While the housing market is showing some signs of revival, getting a mortgage can still be problematic, in part because of an ongoing tendency among larger lenders to use appraisers who are not familiar with the nuances of the local market.

The difficulty arises when lenders hire national appraisal management companies to act as third-party brokers. 

“It used to be that if you wanted to buy or refinance your house,” said Ron Friedman, a partner with the accounting firm Kaufman, Rossin, “you would hire an appraiser and they would cerify the appriaisal to the lender. This is really no different than the lender hiring and the buyer paying for the appraisal, but even though the appraiser was technically certifying to the lender, the appraiser was often friendly with the borrower….