Tips to Prepare Your Home for an Appraisal

Either for selling a house or refinance purposes, a professional home appraisal is a must. A licensed appraiser completes the appraisal process by determining the property’s worth is the current real estate market scenario and as an owner, you’d always want your property’s appraisal to be as high as possible.

While some factors – such as your house’s age and its proximity to schools, hospitals, and shopping centers – are outside of our control, a few simple steps can help you increase the value of your home.

Get an appraisal done beforehand

Getting an appraisal done when you decide to sell your property privately is a great way to know if your house has any defects. An early appraisal will help you address the glaring issues your house might have and may put home’s sale at risk. If you get an appraisal at the last moment, it might be difficult for you to fix the problems and try to close the deal. Hiring your own appraiser to find out the major and even some minor issues with your house prior to putting it up for sale in the market is the best way to.

Minor fixes

When a professional appraiser comes to visit your house, they’ll look for any signs that may show that the property has not been maintained properly. Fix the dripping faucets and the leaking toilets. Replace the broken tiles, clear the unnecessary clutter, and fix the dripping showers. It’s better to spend some money upfront to fix the simple issues than to put your home’s value in danger later on.

Improve the curb appeal

The first impression that the potential buyer will form is from its curb appeal. It’s the first thing that the potential buyers notice while visiting the house. So, mulch the flower beds, trim the trees, trim and edge your yard and get it in the most immaculate condition to spruce up your curb appeal. Power-wash your walkways and driveways and remove any mud dauber or bird nests from above your door.

Safety systems

Probably the most important thing that will definitely come up in your home appraisal is the working of the safety systems in your home when you sell your property privately. Hire an electrician and make sure that the smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, and the security alarms and installed in place and work properly. Any kind of issue that may present itself during the appraisal due to these systems can have an adverse effect on your home’s value.

Shiny clean

Make an extra effort to steam-clean the tiles and replace the carpets. If the carpets are old and smelly, replace them; if they are new, make sure they are shampooed. If it seems like a daunting task that is too much for you, hire a professional cleaning service. The added expense is worth it.