[VLM]

They won't write down a completely insane number. They're a first level filter not a fine detailed filter. "I'm willing to go on record that I found three recent sales in the neighborhood for about $whatever" where whatever is reasonably near what you're financing. One need only go a few miles to find houses a tenth the cost or ten times the cost. If your neighbors house sells for $X and you want a loan for $X they're not going to sweat it, if you are trying for a loan of $X times ten its going to be difficult.

I paid a couple hundred bucks for an ex-general contractor with a thick binder to inspect my house for hours, looking inside the furnace heat exchanger and testing every wall outlet and inspecting the plumbing and roof inside and out and insulation and foundation and everything. That is a detailed analysis of what you're likely to spend on maintenance and upgrades over the next ten years. Its probably more useful than an appraisal but it takes a lot more time and money.