Can you fight a low VA appraisal? Yes, and you get two chances to do it. VA loans let buyers challenge value twice, first through the Tidewater process and then through a Reconsideration of Value.
On this episode of the REalizations Podcast, I talked with Erin Ward of HRVA Homes, a Norfolk, Virginia team leader, Glover U coach, and military spouse of more than 20 years. She showed me why a VA buyer is often the stronger offer, not the riskier one.
Curious how this conversation unfolded? Here’s a quick preview of our discussion:
VA Buyers and REALTORS Share the Same Problem: People Misunderstand Them
I started REalizations after the NAR and DOJ commission lawsuits. People who knew nothing about our profession decided REALTORS weren’t valuable. They didn’t ask us. They didn’t ask our associations either.
I could have stayed angry for years. Instead, I decided the real problem was simple: nobody knows what we do. They don’t see the lives we touch or how real estate strengthens our communities. That’s why I talk with agents across the country, and why I keep sharing what REALTORS really do every chance I get.
Erin fits that mission perfectly. She never served in the military herself. She became a military spouse in 1995 and spent more than two decades moving around the world. Along the way, she worked every kind of job. She waited tables. She bartended. She eventually ran a national military service organization of a couple hundred people, focused on military spouse and veteran employment.
All that moving led her to real estate. Today, her team is licensed in both Virginia and North Carolina and covers about nine cities.
VA buyers face their own perception problem. Sellers hear “no money down” and get nervous. Yet the VA home loan program reports that nearly 90% of VA-backed loans close without a down payment. That’s how the benefit is designed, not a warning sign.
Erin framed it in a way I won’t forget. A down payment is skin in the game. Who has more skin in the game than a veteran and their family? Only about one percent of Americans serve. They spend 288 days on an aircraft carrier without seeing land, or six months on a submarine, and their families carry that weight at home.
I told her we should be buying them houses, not just giving them loans. I’ve written before about why VA offers can win over sellers. Erin’s team lives this daily, which is why they built VA loan and PCS resources for military families in Hampton Roads.
Watch the full episode here:
How the VA Tidewater Process Saves a Deal Before the Appraisal Is Final
The first tool Erin walked me through is the VA loan Tidewater process. It kicks in when an appraiser visits a home and sees a value below the contract price.
Before finalizing the report, the appraiser notifies the parties that they’re invoking Tidewater. That notice opens a short window. The agents can then submit comparable sales the appraiser hasn’t already used and argue for the contract price.
The approach works so well that real estate and appraisal groups urged federal agencies to model broader appraisal-review guidance on it. Their joint letter notes that Tidewater has existed for nearly two decades.
The lesson for agents is simple. Speed wins. Have your strongest comps ready before the appraiser ever arrives. Listing agents should know their comps as well as the buyer’s agent does, and that starts with pricing a Hampton Roads home with a detailed CMA from day one.
The Reconsideration of Value Gives VA Buyers a Second Shot
If Tidewater doesn’t close the gap, VA buyers still have another option. It’s called a VA reconsideration of value, or ROV. As far as Erin knows, no other loan type offers it.
With an ROV, the request goes directly to the VA or the regional VA servicing center. Usually, the veteran submits a letter with supporting comparable sales.
Why does the appraisal matter so much? VA-backed purchase loans carry no down payment only when the sales price doesn’t exceed the appraised value. A short appraisal can stall the whole deal.
“One of my favorite things about a VA loan is that it's the only loan type where you can challenge the appraisal value twice. This can be done through the Tidewater process and a Reconsideration of Value with the VA. The Tidewater process allows agents to present additional comparables if the appraiser’s value doesn’t match the contract price. If this doesn’t resolve the issue, the Reconsideration of Value provides a unique opportunity to appeal directly to the VA, submitting a letter and supporting comparables. This flexibility often leads to successful outcomes, as appraisers can make errors. For sellers and listing agents, this feature should be a priority, especially in shifting markets when evaluating a buyer’s loan product.”
— Erin Ward
This flips the usual thinking about selling to military homebuyers. Many sellers see a VA offer as the weaker one. Erin’s point is that VA gives the deal more protection on value, not less.
When you compare offers for a seller, walk them through both layers. A VA buyer may be the safest bet on the table.
Accurate Pricing Still Wins in the Hampton Roads Real Estate Market
Erin coaches agents nationwide, and she hears the same thing everywhere. Every market is now a collection of micro-markets.
The Hampton Roads real estate market is still a seller’s market overall. In Norfolk, homes typically sell in 14 to 22 days. Single-family homes average about $366,000, and prices are still climbing year over year.
“I coach agents across the country, and I’m hearing this a lot: it’s different in every little pocket. It’s almost niched down. Depending on the price range, it could be very, very competitive still. We can still see multiple offers in certain locations and at certain prices when the homes are priced well. So when you’re pricing accurately, you’re going to get offers still. There are opportunities where houses are sitting on the market a little bit longer, giving buyers a little more advantage. But again, that always changes when we do our job as real estate agents and make sure our sellers are listing at the correct price. Right now we’re still in a seller’s market overall in our area, and our average days on market still reflect that. But some pockets sit a little longer and become a little buyer-heavy. Our market is also a little insulated because we have the largest concentration of active-duty military in the United States, so we have not seen sales prices decrease or appreciation stop. We’re still seeing very good growth year over year.”
— Erin Ward
Condos tell a different story. Erin is seeing longer days on market, and recent changes to federally backed condo financing add more uncertainty. I see the same thing in the Bay Area. I believe the pandemic damaged condo sales deeply, and they still haven’t bounced back.
The contrast in price points stunned me. Berkeley averages around $1.2 million. Oakland sits near $1 million. I break down these shifts in my East Bay market updates, but the lesson travels anywhere. Study each pocket on its own terms, whether you’re pricing in the Oakland hills or in Hampton Roads neighborhoods.
Why Waiting on Interest Rates Costs Buyers More Than It Saves
I’ve been a REALTOR for almost 29 years. Homes I once sold for about $200,000 now trade above $1.5 million. Most days, I walk around in a state of shock.
Erin’s team repeats a line I love: don’t wait to buy real estate, buy real estate and wait. Unless you inherit family wealth, she says, nothing builds wealth like it.
The data backs her up. According to the Federal Reserve’s 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances, as analyzed by the National Association of Home Builders, homeowners had a median net worth of $396,000. Renters had just $10,400.
That’s why buyers sitting on the sidelines frustrate me. Get into something. Live with the rate for a while. When rates come down, your lender will often refinance you at little or no cost. I have people who stopped looking a couple of years ago, and they should be sorry right about now.
Erin’s team works with investors too, analyzing Hampton Roads rental properties for cash flow. I’ve seen the same pattern in my own business. Clients who understand how real estate builds lasting wealth stop waiting for the perfect moment.
How Erin Grows a 13-Person Team by Giving Her Playbooks Away
Erin’s favorite part of real estate is helping people build large lives. That goes for clients and agents alike. She has watched agents on her team go from renting to owning multiple properties.
Her team has been together for about a decade. Last year, about five of them closed 163 transactions. The team has since grown to 13.
She also coaches with Glover U, the training and coaching organization Jeff Glover launched out of Detroit almost 10 years ago. His focus is helping agents build what he calls their “unreal lives.” Erin spent about seven years in that world before joining the coaching bench.
In January, her team moved to LPT Realty, a cloud-based brokerage about four years old. I expected her to credit the tech. She credited a model called IDOS, short for Individual Definition of Success. Every agent and team defines success for themselves, and the brokerage builds growth programs around it for both teams and solo agents. Erin’s team still keeps its own brick-and-mortar office for local agents who want one.
What stood out most was her generosity. She runs masterminds around industry events. She hosts Zooms. She sends an agent-to-agent newsletter to about 6,800 people. Every time her team builds a new system, a playbook goes out to everyone.
She also travels constantly. In her words, you can’t be a prophet in your own backyard. You go out, learn what others are doing, and bring it home to serve your clients and your local industry better. Her take on agent coaching and team leadership comes straight from that habit.
Your Calendar Tells the Truth About Your Priorities
I’ll admit something I told Erin on air. I don’t believe in work-life balance.
I’m the top producer in the Inner East Bay. I work with two listing coordinators, a virtual assistant, an operations manager, and a transaction coordinator. Otherwise, it’s really just me. People constantly ask when I’ll take a vacation. Erin gets the same question.
“Your calendar reveals your true priorities. If you checked mine, it would show my focus on growth. Most of my closest friends are real estate agents nationwide, echoing Gary Keller's insight that eventually, you'd need to fly to visit your best friends. My work-life balance involves seeing those who energize me, and I'm currently surrounded by growth-minded individuals. Achieving balance isn't about finding new strategies but consistently executing existing ones. This consistency brings more balance, though perhaps never a perfect 50/50. While family and friends outside the industry may not always understand, being at a conference with like-minded people is where I thrive. These are the ones who get what it's like to step away from dinner to handle a major transaction.”
— Erin Ward
That changed how I talk about my own schedule. Balance isn’t a 50/50 split. It comes from doing the right things consistently, so you’re not always putting out fires.
When I feel stretched now, I look at my calendar first. If it doesn’t match what I say matters, I don’t need a new system. I need to stick with the one I have. I explored this idea further in a piece on intentional success in real estate, and I share the everyday side of my Bay Area real estate life too.
Erin loves connecting with agents, trading ideas, and making the industry better. She’s most active sharing real estate growth ideas on Instagram, and she posts Hampton Roads real estate updates on Facebook.
Want to hear my full conversation with Erin Ward of HRVA Homes about fighting low VA appraisals, the Tidewater process, and building a business around consistency instead of chasing balance?
Common Questions About Low VA Appraisals
How does the VA Tidewater process work?
When a VA appraiser expects the value to come in below the contract price, they invoke Tidewater before finalizing the report. Agents then get a short window to submit additional comparable sales that support the contract price.
Can you challenge a low VA appraisal after Tidewater?
Yes. If Tidewater doesn’t resolve the gap, the veteran can request a Reconsideration of Value directly from the VA or the regional servicing center. The request usually includes a letter and supporting comps. Erin Ward of HRVA Homes says her team has been very successful using it.
Why should sellers take VA offers seriously?
VA buyers get two formal chances to defend the contract price. Most objections to VA loans come from misconceptions about the no-down-payment benefit, which veterans have earned through service.
Is the Hampton Roads market still competitive?
Yes. Hampton Roads remains a seller’s market overall, with Norfolk homes selling in about 14 to 22 days. Well-priced homes still draw multiple offers, while condos and some price pockets sit longer.
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People still don’t fully understand what REALTORS do. They miss the families we guide, the communities we strengthen, and the economy we help drive. Real stories from the people doing the work change that.
If you’re serving clients, building a team, coaching agents, or solving real problems in your market, I’d love to hear your story.
