When to pay for an appraisal?

[Craig Parsons]

This is a follow up post to one I created yesterday regarding a DSCR loan. I have someone offering me a bridge loan to help solve my immediate needs however they want me to pay nearly $5,000 for a MAI commercial appraisal. Even though the price was shocking to me I do not have an issue with paying for this if needed. My question is what guarantees should I expect before paying? Obviously if the value is low that's one thing, but what if I pay and they deny me for some other reason?