Should appraisals drive my analysis?

[Denise Webster]

Speaking with a few realtors and private lenders, I am hearing that ARV appraisals are returning with conservative (low) values. Couple that with a house I currently have that has limited neighborhood comps, I am now analyzing deals with conservative ARV. Regrettably, this means that many of my offers are (in the opinion of sellers) too low.

Am I being paranoid? What resources could I find that could give insight into what banks are doing that are driving appraisers to be so conservative? What are your thoughts on this?