Jacksonville real estate agents prep for Nov. 2 appraisal report overhaul

A new appraisal reporting format set to become mandatory November 2 will change how property information appears in home-sale transactions across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, prompting Florida Realtors to offer advance training for agents who will field buyer and seller questions about the unfamiliar-looking documents.

The transition to Uniform Appraisal Dataset 3. 6 — known as UAD 3. 6 — replaces existing residential appraisal forms with a redesigned Uniform Residential Appraisal Report. While the change does not alter how appraisers determine a home's value, the new format and data structure are designed to standardize property information for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other stakeholders, according to an October 8 announcement from Florida Realtors.

What's happening

The UAD 3. 6 format introduces a new reporting structure for residential appraisals used in mortgage transactions. November 2, 2026, marks the key transition date set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, though the government-sponsored enterprises have created an exception process allowing certain lenders additional time to adopt the new format.

Appraisers remain responsible for researching the property, developing the appraisal and determining the opinion of value. The change affects only how that information is organized and submitted, not the underlying methodology.

Florida Realtors is hosting a 60-minute webinar titled "UAD 3. 6: Appraisal Changes" on Friday, October 16, from 10 to 11 a. m. Eastern Time, with instructor Kim Bell. The session is designed to help agents understand the redesigned reporting format and what it could mean for transactions.

Because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are allowing lenders that need additional time to request exceptions, agents and buyers may encounter both older and newer appraisal formats during the transition period. An older-format report received after November 2 does not necessarily indicate a problem, according to the announcement.

What Northeast Florida agents can expect

Real estate agents across Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and surrounding counties will not be expected to perform any portion of the appraiser's work. However, providing relevant and reliable property information or documentation when appropriate may help support a more efficient appraisal process, Florida Realtors noted.

That could include information about improvements, building permits or other property characteristics — details that are particularly relevant in Northeast Florida's fast-growing market, where new construction, renovations and teardown-rebuilds are common across neighborhoods from Nocatee and SilverLeaf in St. Johns County to Riverside and Springfield in urban Duval.

The report's format and terminology will look different from the appraisal documents buyers and sellers have seen in past transactions. Becoming familiar with the changes can help agents explain why a report appears unfamiliar without suggesting that the underlying appraisal process has changed, the announcement said.

Agents are advised to check with lending partners about which format they are using and when they expect to transition. During the changeover period, the same brokerage could see different appraisal formats on different deals depending on the lender and whether an exception has been granted.

Potential impact on transaction timelines

As appraisers, lenders and software providers adapt to UAD 3. 6, some transactions could experience longer appraisal turnaround times, Florida Realtors cautioned. In a market where contract-to-close timelines are already a negotiating point — particularly in competitive segments like St. Johns County's seller's market or investor purchases in Jacksonville's urban core — added appraisal delays could ripple through closing schedules.

Agents managing multiple transactions may need to build extra time into contract timelines or set buyer and seller expectations that appraisal delivery could take longer than usual during the transition. Financing contingency deadlines and rate-lock expirations, which hinge on appraisal completion, may require closer monitoring.

Lenders and appraisal-management companies will need to update software systems, train staff and adjust workflows to handle the new data structure. The scale of that operational shift — affecting every residential mortgage appraisal ordered by lenders doing business with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — creates the potential for bottlenecks, especially in the weeks immediately following the November 2 deadline.

Appraisal costs and market effects

Florida Realtors noted that the transition could also lead to potentially higher appraisal costs. Appraisal fees are typically paid by the buyer and disclosed in the loan estimate; any increase would add to upfront closing costs.

Whether fee increases materialize — and how widespread they are — will depend on how appraisers price the additional time or system changes associated with the new format. In Northeast Florida, appraisal fees for single-family homes typically range from around $400 to $600 or more depending on property complexity, location and appraiser demand.

Higher appraisal costs would be one more addition to the cost of homeownership in a region where buyers are already navigating elevated home prices, rising property insurance premiums driven by Florida's coastal wind and flood risk, and interest-rate volatility. For first-time buyers stretching to afford a home in Clay or Nassau County's growth corridors, even modest fee increases can affect affordability calculations.

The change is not expected to affect the appraisal methodology itself or the standards appraisers use to determine market value. Comparable sales, property condition, location and other traditional valuation factors remain the same. That means the new format should not, in itself, lead to higher or lower appraised values — though any delays that push appraisals further from contract dates could raise questions about whether comps are still current in a shifting market.

What happens next

The November 2, 2026, date is the formal transition point established by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but the rollout will be staggered due to the exception process. Lenders that need more time can request permission to continue using the older appraisal format temporarily.

Agents preparing for the change are encouraged to register for the Florida Realtors webinar on October 16, which will walk through the new report structure and provide guidance on how to explain the changes to clients. The session is part of the organization's CORE education program.

In the meantime, agents can begin conversations with their regular lender contacts to understand each institution's timeline and whether they will be ready by November 2 or will be operating under an exception. That advance coordination can help set realistic expectations for buyers and sellers and avoid surprises when an appraisal arrives in an unexpected format.

Real estate professionals should also review sample UAD 3. 6 reports if made available by lenders or appraisal-management companies, to become familiar with the layout and terminology before clients start asking questions.

Broader context for the First Coast

The appraisal-format transition arrives as Northeast Florida continues to absorb one of the highest rates of population growth in the state. St. Johns County ranks among Florida's fastest-growing counties, while Clay and Nassau counties are adding subdivisions along new road corridors and Duval County is pushing higher-density infill development downtown and on the Southside.

That growth generates thousands of home sales each year — and thousands of appraisals. Any systemic change to how those appraisals are processed has the potential to affect transaction velocity across the region's housing market, from new-construction closings at Nocatee to resale condos along the beaches to investor purchases in Jacksonville's urban neighborhoods.

Smooth implementation of UAD 3. 6 will depend on coordination among appraisers, lenders, title companies, agents and software vendors — all adapting to the same new standard at the same time. Florida Realtors' decision to offer statewide training in advance signals an effort to minimize disruption, but the real test will come in the weeks after November 2 when the new format becomes the default for most lenders operating in the conforming-loan market.