Section 1026.41(f) of Regulation Z states, “The creditor and its agents shall compensate a fee appraiser for performing appraisal services at a rate that is customary and reasonable for comparable appraisal services performed in the geographic market of the property being appraised.” To assure the appraisal fee is “customary and reasonable” the creditor may either conduct its own appraiser survey or obtain a survey from a third party.
In the past, several companies offer their appraiser surveys for no change, in the hope that banks would in turn subscribe to other services. Some of those companies are no longer offering the free surveys. So, your options include finding a new free source, pay for a survey, or conduct your own survey.
The Veterans Administration is one option for a free survey. Their survey is available at: https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/fee_timeliness.asp
