VA Appraisal 2026: Cost, Timeline, and NOV Validity

A VA appraisal is the VA's independent estimate of a home's market value, plus a check that the property meets the VA's Minimum Property Requirements. It's ordered by your lender but assigned by the VA, and in most cases VA assigns the appraiser automatically from its fee panel. Under VA's table effective May 1, 2026, the statewide maximum fee for a single-family home runs from $650 to $1,100 (up to $1,500 in one Alaska county group), many big-metro deadlines run 6 to 8 business days, and the resulting Notice of Value is good for six months.

VA appraisal vs. home inspection

These two often get mixed up, and the difference matters: one is generally required for the loan, one is optional, and they protect you in different ways. The VA itself states plainly that "an appraisal isn't a home inspection or a guaranty of value."

The appraiser checks the home against the VA's Minimum Property Requirements, which VA's handbook says help ensure a property is safe, structurally sound, and sanitary. The appraiser isn't crawling the attic or testing every outlet, though. That's what a home inspection is for, and it's often your best chance to walk away from a money pit before you own it. For what the VA does and doesn't require beyond the appraisal — including when a termite, well, or septic report becomes mandatory — see our guide to VA loan inspection requirements.

What a VA appraisal costs in 2026

The VA publishes a maximum allowable fee for every state and county. Under Chapter 10 of VA's handbook, an appraiser can't charge you more than they charge other clients for similar work, and complex-property fees need VA approval; the fee schedule page adds that mileage must be approved by VA before the appraisal starts. If the contract is amended before closing in a way that could affect value, Chapter 10 has the lender send it back to the appraiser, who may treat a significant change as a new assignment and charge an additional fee, up to the cost of a new appraisal. Chapter 8 lets the veteran pay the VA appraiser's fee, and under Chapter 10 the requester (normally your lender) has to certify the fee has been collected before VA assigns an appraiser. Appraisers aren't authorized to collect the fee from you directly. The VA's 2026 fee schedule (effective May 1, 2026) ranges from $650 in the lowest-cost states to $1,100 statewide in Alaska, where one county group reaches $1,500.

Most states fall in the $700–$850 band: it's $700 in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia, $750 in California, Arizona, and Tennessee, $775 in Texas, and $800 in Colorado. Manufactured homes usually cost $50 more and 2–4 unit properties $100–$500 more, and some high-cost counties within a state run above the statewide base. Every state's figure, the business-day deadline that comes with it, and the charges you can't be billed are laid out in the VA appraisal fee schedule. The appraisal fee is separate from the one-time VA funding fee — budget for both, and price the second one in the VA funding fee calculator.

How long a VA appraisal takes

The VA sets a timeliness requirement for each state and, inside many states, for groups of counties. In VA's fee and timeliness table effective May 1, 2026, many big metro counties sit at 6 to 8 business days: 6 in Maricopa, Los Angeles, and Denver counties, 7 in Harris, Dallas, and Cook counties, 8 in King County, Washington. Not every metro is that quick. New York County gets 10, and parts of Alaska get 21. Per the VA's fee schedule page, the clock starts the first business day after the appraiser is assigned, and weekends and federal holidays don't count.

The appraiser's deadline isn't the whole wait. Once the report is uploaded, VA's Lenders Handbook, Chapter 13 gives the lender's Staff Appraisal Reviewer 5 business days to issue the Notice of Value, unless a delay is outside the reviewer's control. If getting inside the house holds things up, Chapter 10 lets VA allow a timeliness exception when the appraiser documents the delay, and the report is then due no later than 3 business days after the appointment.

For a real-world number, VA's toolkit for real estate professionals says its appraisals averaged seven business days in 2023.

How long a VA appraisal is good for

Six months. VA's Lenders Handbook, Chapter 13 puts it in one line: "An NOV is valid for 6 months." The sample Notice of Value in the same chapter sets the expiration date at six months from the date of appraisal.

Older articles sometimes say a new-construction NOV lasts a year. That used to be true: VA gave proposed construction a 1-year validity period until Circular 26-14-28 cut it to six months in October 2014 and made existing and proposed construction match. The 2019 rewrite of Chapter 13 carries the single six-month rule.

If the NOV expires mid-contract

Chapter 13 says that if a veteran is under contract during the validity period, processing may continue until that transaction is either completed or terminated. In plain terms, a deal signed while the NOV was good can keep moving after the six-month mark. The protection covers that one transaction, though, not the next buyer or a new contract after this one dies.

Outside that carve-out, VA can extend a validity period case by case when it reviews a request and finds it appropriate under prevailing conditions. The handbook doesn't publish a standard length or a checklist, so ask your lender early if you think you'll need one.

Can a different buyer use the same NOV?

VA's rules allow it in at least one case. Chapter 8 of the handbook describes a sale that never closes after the first buyer paid for the appraisal. A second purchaser then applies for a loan before the NOV's validity period expires, and the lender uses the same NOV. In that case the lender can't charge the second purchaser an appraisal fee if no second appraisal is ordered. The handbook's example covers a second purchaser applying for a loan; for anything else, check with the lender.

A few related rules from Chapter 10:

• No do-overs for the same buyer. Once the NOV is issued, a lender can't request a duplicate appraisal for the same veteran on the same property while the NOV is valid.
• Changing lenders. The original lender has to transfer the case when you ask in writing (email counts), and if the new lender is in VA's LAPP program, the appraisal can be transferred to it in VA's system. An NOV issued by a lender's reviewer doesn't transfer. The new lender's reviewer issues a new NOV, or VA's Regional Loan Center does if the new lender isn't in VA's Lender Appraisal Processing Program.

If the price changes after the appraisal

If the sales contract is amended after the appraisal's effective date but before closing, Chapter 10 requires the lender to judge whether the change could reasonably affect the value. If it could, the lender sends the amended contract to the appraiser. Depending on how big the change is, the appraiser may treat it as a new assignment and charge you an additional fee, up to the full cost of a new appraisal. A price that ends up above the NOV value is a different problem, covered next.

If the value comes in low: Tidewater, then ROV

A VA appraisal coming in under the contract price is a scenario a lot of buyers worry about. VA's own numbers suggest it isn't the usual outcome: its real estate toolkit reports that 90% of initial VA purchase appraisals met or exceeded the contract sales price in fiscal year 2023. When it does happen, the VA builds in two chances to fix it before the deal dies.

Tidewater (before the value is final)

When the value appears headed below the sales price, VA's fee appraiser training on Tidewater and ROV requires the appraiser to notify the Tidewater point of contact listed on the appraisal request before uploading the report, and to allow 2 business days for additional sales data. For each sale, VA asks for the street address, sales price, date of sale, gross living area, and a copy of the listing if applicable. Don't expect a number on that call: VA's toolkit for real estate professionals says "the appraiser is unable to discuss the anticipated appraised value during this process."

The name comes from where VA first piloted the procedure, the Tidewater area of Virginia. Per Chapter 10 of VA's handbook, if sales are submitted, the appraiser notes in the report whether each one was considered (and if not, why) and what effect the data had on the value. If nothing arrives within the 2 business days, the appraiser notes that the Tidewater procedure was followed and finishes the report.

Reconsideration of value (after the Notice of Value)

If the Notice of Value still comes in low, VA's training says the veteran borrower may request a reconsideration of value (ROV) directly from VA. VA reviews the appraisal, the market data you submit, and its own market data, and issues an amended Notice of Value if it finds a change appropriate. Chapter 10 of the handbook gives VA staff 5 business days for that review, or 20 business days when they order a field review. Our VA reconsideration of value guide walks through both tracks step by step: who gets the Tidewater call, what to send, and how to build the ROV request.

If both fail, you still have options: renegotiate the price down to the appraised value, pay the difference in cash, or use the VA escape clause. Under 38 CFR 36.4303(k), VA won't guarantee a loan for a contract signed before you got the Notice of Value and priced above VA's reasonable value unless the contract includes a clause saying you won't forfeit earnest money or be obligated to buy if the price exceeds that value. The same clause lets you go ahead at the contract price if you choose.

Worried about the appraisal step?

We'll try to connect you with a loan officer who works with VA loans and can walk you through what to expect from the appraisal for your home and market, ideally before you're under contract.

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Bottom line

The VA appraisal is a protection, not a hurdle: an independent value, a property-condition floor, a VA-published maximum fee, and two built-in ways to challenge a low number. Know your state's fee and timeline going in, line up a home inspection alongside it, and you'll have fewer surprises at this step. If you'd like help, start with our 2-minute eligibility check and we'll try to connect you with a loan officer who works with VA loans.