If you’re selling your home, you know that eventually, it’s going to need an appraisal. But do you need to do anything special to prepare? This guide explains.
Do You Need to Prepare for an Appraisal?
Though an appraisal has nothing to do with impressing a buyer – it happens after you’ve already done that and a buyer has made an offer that you’ve accepted – you still need to make certain preparations to help ensure that it appraises at the appropriate value. You need the home to appraise for at least the amount you’re asking a buyer to pay. Otherwise, a lender will balk at giving your buyer the necessary cash.
In order to prepare for an appraisal, you should:
- Handle any home maintenance tasks that need to be tackled
- Create a list of all the upgrades you’ve made
- Clean the house from top to bottom
Scroll down for a closer look at each.
Quick Home Value
Task #1 to Prepare for an Appraisal: Handle Home Maintenance Tasks
If there’s any home maintenance you’ve been lax on, now is the time to get moving. You should change light bulbs, clean the gutters, tighten up leaky faucets and handle any other tasks that are in your scope of experience. If there are bigger tasks that need to be done, consider hiring a professional before the appraiser comes to visit your home.
Related: 10 things you can do now to prepare your home for sale
Task #2 to Prepare for an Appraisal: Create a List of Upgrades
If you’ve made any home upgrades, such as adding solar panels, investing in energy efficient systems (such as a tankless water heater), a new roof or HVAC system, or aesthetic improvements, write it all down. A simple, one page list that outline all the upgrades in your home can help ensure that the appraiser doesn’t miss them.
Related: What is staging, and why should you bother?
Task #3 to Prepare for an Appraisal: Clean the House From Top to Bottom
although the appraiser won’t be judging the cleanliness of your home, you should clean everything from top to bottom. First, a clean home is a sign that you care about regular home maintenance, and second, appraisers are only human – and if an appraiser has a more favorable opinion of your home, it may affect the home’s determined value.
Related: 7 staging tips for the kitchen that make your space irresistible to buyers
What About Your Real Estate Agent?
Generally, the appraised value of your home is tide into how it compares with other, similar homes that have sold in the same area in the past several months. Your real estate agent may be able to help ensure that your home appraises at its full value by providing the appraiser with detailed information on recently sold homes (called “comps” because they’re data on comparable homes) – and your sheet that lists all the upgrades you’ve made.
Your appraiser can take the comps into account when making a determination on your home. Even if your appraiser doesn’t use them to arrive at a final figure, you may need to use them if you want to appeal the appraiser’s decision.
Are You Buying or Selling a Home in Macomb County?
If you’re ready to find out how much your home is worth, call us at 586-648-1728 or get in touch with us online now. We’ll give you a free home valuation – no strings attached!
If you’re thinking about buying a home in Macomb County, explore the links below to learn about our communities and see listings right now. We update our listings every hour, so you always get access to the newest, hottest homes for sale in Macomb County.