The team · Buying a home
Appraiser
An independent valuation, but remember it's ordered for the lender, not for you.
What they do
Once you're under contract, the lender orders an appraisal: an independent, licensed opinion of the home's value, built from recent comparable sales. It sets the loan-to-value, how much the bank will lend against this specific house.
When it happens
After your offer is accepted, ordered by the lender, you don't choose the appraiser. You typically pay for it as part of closing costs.
If it comes in low
- Cover the gap in cash, if you can and want to.
- Renegotiate the price with the seller.
- Walk, if you kept an appraisal contingency.
The bit
An appraisal is one professional's opinion on one day. It's most useful read alongside the other value signals, the recorded sale, the assessed value, and a modeled estimate shown as a range. Together they tell you far more than any single number.
See where value fits the buying journey. Back to Buying a home →
Keep exploring the team
Everyone on this team, and where each one fits.
Buyer's agent
Represents you, finds the homes, and negotiates the deal.
Explore →Mortgage broker / loan officer
Turns your finances into a pre-approval, a rate and a real budget.
Explore →Home inspector
Finds what a showing can't, and hands you a punch-list.
Explore →Radon, pest & sewer inspectors
The targeted checks a general inspection doesn't cover.
Explore →Home insurance agent
Binds coverage and compares carriers before you get the keys.
Explore →Real-estate attorney
Runs the closing, title and escrow, required in Massachusetts.
Explore →New-construction & REO specialists
Builder deals and bank-owned homes each carry their own rules.
Explore →Relocation specialist
Compresses a sight-unseen, deadline-driven purchase and the move.
Explore →See any home scored to you.
The pros get you through the deal. Wiew tells you whether the home fits, sourced, dated, and yours to keep long after the keys.