The appraisal report is changing. Here's what buyers and sellers should know.

For more than twenty years, most conventional mortgage appraisals came on one of a handful of standard forms. If you've bought a house with a conventional loan, the report you got was almost certainly one of them. That era is ending.

What's changing

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have redesigned the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. The industry calls the new standard UAD 3.6. Instead of a separate form for a house, a condo, a small multifamily property or an exterior-only inspection, there is now one report that adapts to the property being appraised.

The new report became required for new appraisal submissions to the GSEs on November 2, 2026. In September, the GSEs also announced a temporary exception: lenders that requested it can keep submitting the older format until May 19, 2027. So for the next several months, two buyers closing in the same week could receive two very different-looking reports.

Why it matters if you're selling

The new report is built on structured data, and it asks for much more specific information about the home's features, updates and condition. Condition and quality are now rated separately for the interior and the exterior.

That cuts both ways. A well-maintained home with real updates has more room to show it. A house with a new kitchen and a twenty-five-year-old roof will have both of those facts recorded clearly.

What to do: before the appraisal, write down every meaningful update. For each one, list what was done, the year, and whether it was permitted. Give that list to your agent to pass along. Appraisers can only report what they can observe or verify, and a clear list keeps work from being missed.

Why it matters if you're buying

Expect a longer report with more detail, and read all of it, not just the value on the first page. The condition and quality sections will tell you a lot about the house you're buying.

Square footage will generally be measured to the ANSI standard. That may not match the listing or the county's tax records, which is its own topic.

What to do: ask your lender whether your loan's appraisal will use the new report or the older format while the exception is in place. Either is legitimate right now. Knowing which one you'll get helps you read it.

Why it matters if you're an agent

The data an appraiser needs at inspection has grown. Access to every structure on the property, information about additions and permits, and a clear update history all make a difference. This is the topic of the first Ask An Appraiser lunch sessions, and the best time to learn it is before your next listing appraises, not after.