Do Realtors Pay For Appraisal?

Realtors (real estate agents) generally do not pay for the home appraisal in a typical real estate transaction. The responsibility for paying the appraisal fee almost always falls to the buyer, because the appraisal is required by the lender to ensure the property is worth the loan amount being requested. The lender usually orders the appraisal, but the buyer pays for it either upfront or as part of their closing costs.

There are some exceptions:

• In rare cases, the seller might agree to pay the appraisal fee as a concession during negotiations, but this is uncommon and would need to be specified in the contract.
• If a homeowner (including a seller) wants an independent appraisal for their own purposes-such as setting a listing price-they would pay for that private appraisal themselves.

Realtors themselves do not typically pay for appraisals as part of listing or selling a property. They may pay appraisers for other services, such as measuring a property for marketing materials, but not for the formal lender-required appraisal.

Summary Table: Who Pays for the Appraisal?

In conclusion, realtors do not pay for the appraisal in standard transactions; it is almost always the buyer (or the borrower, in the case of refinancing).