Preparing for a Home Appraisal

Increasing Your Home's Value

Home selling is a long process involving multiple steps. One of these steps is the home appraisal. A home appraisal is a comprehensive report that determines your home's value in the market based on a number of factors, taking into consideration the home's location, condition, the year it was built and so on. It's important to have a home appraisal so that you and your agent have a good idea of how to price the home. Here's some more on the process:

One place to start with in order to have a better home appraisal value is to do some landscaping. A recent post from Moving explains how upgrading your landscaping increases the chance of a high-value appraisal:

Landscaping

Your home’s landscaping matters more than you might think. Upgrading your landscaping from average to excellent can increase your home’s value as much as 10-12%, according to research from Virginia Tech. While it might not be financially feasible to do a complete overhaul, you may want to make some small landscaping investments to boost your curb appeal and add to your home’s value. Planting some small trees, adding landscape lighting, replacing areas of dead grass with low maintenance vegetation, and even just giving your front door a fresh coat of paint can all add value without costing a ton of money. Via moving.com

One inexpensive way of doing that is by applying a fresh coat of paint to your front door. Just remember that your curb appeal should ideally make a long-lasting first impression on your potential buyers.

Next is to make the necessary quick fixes and repairs to your home. A new post from Canada Lend shares why repairs are important in preparing for a home appraisal:

Make Necessary Repairs

Home appraisals are performed by professionals who are trained to determine the value of your property. Appraisers operate differently than home inspectors do. Before buying a property, you want the home inspector to determine if any repairs need to be done. That’s why they check the electrical, plumbing, etc.

While the appraiser isn’t concerned if your home is in perfect condition, they will factor in anything that requires repairs when it comes to determining your home’s value. Before the appraisal, make sure you take care of any obvious problems. That could mean a leaky faucet or a cracked window. Repainting a room or putting up a new light fixture might not cost much but it could provide a dramatic impact. h/t canadalend.com

Taking care of the necessary repairs shows that your house is a well-maintained property. Spending a bit of money for the easy repairs can also be worth it since you'll still be increasing the value, however higher. There is such a thing as too many repairs, however.

Lastly, as simple as it may be but giving your home a quick clean up can go a long way when it comes to a home appraisal. A recent post from Joanie Realtor discusses why deep cleaning your house is an effective way of getting a higher home appraisal.

Give the Home a Quick Cleaning

Most appraisers will tell you that it doesn’t matter if your home is clean or dirty – it has no bearing on its value. We, on the other hand, know how illusions can sell, and if a clean house gives the illusion that the home has been well-maintained, what harm can it do to clean it before the appraiser’s arrival? I don’t know about you, but before I trade in a car at the dealership, I give it a good cleaning.

“Things like overgrown landscaping, soiled carpeting, marks on walls – those do affect value and are part of the property’s overall condition rating,” Dean Zibas tells the Wall Street Journal.

While some things impact a home’s value more than others, the bottom line is that the process can vary by appraiser. Anything you can do in the three areas listed above has the potential to streamline the appraisal process and increase the value of your home. Plus, going through these steps prior to listing your home will only help increase the number of potential buyers. And ultimately, selling your home is what it’s all about. read more at joanierealtor.com

A clean home is worth more. Before the appraisal, make sure the home looks good as it is an important factor in basing the value of your property.