-close and two-close);

• HomeStyle Renovation and HomeStyle Energy loans;

• leasehold properties;

• Texas Section 50(a)(6) loans;

• community land trusts or other properties with resale price restrictions, which include loan casefiles using the Affordable LTV feature;

• transactions where either the purchase price or estimated value provided to DU is $1,000,000 or more;

• transactions using gifts of equity;

• DU loan casefiles that receive an Ineligible recommendation; and

• manually underwritten loans.

Note: DU may offer value acceptance (appraisal waiver) on a recently constructed property (i.e., new construction) when there is an existing “as is” prior appraisal for the subject property. For example, an appraisal of the subject property may have been performed for a different lender or borrower, but that loan did not close. The lender may execute the value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer when the loan meets all other eligibility criteria for the transaction.

Furthermore, the lender may not exercise a value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer and must order an appraisal if one or more of the following applies:

• DU was unable to identify ineligible criteria in the list above (for example, Texas Section 50(a)(6) loans);

• the lender is required by law to obtain an appraisal (see  A3-2-01, Compliance With LawsA3-2-01, Compliance With Laws);

• the lender is using rental income from the subject property to qualify the borrower; or

• the lender believes that an appraisal is warranted based on additional information the lender has about the property or subsequent events.

Note: The lender may not exercise a value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer if an appraisal is obtained for the transaction.

See  B5-7-02, High LTV Refinance Underwriting, Documentation, and Collateral Requirements for the New LoanB5-7-02, High LTV Refinance Underwriting, Documentation, and Collateral Requirements for the New Loan for additional information about high LTV refinance value acceptance (appraisal waiver).

When a loan casefile is eligible for value acceptance (appraisal waiver) and the offer is exercised by the lender, Fannie Mae accepts the value estimate submitted by the lender as the value for the subject property. See A2-2-06, Representations and Warranties on Property ValueA2-2-06, Representations and Warranties on Property Value for more information.

In selected rural high-needs areas, Fannie Mae may offer a value acceptance (appraisal waiver) through DU for certain transactions. This value acceptance (appraisal waiver) may be combined with other loan products, such as HomeReady.

The rural high-needs value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer will be considered for the following transactions only:

• loan casefiles that receive an Approve/Eligible recommendation;

• purchase transactions;

• one-unit principal residence properties (excluding manufactured homes);

• borrowers with income at or below 100% of the area median income; and

• LTV ratios up to 97% and CLTV ratios up to 105% with a Community Seconds.

The following are ineligible for the rural high-needs value acceptance (appraisal waiver):

• cash-out or limited cash-out refinances;

• second homes and investment properties; and

• all other transactions that are ineligible for value acceptance (appraisal waiver) as listed above.

The following table provides the requirements related to the home inspection. These requirements must be met for the lender to exercise the rural high-needs appraisal waiver.

A lender may only exercise value acceptance (appraisal waiver) if

• the final submission of the loan casefile to DU resulted in a value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer,

• an appraisal is not obtained for the transaction, and

• the value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offer is not more than four months old on the date of the note and the mortgage.

Lenders that elect to exercise value acceptance (appraisal waiver) must include SFC 801 at delivery. Lenders may not adversely select against Fannie Mae in determining which value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offers to accept. Fannie Mae may monitor the lender’s exercise of value acceptance (appraisal waiver) offers and delivery of loans to Fannie Mae, and may take appropriate measures if adverse selection is identified.