The One Page That Protects Your Appraisal

You replaced the roof in 2021. You redid the kitchen two years later. You know it, your agent knows it, and the buyers who toured the house could see it. The appraiser, walking through for 45 minutes, has to be able to verify it.

Starting November 2, 2026, that gets more important. Every conventional appraisal moves to a new format called UAD 3.6, and the way it records a house changes from a paragraph of comments to specific data fields. I covered the basics back in August. This post is the practical part: what a seller should have ready. Buying instead? Here’s what changes for buyers.

Why a comment box isn't enough anymore

The old report had room for the appraiser to write "kitchen updated, good condition" and move on. The new one asks for the detail in structured fields: what was updated, roughly when, and the quality and condition. The method for setting value doesn't change. Comparable sales and the market still drive the number. What changes is how precisely the house gets described.

That precision cuts both ways. An update with a year, a contractor and a permit is easy to record. An update that exists only in your memory is a judgment call, and appraisers make conservative judgment calls.

What to document

In the Capital Region, where a lot of our housing stock is 60 to 100 years old, these carry the most weight:

• Roof: year, material, full replacement or a layer over.
• Heating and cooling: furnace or boiler, fuel type, central air or heat pump.
• Water heater: the date is printed right on the label.
• Windows: how many, which rooms, what year.
• Electrical: panel size and any rewiring. On an older house, this is a big one.
• Kitchen and baths: what was done and when.
• Finished basements and additions: the permit and certificate of occupancy matter here more than anywhere.

What counts as proof

A dated contractor invoice, a municipal permit, warranty paperwork, the manufacturer label on a mechanical system, or dated before and after photos. You don't need all of them. One solid piece per item is plenty.

Where it goes

Three copies. One to the appraiser at the inspection. One to your agent, who can send it to the buyer's lender so it travels with the appraisal order. One in your own file, in case the value comes in short and your agent needs to request a reconsideration.

A heads-up for the next few months: appraisers, lenders and review desks are all learning this format at the same time. If your house goes under contract this winter, a couple of extra days in the appraisal timeline wouldn't hurt.