09/07/2026
Your investor ARV estimate and the official appraisal often diverge, and the appraisal usually comes in more conservative. A smart habit is to budget every deal assuming the appraisal lands 5 to 8 percent below your estimate, then stress-test at ARV minus 10 percent. If the deal only works at your full optimistic number, it is not really a deal. One advantage of hard money is that we lend on the project and the after-repair potential, not just a rigid checklist, which gives experienced investors room to move. Run your numbers conservatively and the financing follows.