Twenty-three percent of real estate professionals say they faced closing delays for a transaction in March, and 7 percent say the sale contract was terminated altogether, according to the
REALTORS® Confidence Index, which is based on responses from more than 2,500 REALTORS® nationwide. Clients who had trouble obtaining financing was the most common reason for delays, respondents to the survey say, followed by appraisal issues.
Though it remains the top roadblock to closing, fewer respondents cite financing as an issue today than when the survey began tracking such data. "The decline may reflect the improvement in the economic environment, better credit histories from borrowers, and improvement in the loan evaluation processes of mortgage originations," the report notes.
But appraisal issues are growing more common. Real estate practitioners say a shortage of appraisers, valuations that are not in line with market conditions, and "out-of-town" appraisers who are not familiar with the local market are the biggest problems they face concerning appraisals. Indeed, 55 percent of mortgage originators recently surveyed reported some level of difficulty getting appraisals,
according to a separate NAR survey.
Source: REALTORS® Confidence Index
