Lenders and Appraisals

[Ryan Moore]

I have started discussions with lenders to refinance a MF in Phoenix and I was curious about appraisals and the cost incurred by them.

Quick background: There are currently 10 CLOSED listings from the past couple of months on the MLS of other MFs exactly like mine (same build). So it's very easy to see a trend in the going price of my building.

1. Should I be expecting all lenders to be doing the more expensive walk-thru appraisal, or could there be some out there that will charge me less for cheaper alternatives (i.e. drive by, or even just looking at comps on the computer?)
2. Do some lenders ever make appraisals "free" as part of their products?
3. Am I just wasting my time discussing appraisal cost with potential lenders since there are obviously more important aspects of the loans to discuss?