Home appraisals involve paperwork and physical property inspections, and buyers should know the Federal Housing Administration is stricter about them for its government-backed loans than are brokers using conventional mortgages.

An appraiser inspecting a property under a conventional mortgage usually takes some measurements and photos inside and outside the home and, after a brief look, leaves, said Bill Burnett, president of the Virginia Association of Mortgage Brokers and of Homestead Mortgage in Lorton.