Across the nation and here is Seattle as real estate market heats up and becomes more competitive due to limited housing options we are starting to see an increase of closing delays. Primarily these delays are from buyer encountering problems securing funds quick enough to close on time and of course issues with appraisal.
As home sales in Seattle are getting bid up in offer price some deals are seeing issues with appraisal value which can kill a deal if the sale is contingent on appraisal and the buyer cannot (or will not) make up the difference in cash at closing. Seattle sellers should make sure that either they have a contract that removes the appraisal contingency or have proof the buyer can make up the cash difference is their is a low appraisal value and the agreed up on price is significantly higher that the estimates market value at the time of listing. See Article
Here is Seattle, we are not experiencing too many issues with inspection problems jeopardizing deals as most home sales as of late are being made with buyers that have completed pre-inspections before writing their offer. So there is no inspection contingency to cause problems during closing.