Totally agree with you on the appraisal rigidity issue—it's a real sticking point. I've seen this happen a lot with custom builds, especially when clients invest heavily in energy-efficient tech. Buyers clearly see the value, but appraisers' hands are tied without solid comps. Maybe if appraisal guidelines allowed more room for cost-benefit analysis or long-term savings projections, we'd see fairer valuations. Until then, it's frustratingly common to see these upgrades undervalued...which honestly discourages innovation in homebuilding.
You raise a good point about appraisal guidelines, but I'm not sure tweaking them to include long-term savings projections would be straightforward. Appraisers already juggle a lot of subjective factors, and adding more could muddy the waters even further. Plus, who decides the exact value of energy savings over time? I've seen some builders provide detailed energy audits to help appraisers justify higher valuations—maybe that's a more practical approach for now, rather than waiting on guideline changes that could take years...
