I am considering doing a refi under the Obama plan since we are upside down in the house. According to the bank, they say the comps are at $376k for our townhouse, so we would not qualify for the refi. However, have been watching the sales in the neighborhood over the months and those TH's that actually have sold that are not short sales have been in the low $400's for our type of TH. So, I disputed their comps and they said that we can do an appraisal. I believe that the appraisal has to come in at about $420k. To me, seems that I am borderline close to getting the appraisal value that I need based on actual home sales. So, any pointer's or advise on how to maximize the appraisal? Can I hire my own appraiser or does the bank have someone that they use? TIA