Your lender calls. The word Tidewater comes up. It means the VA appraiser thinks your home will come in under the sale price. Do not panic. Tidewater is not a denial. It is a two-day window to change the outcome before the number is final. Here is exactly how it works.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
What Tidewater Is
VA makes its appraisers do something no other loan program does. If the appraiser thinks the value will land below the sale price, they must tell the lender first. Not after the report. Before. Then they must wait two business days. That gives the lender, the agents, or the buyer time to send in more sales data.
The Tidewater process gives the point of contact 2 business days to submit comparable sales before the Notice of Value is issued (VA Pamphlet 26-7, Ch. 10). Minimum Property Requirements are set in VA Pamphlet 26-7, Ch. 12.
The name comes from the Tidewater area of Virginia. That is where VA first tested the idea.
What to Send in the Two Days
VA spells out what the appraiser needs for each sale. The agents pull up to three closed sales and fill in this data for each one:
- The street address
- The sale price
- The date it sold
- The square footage of living space
- A copy of the listing, if the home was listed
- Anything else that shows why this sale is a good match for your home
The best sales are close by. They sold in the last few months. They match your home in size, age, and shape. Sales the appraiser already used do not help. Homes still for sale do not help. Closed sales do.
VA puts the work on the sender. If a sale comes in with no details, the appraiser does not have to chase it down. When agents are in the deal, the comps come from the agents. Not from the buyer, veteran, or service member.
What the Appraiser Does With It
If data comes in, the appraiser must note in the report that Tidewater was done. For each sale sent, they must say if they used it. If not, they must say why. And they must say what the data did to the value, if anything.
If nobody sends anything in two business days, the appraiser notes that too and finishes the report.
Source: JD.Mortgage Team at PRMG, VA Tidewater: What to Do When the Appraiser Calls With Bad News, updated September 2026, https://jd.mortgage/va-tidewater/
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Tidewater vs. Reconsideration of Value
These are two tools. They happen at two different times.
- Tidewater comes before the report is done. The agents send data to the appraiser through your lender. You get two business days.
- A second look from VA comes after the Notice of Value is issued. VA calls it a Reconsideration of Value. You sign a written request saying you disagree with the value. Your lender sends it to VA. VA reviews it within five business days. If VA sends someone to see the home, that can take up to 20 business days. If VA agrees, it issues a new NOV at the higher value.
You can use both. If Tidewater does not move the number, the second look is the next step. VA likes to see market data with the request, but it is not required.
If the Value Still Comes In Low
Tidewater does not always work. When it does not, you still have choices. The seller can drop the price. The seller can help through seller concessions. You can pay the difference in cash. Or you can walk away and keep your earnest money under the VA escape clause. No one can make you pay more than VA says the home is worth.
How We Handle a Tidewater Call
We do not sit on it. The two-day clock starts when the notice hits the VA portal. We tell both agents the same day. The agents pull up to three closed sales and fill in the property data. We check the package against the sales the appraiser likely used. Then we send it to the appraiser with every detail VA asks for. Agents often know about sales that have not hit the data yet.
The Tidewater Process, Step by Step
Here is the full path from the first notice to the final number. Most of it happens in two business days. One thing to be clear on: when agents are in the deal, the comps come from the agents. Not from the buyer. Not from the veteran or service member.
Step 1: The appraiser notifies the lender through the VA portal.
The Tidewater notice comes to the lender through VA’s online system. The appraiser does not call the buyer or the agents. The two business days start here.
Step 2: The lender lets everyone know.
We tell the buyer’s agent and the listing agent the same day. We keep the buyer in the loop. The agents run the comps. The buyer does not.
Step 3: The agents pull the sales.
Up to three closed sales. As close to the home as you can get. Same size, age, and style. Sold in the last few months. Active listings, pending sales, and online value estimates do not count.
Step 4: The agents fill in the property data for each sale.
The address, the sale price, the sale date, the living area in square feet, a copy of the listing, and a line or two on why it matches. A list of addresses alone is not a package.
Step 5: The agents send it to the lender.
The lender’s point of contact sends it to the appraiser. That is how VA set up the step. It has to be in before the two days run out.
Step 6: The appraiser reviews it.
The appraiser reads each sale. The report must say which ones were used and which ones were not, and why. Then the appraiser finishes the report.
Step 7: The Notice of Value.
The lender issues the Notice of Value from the report. That is the number VA will lend on. It is good for six months.
Step 8: If it is still short, the buyer asks for a second look.
A Reconsideration of Value starts with the buyer. The buyer signs a short written request saying they disagree with the value and why. It goes to the lender. The lender submits it to VA. VA reviews it within five business days, or up to 20 if VA sends someone to see the home. New closed sales help. So do errors in the report.
What Moves the Number and What Does Not
Helps:
- Closed sales the appraiser did not use
- Sales in the same neighborhood or subdivision
- Homes with the same size, age, and condition
- Listings that show upgrades the appraiser may have missed
- New closed sales that hit the data after the appraisal was ordered
Does not help:
- Active or pending listings
- Online value estimates
- The buyer’s offer, or how much the buyer wants the home
- Bigger, newer, or nicer homes than the one being bought
- Sales the appraiser already used
- Asking the appraiser to hit a number
Mistakes That Waste the Two Days
- Waiting for the report to come out. By then Tidewater is over.
- Sending addresses with no details. The appraiser does not have to look them up.
- Counting weekends. Two business days means a Friday notice can end on Tuesday.
- Arguing about value instead of sending data. VA says this step is for data only.
- Sending sales that do not match. Weak sales make the whole package look weak.
Who Does What
- Buyer: Stay reachable. Sign the second-look request if the value stays short. Be ready to decide fast.
- Buyer’s agent: Pull up to three closed sales, fill in the property data for each one, and send the package to the lender.
- Listing agent: Same job. Add the pricing story, upgrades, and any other offers the seller had.
- Lender: Get the notice in the VA portal, run the clock, tell the agents, send the package to the appraiser, issue the Notice of Value, and submit the buyer’s second-look request to VA if needed.
Sources: VA Lender’s Handbook M26-7, Chapter 10, Topic 8 (Market Data Submitted During the Appraisal Process) Topic 22 (Reconsideration of Value), and Chapter 13, Topic 7 (Notice of Value validity). VA Pamphlet 26-7 as published on KnowVA, updated August 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the VA Tidewater process?
It is a VA rule for low appraisals. If the appraiser thinks the value will land below the sale price, they must tell the lender before finishing the report. Then they wait two business days for more sales data. VA named it after the Tidewater area of Virginia, where the rule was first tested.
How many days do I have under Tidewater?
Two business days from the appraiser’s notice. If nothing comes in, the appraiser notes that Tidewater was done and finishes the report.
Does the appraiser tell me the value during Tidewater?
No. The appraiser only says the value looks like it will be below the sale price. You do not see the number until the report is done.
What data do the agents send during Tidewater?
Up to three closed sales. For each one: the address, the price, the sale date, the living area in square feet, a copy of the listing if there was one, and anything else that shows it is a good match. Closed sales work. Homes still for sale do not. When agents are in the deal, the comps come from the agents, not the buyer.
Can Tidewater force the appraiser to hit the sale price?
No. VA says the step is only for sharing market data. It is never an order to reach a set value. The appraiser decides if the data changes the value.
What is the difference between Tidewater and a Reconsideration of Value?
Tidewater comes before the report is done and goes through the appraiser. A Reconsideration of Value comes after the Notice of Value. The buyer signs a written request saying they disagree with the value, and the lender submits it to VA. VA reviews it within five business days, or up to 20 if VA sends someone to see the home.
What happens if the VA appraisal is still low after Tidewater?
You can ask VA for a second look. You can renegotiate the price. You can use seller concessions. You can pay the gap in cash. Or you can walk away with your earnest money under the VA escape clause.
Who gets the Tidewater notice?
The lender, through the VA portal. The appraiser does not call the buyer or the agents. The lender then tells the agents so they can pull closed sales.
Do weekends count in the Tidewater two days?
No. The clock runs in business days. A notice on a Friday can run through Tuesday. Holidays do not count either.
Can my agent send comps straight to the appraiser?
No. The agents send them to the lender. The lender’s point of contact sends them to the appraiser. That is how VA set up the step.
How long is the VA value good for after Tidewater?
The Notice of Value is good for six months. If your closing slips past that, a new appraisal may be needed.
Do I pull the comps myself during Tidewater?
No. When agents are in the deal, the comps come from the agents. The buyer’s agent and the listing agent pull up to three closed sales and fill in the property data. The buyer, veteran, or service member does not.
Who asks VA for the Reconsideration of Value?
The buyer. You sign a short written request saying you disagree with the value and why. It goes to your lender. The lender submits it to VA.