If you are applying for a home loan of any kind, there is a high likelihood that your lender will require a home appraisal. An appraisal is done to figure out how much your home is actually worth because the lender does not want to lend you more money than you could theoretically sell the home for in the future. There are some situations where the lender might be fine with a drive/by appraisal. What does this mean?