On an Upland refinance, the lender orders the appraisal, either directly or through an appraisal management company, and decides what kind of assignment the loan needs. The homeowner does not choose the appraiser and does not discuss value, but does control the two things that make the visit go well: access to every part of the property and the paperwork that explains what has been built or changed. Upland is in San Bernardino County, and the report is built from Upland sales first.
What does the lender order?
The lender decides the scope of work, the type and extent of research and analysis the assignment calls for. On a typical refinance that is a full interior and exterior appraisal, but some loans use a desktop or hybrid assignment, in which the appraiser does not inspect the interior in person, and some receive value acceptance, Fannie Mae's term for a loan delivered with no appraisal ordered. Value acceptance relies on data already on file; it is not an appraisal.
The order names the lender as the client and sets the intended use, what the report will be used for, and the intended users, the people entitled to rely on it. On a refinance the effective date, the date the opinion of value applies to, is normally the inspection date. Loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are reported on the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report, which is moving to a redesigned format; the guide to the redesigned URAR explains what changes. The pillar guide to what the lender's form asks covers each question on it.
Why can't I pick the appraiser?
Because of appraiser independence, the rule that no one with a stake in the loan can choose, pressure or reward the appraiser. Fannie Mae's Selling Guide bars lenders from using appraisals ordered or received by borrowers or other interested parties, and allows lenders to use an appraisal management company, a firm that keeps a panel of appraisers and places orders on the lender's behalf.
What a homeowner can do is tell the lender about access: a gate code, a tenant who needs notice, a pet, a horse corral. If a private lender asks you to supply an appraisal, confirm in writing who the client will be before anything is ordered.
What should an Upland homeowner prepare?
Access and paperwork, matched to the kind of house. These are the kinds of assignments that come in.
- Every Upland home. Unlock side gates, secure pets, and make the garage, attic hatch, water heater, electrical panel and heating and cooling equipment reachable. A short list of improvements with month and year (roof, windows, HVAC, kitchen, baths, sewer line) helps.
- Tracts south of the 210. Additions, pools and garage conversions are the recurring questions here. Have the permits and final sign-offs for each, because gross living area, the finished, above-grade living space, counts permitted space and describes unpermitted space as found.
- Homes in the Euclid Avenue District or a downtown historic district. Magnolia, Pleasant View, Stowell and Victorian Row are designated districts, and the city's historic preservation program applies to changes on designated properties. Note the designation and any approvals for past work; the report records it as a condition of the property.
- North Upland view and large-lot homes. A survey or plot plan helps where the lot is irregular, and notes on driveway grade and access help on site.
- San Antonio Heights. It is unincorporated county land above the city, so county rules apply rather than Upland's. List barns, corrals and other outbuildings, with any permits.
- Older multi-family in central Upland. Two to four units are reported as small residential income property. Have current leases and anything showing the legal unit count.
- Condominiums and townhomes. Give the lender the HOA contact so project information can be requested.
You do not need to clean or stage. Condition and maintenance are recorded either way, and clutter is not a value factor.
How are comparables chosen in Upland?
From Upland first, and from the same kind of property. A tract house south of the 210 is compared tract to tract; a Euclid Avenue District house with older blocks; a San Antonio Heights horse lot with other large-lot properties, even when a city tract sits closer.
West Upland meets Claremont at the county line, and buyers weigh the two sides differently even where the houses look alike. A Claremont sale is used for an Upland house only when it is genuinely better evidence, with the location difference explained. What the county line does to comparable sales covers why.
What should I not send?
Asking prices, active listings and online numbers are context, not evidence. An automated estimate such as a Zestimate or other AVM, an agent's CMA and the county's assessed value are each not an appraisal, and none of them measures what the lender's form asks. Closed sales you believe are comparable can be passed to the lender with a note on why each fits. Appraisal vs. estimate explains the difference.
What happens on the day and after?
The inspection runs 30 to 60 minutes for a standard single-family home, longer for hillside, custom, multi-family or homes with additions. The appraiser measures the exterior, photographs each room and records condition, then leaves to research sales; the room-by-room guide shows what is looked at. Value is not discussed on site. The report goes to the lender, typically three to five business days from the inspection, and federal Regulation B requires the lender to give you a copy.
If the result raises questions, the route is a reconsideration of value, the lender's request that the appraiser reassess the report based on factual errors or comparable sales it missed. You ask the lender, and the lender decides whether to send it.
Next step
The Upland area page describes the city's pockets, and the full series is on the lending and refinance appraisals hub. Lenders, brokers and private lenders can order through residential appraisal for lending and refinance or call (909) 324-6122. The fee is set by the scope of the assignment and quoted before work begins, and it does not depend on the value.
Sources
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-1.1-03, Appraiser Selection Criteria (06/04/2025): https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b4-1.1-03/appraiser-selection-criteria (accessed October 30, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-1.4-10, Value Acceptance (06/03/2026): https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b4-1.4-10/value-acceptance-appraisal-waiver (accessed October 30, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-1.3-05, Improvements Section of the Appraisal Report (06/04/2025): https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b4-1.3-05/improvements-section-appraisal-report (accessed October 30, 2026)
- Fannie Mae Selling Guide B4-1.3-12, Appraisal Quality Matters (reconsideration of value): https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b4-1.3-12/appraisal-quality-matters (accessed October 30, 2026)
- City of Upland, Historic Preservation (Euclid Avenue District and downtown historic districts): https://www.uplandca.gov/historic-preservation (accessed October 30, 2026)
- San Bernardino County Countywide Plan, San Antonio Heights: https://countywideplan.sbcounty.gov/community/valley-unincorporated/san-antonio-heights/ (accessed October 30, 2026)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Regulation B, 12 CFR 1002.14, Rules on providing appraisals and other valuations: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/rules-policy/regulations/1002/14/ (accessed October 30, 2026)
- California Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers, license lookup for Gordon Hall, BREA No. AR003877: https://www2.brea.ca.gov/breasearch/faces/party/view.xhtml?id=23601 (accessed October 30, 2026)
Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (lookup: https://www2.brea.ca.gov/breasearch/faces/party/view.xhtml?id=23601). Reports are prepared in conformity with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Nothing here is legal or tax advice; admissibility is always the court's decision.
Frequently asked questions
Who orders a refinance appraisal in Upland?
The lender, either directly or through an appraisal management company. On loans sold to Fannie Mae, lenders may not use an appraisal ordered by the borrower, so the homeowner arranges access but does not hire the appraiser.
What should I have ready for a refinance appraisal?
Access to every room, the garage, attic hatch, water heater and electrical panel; permits and final sign-offs for additions, pools, garage conversions or an ADU; a dated list of improvements; leases for a two-to-four-unit property; and the HOA contact for a condominium.
Can a Claremont sale be used to appraise my Upland house?
Only when it is genuinely better evidence than the Upland sales, and then the report explains the location difference. Claremont is in Los Angeles County and Upland in San Bernardino County, and buyers weigh the two sides differently.
Does a historic district change how my Upland refinance appraisal is done?
The designation is recorded as a condition of the property, and comparables are chosen from similar older homes. Whether it affects value is measured from sales, not assumed.
