Yes. An appraiser can only use sales that closed on or before the effective date of the report, even if a better comp closes one day later. A strong comparable that closes the day after the report is finished simply cannot be considered, no matter how well it supports your value. That is the rule appraisers work under, and it applies with no exceptions for near misses. The place this bites hardest is a refinance, where nobody is tracking nearby pending sales, so a timing mismatch can quietly cost you value you technically have. On a purchase you have more protection: a sharp agent watching the neighborhood can flag pending comps likely to close soon, share that intelligence where appropriate, and help time when the appraisal gets ordered. You cannot bend the closed-sales rule, but you can be strategic about the report date relative to comps you know are about to close. If a strong sale is days from recording and materially supports your value, ask your agent and lender whether the appraisal timing can account for it. On a refinance, ask your loan officer whether waiting a few days for a pending sale to record makes sense.