If you’ve never gone through the process of a home appraisal before, it can seem scary or intimidating, but once you know what to expect, it’ll feel like a piece of cake. Home appraisals happen every day, and they’re nothing to be intimidated by! Keep reading for some tips on how to prepare for a home appraisal.
A home appraisal is a process that determines the overall fair market value of a home is currently being sold (yours!). In terms of the process itself, a home appraisal starts after the seller accepts a buyer’s offer and an inspector has reviewed the home itself, usually within seven days. In other words, once details have been worked out regarding price, credits, and repairs between the seller and buyer, the lender will then send the appraiser to assess the home’s overall market value. Exciting!
According to NAR, the National Association of Realtors, the main objective of a home appraisal is “to provide an independent and impartial analysis of real property.”
When it comes to the individual performing the home appraisal itself, they are showing up to perform an extremely important and critical job. There are a few things you can do as the home seller to assists the home appraiser in doing their job, as well as prepare for appraiser’s arrival.
Below is a list of some basic tasks that you should consider doing before the arrival of an appraiser to ensure your home is ready for the appraisal process.
Deep Clean
Perform a deep clean of the inside of your home, as if you’re showing the home to a buyer for all over again. This includes making sure you’ve dealt with any issues related to common house hold pests, and any outdoor maintenance like clearing drains or removing dead or dying plants.
Keep Pets Secure
If you have any pets, such as dogs or cats, make sure that you properly secure them prior to the appraiser’s arrival. This will ensure that the appraiser is able to complete their work in a more efficient manner, and you won’t have to worry about a cat or dog escaping while the appraiser is going in and out of your home.
Give Landscaping Extra Attention
Generally, you will want to concentrate more on your front yard by mowing, pulling weeds, edging your grass, trimming hedges, etc. This will help greatly with overall curb appeal and will give the appraiser a first good impression of your home.
Paint Touch Ups
If this is something you’ve been putting off, now is the time to fix it up! If you find that any paint outside your home needs to be touched up, take the time to color match and fix it up. The appraiser will take something such as peeling paint into their overall evaluation.
Don’t Water Your Lawn
This may seem counter-intuitive, especially if you want to present a nice green lawn, but never water your lawn prior to the arrival of the appraiser. This is because there is the chance that they could end up accidentally tracking mud into the home, not to mention that part of their evaluation involves measuring the outside of the home itself in order to obtain proper measurements. While their muddy shoes won’t negatively impact your home appraisal, it’s easier for everyone involved if your lawn isn’t soggy.
Thank you for reading our real estate and homeowner’s blog. We are Weichert Realtors – Barton Harris & Co., and we’re happy to have helped you learn more about how to prepare for a home appraisal and what to expect.
