The best free UAD 3.6 resources come straight from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: the URAR Reference Guide, the job aids, the FAQ and the sample scenarios. Below is every one worth bookmarking and what each is for, then the free tools AppraisalPilot built for the new report, with which ones ask for an email.
How did we pick these?
Four rules, and a resource had to pass all of them:
- Free. No price, no trial, no paid course.
- Built for the new report (UAD 3.6). Nothing for the old format.
- From the source, or built for it. The GSEs' own documents, or a free tool made for the new report.
- Useful on a real order. Something you would open while writing a report or answering a reviewer, not background reading.
Where a tool asks for an email, the table says so. The GSE documents never do.
The quick list
| Resource | From | What it is for | Email? |
|---|---|---|---|
| URAR Reference Guide (Appendix F-1) | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | How to enter each item and how it displays on the report | No |
| Lessons Learned job aid | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | What the GSEs saw in initial UAD 3.6 reports, and the fix | No |
| UAD 3.6 FAQ | Freddie Mac | Common questions about the redesign | No |
| Photo and Image job aid | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | Photo and image requirements | No |
| ANSI Reporting job aid | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | How to report each area type to meet ANSI, with worked examples | No |
| Inspection and Reporting Tips | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | What you collect differently under UAD 3.6 | No |
| Condition and Quality definitions | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | The C1 to C6 and Q1 to Q6 definitions | No |
| Functioning without Form Numbers | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | Old forms mapped to the six data points that now set the property type | No |
| Combined Sample Scenarios | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | Sample reports for different properties | No |
| Compliance Rules (Appendix H-1) | Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac | The completeness, validity and reasonableness rules | No |
| UAD 3.6 findings lookup | AppraisalPilot | For a UAD finding, the GSE rule word for word and who fixes it | No |
| UAD 3.6 sample report | AppraisalPilot | A complete new report for a made-up home | No |
| UAD 3.6 readiness check | AppraisalPilot | Ten questions on where your workflow breaks | Optional |
| UAD 3.6 field trainer | AppraisalPilot | Practice the new sections, one call at a time | Optional |
| UAD 3.6 photo checklist | AppraisalPilot | The photos the GSEs' job aid requires, and when, in large print | No |
| UAD 3.6 Field Cheat Sheet | AppraisalPilot | The four calls that trip up the most reports | No |
| The Comment Library | AppraisalPilot | Report comments for the new report | No (from this link) |
| 11 mistakes getting reports kicked back | AppraisalPilot | The lessons-learned job aid, as a checklist | No |
| 15 AMC Revision Responses | AppraisalPilot | Responses to common revision requests | Yes |
What free UAD 3.6 resources do Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac publish?
These come from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac lists them on its Uniform Appraisal Dataset page, which is the easiest place to find them in one spot.
The rules of the report
- URAR Reference Guide (Appendix F-1). Freddie Mac's page describes it as explaining how to enter information and how it displays on the URAR. When you are deciding between two answers on a list, this is where the allowed answers and their definitions are.
- Compliance Rules (Appendix H-1). The rules for data completeness, validity (format and data type) and reasonableness. A UAD compliance finding on your Submission Summary Report traces back to one of these rules.
- Condition and Quality Ratings Definitions. The C1 to C6 and Q1 to Q6 definitions for the new report.
- Delivery Specification (Appendix A-1). The full UAD dataset and its MISMO v3.6 XML mapping. You can write a report without opening it.
The job aids
- Guidance for Appraisers through Lessons Learned. Eleven lessons summarizing what the GSEs saw in initial UAD 3.6 reports, and how to report each one correctly. We walk through every lesson in UAD 3.6 mistakes the GSEs flagged in early reports.
- Photo and Image Requirements. What the report requires for photos and images. Our photo checklist puts it on three printable pages, and our comp photo guide covers the comparable side.
- ANSI Reporting Requirements. How to report each area type, from finished above grade to unfinished below grade, to meet the ANSI requirements, with worked examples of how it looks in the report.
- Inspection and Reporting Tips. The notable differences in the information collected between the old format (UAD 2.6) and UAD 3.6.
- Functioning without Form Numbers. It highlights the six data points that now set the property type on the redesigned URAR, and how the old forms map to them. Useful when a property type is new to you on the new report.
Examples and dates
- Combined Sample Scenarios. Sample reports compiled by the GSEs (the version we read is dated March 10, 2026), including two-to-four unit properties.
- UAD 3.6 FAQ. Freddie Mac's answers to common questions about the redesign.
- The timeline and the temporary exception. Freddie Mac's page carries the UAD 3.6 redesign timeline and the September 30, 2026 announcement of a temporary policy exception that some lenders can request. What that exception means for your orders is in Is UAD 3.6 delayed?.
Freddie Mac's page also lists joint GSE industry training and Freddie Mac's UAD courses.
What free tools has AppraisalPilot built?
Each one is free and built for the new report. The findings lookup and the sample report link to the GSE sources they use.
UAD 3.6 findings lookup
Paste a Fatal, hard stop or warning from your lender, AMC or software, or type the code. For UAD findings, you get the GSE rule word for word, how serious it is, and who fixes it. Best for: the moment a finding lands on your desk. Look up a finding.
UAD 3.6 sample report
A complete new URAR for a made-up home, every section that applies to the property filled in. Free PDF, no email. Best for: seeing what a finished new report looks like before you build your first one. See the sample report.
UAD 3.6 readiness check
Ten questions, two minutes. It shows your score without an email, then offers a fuller breakdown by email if you want one. Best for: finding where your workflow breaks before a reviewer finds it. Take the quiz.
UAD 3.6 field trainer
Learn the new sections and their answer lists by using them, one call at a time. At the end it offers to email your cheat sheet, and you can skip that and print it yourself. Best for: learning by doing. Practice the new URAR.
The UAD 3.6 photo checklist
The photos the new report requires, and when, taken from the GSEs' June 23, 2026 photo and image job aid, with the Fatal rules behind them, the defect fields, and the upload mistakes the GSEs flagged in early reports. Three large-print pages, free PDF, no email. Best for: the clipboard on every inspection. Get the photo checklist.
The UAD 3.6 Field Cheat Sheet
One page with the four calls that trip up the most reports under the new URAR. Best for: pinning above your desk. Open the cheat sheet.
The Comment Library
Report comments for the new report, ready to paste into whatever software you use. From this link, no email. Best for: commentary you would otherwise write from scratch. Open the Comment Library.
11 mistakes getting reports kicked back
Built from the GSEs' lessons-learned job aid, as a PDF you can print. Best for: a checklist before you deliver. Open the PDF.
15 AMC Revision Responses That Hold the Line
Copy-and-paste responses to the 15 most common AMC revision requests. This one asks for your email, then opens the responses and emails you a copy. Best for: answering an AMC without starting from a blank page. Get the responses.
I have one hour. Where do I start?
- Twenty minutes: read the Lessons Learned job aid, or our walkthrough of it.
- Ten minutes: page through the sample report to see every section that applies filled in.
- Ten minutes: take the readiness check and write down what it flags.
- Twenty minutes: open the URAR Reference Guide to the sections the readiness check flagged, and bookmark it.
Then keep the findings lookup bookmarked for the day a finding comes back.
And when you want the typing done for you?
The free tools teach the new report. AppraisalPilot does the typing. Your intern reads your photos, your voice notes, your contract and your own MLS export, drafts the new report before you sit down, and exports it to TOTAL or Appraise-It Pro for you to review, sign and submit the way you always have. Export to TOTAL is sold separately by Cotality in the TOTAL Store. The value, the ratings, the adjustments and the reconciliation stay yours. It's the intern. You're the supervisor. Watch one real report, start to finish.
Every Wednesday at 9 AM Pacific, the free workshop shows the new URAR on a real report. And each Field Report episode answers one question appraisers are asking right now, from the source, in a short video.
Questions appraisers ask
Where do I find the official UAD 3.6 documents?
Both GSEs publish them. Freddie Mac's Uniform Appraisal Dataset page lists the UAD 3.6 documents in one place, including the URAR Reference Guide, the job aids, the FAQ and the sample scenarios.
Which GSE document should I read first?
The UAD 3.6 Job Aid, Guidance for Appraisers through Lessons Learned. Its eleven lessons summarize what the GSEs saw in initial UAD 3.6 reports, with the right way to report each one.
Do I need to read the delivery specification (Appendix A-1)?
You can write a report without opening it. Freddie Mac describes it as the UAD dataset and its MISMO v3.6 XML mapping. The URAR Reference Guide (Appendix F-1) is the one that explains how information is entered and how it displays on the report.
Are AppraisalPilot's free tools really free?
Yes. None of them costs anything. The readiness check shows your score without an email and offers a fuller breakdown by email, the trainer offers to email your cheat sheet and lets you skip it, and the AMC revision responses ask for your email, then open the responses and email you a copy.
Sources
- Freddie Mac, Uniform Appraisal Dataset page, the UAD 3.6 documents and job aids, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Appendix F-1: URAR Reference Guide, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Appendix H-1: UAD Compliance Rules, URAR, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Job Aid: Guidance for Appraisers through Lessons Learned, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Job Aid: Photo and Image Requirements, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Job Aid: ANSI Reporting Requirements, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD Inspection and Reporting Tips, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Condition and Quality Ratings Definitions, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Functioning without Form Numbers: Mapping Legacy Forms to Redesigned URAR Property Type Characteristics, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, UAD Specification Sample Scenario PDFs, combined (March 10, 2026), on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Appendix A-1: UAD URAR Delivery Specification, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 Redesign Timeline, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Freddie Mac, September 30, 2026 announcement, Temporary Policy Exception, on Freddie Mac Single-Family
- Freddie Mac, UAD 3.6 FAQ, linked from Freddie Mac's Uniform Appraisal Dataset page