There are many reasons why you might be having an appraiser coming out to your home. You might be thinking about refinancing, for example, or you could be thinking about putting your home on the market. Regardless of why you are having someone come out to appraise your home, you probably want to make sure that your home appraises for the highest amount possible, and you probably also want the process to go smoothly. Luckily, following these tips can help you be prepared for the appraiser’s visit.
Get Rid of Clutter
First of all, you’ll want to get rid of any clutter in your home. Clutter can make your home look small and poorly kept, and it can make it difficult for the appraiser to adequately see the condition of your home. Consider disposing of items that you don’t need, donating or selling what you can and putting any other unnecessary items in a storage unit so that they are out of the way.
Perform a Deep Cleaning
To ensure that your home is truly ready for the appraisal, you’ll want to perform a deep cleaning. Along with scrubbing floor and countertops, wiping down walls and cleaning your light fixtures, consider cleaning any carpet to ensure that it looks its best.
Make Necessary Repairs
If your home is in need of repairs, you should know that these issues could definitely affect the value of your home. Even though you might not be ready to make major repairs, such as installing a new roof, repairing any holes in the walls or other simple problems can make a big difference in your appraisal.
Make Minor Improvements
If possible, consider making a few minor improvements to help your home get appraised at a higher amount. For example, if the paint in your home is looking tired, consider breaking out the rollers and freshening up a little bit. Even small and affordable changes like buying new light fixtures and putting in new hardware on your cabinets and drawers can make your home look better and can affect the appraisal, but these are relatively simple and affordable improvements for you to make.
Make a List of Upgrades
If you have made a lot of changes to your home since the last time it was appraised, you may want to make a list of these upgrades. For example, if you have added on a permanent addition, installed a new roof or made other changes, jot them down so that you can present your list to the appraiser. It can be difficult to think of all of the improvements that you’ve made to your home on the spot, particularly if you have owned your home for a few years, so making a list ahead of time can help you ensure that it’s accurate and thorough.
Clean Up the Outside
The outside of the home is going to be the first thing that the appraiser sees when he or she arrives, so you’ll want to take the time to clean it up. At the bare minimum, you should cut your grass and get rid of any weeds. If you’d like to really get prepared, consider putting in plants and adding mulch to key places to make your yard look its best. Taking the time to spray off the outside of your home with a pressure washer (or to hire someone to do so) and to clean your windows can make a difference as well.
Make Arrangements for Pets
Do you have pets in your home? If so, you’ll want to make sure that they don’t get in the way of what the appraiser has to do. If possible, you may want to make arrangements for them for the day, such as keeping them at a boarding kennel or scheduling a necessary veterinary appointment so that they aren’t at home when the appraiser arrives.
Make Access Easy
Do what you can to make the appraiser’s job easy. For example, make sure that there is ample room for him or her to park upon arriving. Additionally, remember that the appraiser will need to access things like your water heater and your electrical box, so move any furniture or other items that might be in the way so that he or she can access these areas quickly and easily.
Turn All the Lights On
Your appraiser is going to need to be able to see when appraising your home. Turning all of the lights on can help ensure that he or she can see and can prevent you from having to fiddle with light switches when he or she is trying to do his or her job.
Getting ready for an appraiser’s visit shouldn’t be too difficult, but it is something that you will want to prepare for. Luckily, if you follow these tips, you can help ensure that things go smoothly.
