Home Appraisal

[Janelle LaVigne]

Quick question - the house I have been trying to buy has been under agreement on and off for the last 6 months - the seller has indicated to me that the buyer(s) can't get financing, and has been saying it's because of the VA loan or debit to income ratio. Over the last 2 months, finally the most recent buyers financing fell thru and my offer was accepted! What great news. 10 days prior to closing, the appraisal came back more than $100k less than asking price.

For the past 2 months the seller/ seller agent has given us conflicting stories (without getting into to much detail) regarding leases for the current tenants, parts of the property included, appliances included (the seller indicated washers and dryers are included, but the current tenants claim that they are theirs).  Needless to say this process has been really difficult. 

With all that has happened, it leaves me questioning if the appraisal was the original issue with the previous two buyers - any maybe that is why they could not get financing.

Is there any way for me to know this information?  I know purchasing property you always run a risk - but we have paid about $2k for the home inspection and the appraisal - not to mention all our time/ money has been tied up in this house for the last 2 months (so im sure there are other houses we missed out on).  Is there any way I can recoup this money - or just chalk it up to a learning experience?  Any help/ guidance would really be appreciated.