By Joe Nelson — Retired Air Force, Nelson Home Group Team Leader and Mortgage Loan Originator
A VA appraisal in the Kansas City area is due back in nine or ten business days depending on which county the house sits in, and that clock does not start when your lender hits submit, it starts the first business day after VA assigns the file to a panel appraiser. If the appraiser sees the value landing under your contract price, VA requires a step called Tidewater that gives your side two business days to hand over better sales data before the number is locked in. Everything after that, including the Notice of Value and a Reconsideration of Value, runs on rules VA publishes in writing, so you can plan around them instead of guessing.
If you want the whole benefit laid out before you get this far into a transaction, start at our veterans hub and come back to this page once you are under contract.
Who orders the VA appraisal and how does it get assigned?
Your lender orders it, not you and not your agent. VA’s Home Loan Guaranty Buyer’s Guide states that once you and the seller sign a purchase agreement your lender rather than the borrower will request a VA approved appraiser to provide an opinion of value, and that all VA purchase and cash out refinance loans require an appraisal. The request is VA Form 26-1805, Request for Determination of Reasonable Value, submitted through VA’s Loan Guaranty portal, now called LGY Hub. VA pushes the assignment to an appraiser on its fee panel, and VA’s appraiser training tells that appraiser to accept without delay or promptly request reassignment for a conflict of interest rather than sit on it. These are independent professionals, and VA’s Buyer’s Guide is blunt about it, noting that fee panel appraisers are not employees of VA, your lender or your real estate agent and that they carry at least five years of experience.
One detail on the order form matters more than most buyers realize. Section 4 of VA Form 26-1805 carries the Tidewater point of contact, the name, phone and email of the person the appraiser is required to call if the value looks like it will come in low, which VA made a collected field on the revised form in Circular 26-22-15 dated September 9, 2022. Whoever is listed there gets two business days to save the deal, so it needs to be somebody who answers the phone.
How long does a VA appraisal take in Kansas City?
Nine business days in Jackson County, Missouri and Johnson County, Kansas, and ten business days everywhere else in both states, according to the VA Appraisal Fees and Timeliness table effective May 1, 2026. That table is county specific, and for the Kansas City metro it breaks cleanly: Jackson County is named in the Missouri rows at nine business days, Johnson County is named in the Kansas rows at nine, and the rest of the metro on both sides of the state line falls under the statewide default of ten. None of the Kansas City area counties land in the higher fee rural exception rows. The same table caps the appraisal fee at $700 for a single family home in Missouri and $750 in Kansas, with higher caps for manufactured homes and two to four unit properties.
The counting rules matter as much as the number of days. VA’s Fee Appraiser Training Series course on appraisal fees and timeliness states that timeliness starts the first business day after the assignment date and excludes weekends and federal holidays, that the appraiser should make contact to schedule the property visit within two business days of receiving the assignment, that delays should be noted in LGY Hub, and that a documented delay pushes the report deadline to no later than three business days after the appointment date. The appraiser is also expected to answer status inquiries and requests for clarification or revision by the next business day.
I will say the hard part out loud. That published standard is VA’s requirement on the appraiser, not a promise about your closing date, because there is a gap between your lender submitting the request and VA assigning the file, there is scheduling and access to the property, and there is underwriting that runs on its own track afterward. When we write offers on homes in Kansas City or across the line in Johnson County, I build the appraisal window into the contract dates rather than assuming the best case.
What is the Notice of Value and what does it actually tell me?
The Notice of Value, or NOV, is the document that states VA’s reasonable value for the property and lists what has to be fixed before VA will guarantee the loan. VA’s Buyer’s Guide describes it as documenting the estimated value of the home, comparable sales in the area, floor layout, photographs and a list of items requiring repair to meet VA’s minimum property requirements. That last item is the part that surprises people, because the NOV is doing two jobs at once: answering what the home is worth and answering whether the home is acceptable security for a VA loan at all.
Those minimum property requirements changed recently, so anything you read from a couple of years ago may be wrong. VA revised Chapter 12 of the Lenders Handbook effective May 1, 2026 and announced it on VA News on June 25, 2026, removing the full radon gas requirement, revising the standards for properties built before and after 1978, streamlining guidance on detached improvements and updating non vented heater standards, all of which we break down on our page covering the 2026 minimum property requirement changes. Separately, VA’s local requirements page lists wood destroying insect information as required for the entire state of both Missouri and Kansas, which is why a termite report shows up on essentially every VA file we touch here and why the well and septic questions come up so often on acreage, and our guide to termite, well and septic requirements walks through what those inspections have to show.
What is the Tidewater Initiative and who does it notify?
Tidewater is a step VA requires before the appraisal is finished, in which an appraiser who expects the value to fall below the sales price must notify the designated point of contact and give that person two business days to submit market data. VA’s Fee Appraiser Training Series course on Tidewater and Reconsideration of Value describes it as requiring the appraiser to notify the requester or their designee before uploading the appraisal when it appears the estimated market value will fall below the sales price, and it names the Tidewater point of contact on VA Form 26-1805 as the person who gets that call. The name comes from the Tidewater region of Virginia, where VA first piloted the procedure.
Two things about the timing are easy to get backwards. Tidewater is initiated by the appraiser rather than by you, and it happens before the report is completed rather than after, a point VA’s training course makes by posing it as a test question and answering it directly. By the time you are looking at a finished low appraisal, the Tidewater window has already closed. The point of contact, usually the loan officer or the agent rather than the veteran, is the only one who gets the notice, which is the practical reason your agent needs to be reachable during the week the appraiser is working.
What can I submit during Tidewater, and what is Tidewater not?
You submit comparable sales data and nothing else. VA’s training course lists what should accompany each potential comparable sale: the street address, the sales price, the date of sale, the gross living area, a copy of the listing if applicable and any other information that would assist the appraiser. The appraiser then decides whether those sales could be used as comparables and notes the procedure in the report, including the address of each sale submitted, whether each one was considered along with the justification if it was not, and the effect of the data on the opinion of value. If nothing comes back in two business days, the appraiser completes the report and notes that Tidewater was followed with no response.
Here is what Tidewater is not. It is not a negotiation, it is not an appeal and it is not a chance to talk the appraiser into a number. VA’s course states plainly that the process is for sharing market data only, and VA’s quick reference guide for real estate professionals goes further, saying the appraiser is unable to discuss the anticipated appraised value during this process. An agent who calls and starts arguing has burned part of a window that should have been spent pulling closed sales out of the MLS. This is also where a strong position going into a multiple offer pays off, because a seller who already trusts the file is more willing to wait out the process.
What happens if Tidewater does not resolve the low value?
Then the appraisal is completed at the lower figure, the Notice of Value is issued and your next move is a Reconsideration of Value, which only becomes available after the NOV exists. VA’s appraiser training is specific on all of it: after the appraisal report is submitted and the NOV is issued, the Veteran borrower may request an ROV directly to VA through the ServiceNow portal, VA will review the appraisal report along with any additional market data submitted by the veteran and any market data available to VA, and if VA determines that a change in reasonable value is appropriate, VA will issue an amended NOV. The request must come from the veteran borrower and it goes to VA, not to the appraiser and not to the lender, while the appraiser’s role is limited to answering VA’s requests for clarification or revision by the following business day.
A Reconsideration of Value is not a second opinion and it is not a rerun of the appraisal, it is a documented argument that specific sales evidence was not available or not considered, which is the same standard the federal banking agencies set in their Interagency Guidance on Reconsiderations of Value published July 26, 2024. If the ROV does not move the number, VA’s Buyer’s Guide lays out what is left: renegotiate the sale price with the seller, bring cash to the closing table for the difference or use the escape clause and walk.
What is the VA escape clause and how does it fit into this?
The escape clause is the federal contract language that lets you walk away from a purchase and keep your earnest money when the contract price exceeds the reasonable value VA established, and it has to be in every VA purchase contract. VA publishes the exact wording, which states that the purchaser shall not incur any penalty by forfeiture of earnest money or otherwise be obligated to complete the purchase if the contract purchase price or cost exceeds the reasonable value of the property established by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and that the purchaser shall however have the privilege and option of proceeding anyway. That second half is the part people forget, because you may buy the house at the contract price and cover the gap, but you cannot borrow the gap: only the funding fee may be financed into a VA purchase loan, so the difference comes out of your own cash at closing. We cover the full clause, the regulation behind it and how sellers react to it on our page about the VA escape clause. Condition is the other half of this, and on an older or a project house the read changes, which is why we keep separate write ups on buying a 100 year old house with a VA loan and on weighing a fixer upper against turnkey.
Who this applies to and who it does not
This timeline applies to VA purchase loans and VA cash out refinances, which VA’s Buyer’s Guide confirms both require an appraisal. It does not apply to an Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan, because VA does not require an appraisal on an IRRRL at all. Tidewater only triggers when it appears the value will fall below a sales price, so on a refinance with no sales price there is nothing to trigger, and on a purchase where the value supports the contract you will never hear the word. Reconsideration of Value is available only to the veteran borrower and only after the Notice of Value has been issued, so a seller or an agent cannot file one. If you are buying with conventional or FHA financing, none of this applies, because there is no VA fee panel appraiser, no Notice of Value and no Tidewater step. I am a licensed mortgage originator as well as a Realtor and I cannot serve in both roles on the same transaction, so treat this page as education rather than an offer of credit.
Frequently asked questions about the VA appraisal timeline
Does the VA appraisal clock start when my lender orders the appraisal?
No. VA’s timeliness standard runs from the assignment date, and the appraiser’s due date is counted from the first business day after that assignment, excluding weekends and federal holidays, according to VA’s Fee Appraiser Training Series course on appraisal fees and timeliness. The gap between your lender submitting VA Form 26-1805 and VA assigning the file to a panel appraiser is real, and it is not counted against the appraiser’s nine or ten day standard.
Can my agent call the appraiser during Tidewater and argue the value?
No, and trying to is the fastest way to waste the two business days you have. VA’s quick reference guide for real estate professionals states that the appraiser is unable to discuss the anticipated appraised value during this process, and VA’s appraiser training describes Tidewater as a process for sharing market data only. Send closed comparable sales with addresses, prices, sale dates and gross living area, and let the data carry the argument.
Who is allowed to request a Reconsideration of Value?
The veteran borrower, and only after the appraisal has been submitted and the Notice of Value has been issued. VA’s appraiser training is explicit that the request goes directly to VA through the ServiceNow portal rather than to the appraiser or the lender, and that VA will issue an amended Notice of Value if it determines a change in reasonable value is appropriate.
Can I finance the difference if the home appraises below my contract price?
No. The funding fee is the only charge that may be financed into a VA purchase loan, so any gap between the Notice of Value and the contract price has to be covered with cash at closing, renegotiated with the seller, resolved through a Reconsideration of Value or avoided by using the escape clause to exit the contract.
Where can I see homes for sale and current prices in Kansas City?
You can browse active listings across the Kansas City metro on our home search page, and our featured communities pages carry current market context town by town on both sides of the state line.
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Ready to make the move? Work with the top-rated team serving Kansas City veterans — or call us at 816-680-6624.
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Nelson Home Group is committed to the Fair Housing Act. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. School district and neighborhood information on this page is provided for factual informational purposes only and does not constitute a recommendation to purchase in any particular area. All buyers are encouraged to independently research neighborhoods, schools, and communities to determine the best fit for their individual needs.
Joe Nelson is a licensed Realtor in Missouri and Kansas, and a licensed mortgage originator in Missouri and Kansas (NMLS #2547018). Joe cannot serve as both Realtor and loan officer on the same transaction. This page is educational and is not an offer of credit or a commitment to lend. Loan products, rates and qualification are subject to underwriting and may change. Eligibility determinations are made by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.