What Can You Do To Make Your Home Appraise Higher?
If you are considering refinancing your current mortgage,the mortgage company usually (but not always),requires an appraisal.
I recently read an article co-written by a couple of appraisers with some tips on how you can help ensure the highest and most accurate value of your home.
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Clean up the yard. Appraisers are required to take pictures of the home. If you have stuff laying around the yard or several cars in the driveway, move them before the appraiser arrives.
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Clean the house. They also take pictures of the rooms in your home. Store stuff in closets. Under the bed. In the garage. That may help you get a higher value.
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Make repairs. Maybe there is a hole in the drywall. Or water stains from a plumbing leak. Be sure to repair those before the appraiser arrives
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Lay out a sketch of your home. If you had a previous appraisal or you built your home, provide those to the appraiser.
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Improvements – If you made any improvement to the home, let the appraiser know. Providing copies of invoices and a list of updates within the last 5 years or so will also help.
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Other home sales in your area. If you know of any homes (like yours) that have sold within the last 6 months, mention that to the appraiser and ask them to check them out.
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Best home feature. Tell the appraiser what you like about the home, the location, and its best “feature” (i.e., open floor plan).
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Safety features. Does the local government require smoke or carbon monoxide detectors? Make sure those are installed and functioning correctly.
Please contact me if you are considering refinancing your home to lower your payment, to pay off debts or get some cash to buy a car or pay for college, or for any other reason.
