Appraisals Change November 2, 2026: What Sellers Should Know

Last updated September 8, 2026

Published by Gia Freer, Broker of Record, PBP Real Estate, LLC · Florida broker license BK689801

On November 2, 2026, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac make the redesigned Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (UAD 3.6) mandatory for every new appraisal submitted to their collateral portal, retiring the 1004, 1073, 2055 and 1004D forms that South Florida sellers, buyers and agents have seen for decades. The report gets longer, more structured and more specific about condition. The way an appraiser arrives at value does not change, and neither does the one decision a seller controls: the asking price.

What is actually changing on November 2, 2026?

The report format and the data behind it, not the valuation method. The two government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have been redesigning the appraisal dataset since 2018. The result is UAD 3.6, built on the MISMO 3.6 data standard, and a single dynamic Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR) that adapts to the property type and scope of work instead of forcing the appraiser to pick a form.

For a condominium seller in Boca Raton or Aventura, the practical difference is that the appraiser no longer reaches for a condo-specific form. The same report expands to cover the unit, the building and the association. For a house seller in Wellington or Port St. Lucie, the change shows up as more granular condition detail and less free-text narrative.

What is the timeline?

• September 8, 2025 to January 25, 2026: limited production. Approved lenders and software providers tested UAD 3.6 in live files.
• January 26 to November 1, 2026: broad production. Any lender may submit UAD 2.6 or UAD 3.6. This is the period we are in now, so a deal closing this fall may carry either format.
• August 6, 2026: the portal began returning a warning on every UAD 2.6 submission.
• November 2, 2026: the mandate. A new UAD 2.6 submission receives a fatal message and a "Not Successful" status. The trigger is the date the report is first submitted to the portal, not the contract date, the inspection date or the effective date of the appraisal.
• November 2, 2026 to May 3, 2027: revisions to reports already submitted in UAD 2.6 are still accepted.
• May 3, 2027: UAD 2.6 is retired.

Source: Fannie Mae, "UCDP Submission Summary Report Messaging Updates Supporting the Transition to UAD 3.6," June 4, 2026; Freddie Mac UAD redesign timeline, read September 8, 2026.

What does not change?

The appraiser still forms an independent opinion of market value from closed comparable sales, the condition of the property and the market it sits in. The GSEs' own guidance describes UAD 3.6 as a change to reporting, data structure, photographs and presentation. A report that looks different is not, by itself, a report that says a different number.

The scope is also narrower than the headlines suggest. This is a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac requirement for conventional loans delivered through their portal. FHA has updated its systems and accepts UAD 3.6 reports, but as of September 8, 2026 has not announced a mandatory date. VA, USDA, jumbo, portfolio and private assignments follow their own rules. Cash sales carry no lender appraisal at all; in Palm Beach County, 47.7% of July 2026 closings were all-cash (BeachesMLS/Florida Realtors, July 2026), so many South Florida sales will not see the new report for some time.

What should a South Florida seller do differently?

Give the appraiser documented facts, because the new report has a field for almost every one of them. The following is PBP Real Estate's preparation list, drawn from the structure of the new report; it is not GSE guidance.

• A dated list of updates with materials and, where they exist, permit numbers: roof year, kitchen and bath work, flooring, impact windows and doors, electrical panel, water heater. Under the old form these often landed in a narrative box. Under UAD 3.6 they are captured as discrete data points and feed the interior, exterior and overall ratings.
• Storm and energy features, spelled out: impact glass, shutters, roof-to-wall attachments from a wind mitigation report, a whole-house generator, solar. The redesigned report carries specific fields for disaster-mitigation and energy features.
• Condominium and homeowners association documents for unit sellers: the current budget, the reserve study or structural integrity reserve study, the milestone inspection report where the building is subject to one, and any special assessment. The unified report covers the building and the association, not just the unit.
• Cumulative days on market and price history. An appraiser reads the same listing history a buyer does. A property that has been relisted to reset the counter still shows its full history in the MLS, and the new report's data structure makes market exposure easier to see, not harder.

Sellers who list in late October should also allow for lender and appraisal-management-company timing while the industry finishes moving software and appraisers to the new format. A conventional deal whose appraisal first reaches the portal on or after November 2 will be on the new report even if the contract was signed in October.

What does it mean for buyers?

A clearer report and a better basis for questions. Because condition and quality are rated for the interior, the exterior and the property overall, each with a written explanation, a buyer can see what the appraiser counted and what they did not. If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, the conversation with the lender starts from specific fields rather than a single code. A reconsideration of value, where the lender's process allows one, is easier to support with facts when the report itself is built from facts.

How this fits the asking price

The appraisal is the second opinion of value in a sale. The first is the asking price, and that one is the seller's. In the 76,703 South Florida closings we studied from September 2025 to August 2026, houses that went under contract within 14 days closed at a median 98.9% of the original asking price; houses that took 121 days or more closed at 89.5%. For condominiums and townhouses the figures were 97.6% and 86.9% (full analysis and method). A new report format will not close that gap. A correct first price, supported by the same closed sales an appraiser will use, is what does.

Questions sellers and buyers ask about the new appraisal report

Does the new appraisal report change what my home is worth?

No. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac changed how the report is structured and how information is collected, not how an appraiser develops an opinion of market value. The appraiser still works from closed comparable sales, the property's condition and the market. A different-looking report does not by itself mean a higher or lower number.

Which date decides whether my deal gets the old or the new report?

The date the lender first submits the appraisal to the Uniform Collateral Data Portal (UCDP). Reports first submitted on or after November 2, 2026 must be in UAD 3.6. The contract date, the inspection date and the appraisal's effective date do not control. Between January 26 and November 1, 2026 lenders may use either format, so both are in circulation now.

Does November 2, 2026 apply to FHA and VA loans too?

Not automatically. The November 2, 2026 mandate is a Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (conventional) requirement. FHA has updated its systems to accept UAD 3.6 reports but, as of September 8, 2026, has not set a mandatory date. VA, USDA, jumbo, portfolio and private assignments follow their own rules. Ask the lender which format applies to your file.

Related reading

• what buyers think your asking price means: 76,703 sales
• seven data points to ask any agent for before you list
• selling a house as-is in Florida
• FHA, conventional and VA loans in Palm Beach County

Sources and note. Fannie Mae, Uniform Appraisal Dataset page and UAD 3.6 FAQ (republished May 5, 2026); Fannie Mae, UCDP Submission Summary Report Messaging Updates (June 4, 2026); Fannie Mae Appraiser Update, December 2025 and September 2025 editions; Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 FAQ and UAD Redesign Timeline; HUD, FHA UAD 3.6 Implementation Preparedness Toolbox. All read September 8, 2026. Closed-sale figures from BeachesMLS, listings permitted for internet display, via PBP Real Estate's brokerage feed, September 2025 to August 2026, five counties, as of September 7, 2026. PBP Real Estate does not perform appraisals and does not publish automated estimates; the preparation list above is our own recommendation. Not legal, lending or tax advice.