4 Ways to Prepare Your Home for An Appraisal and Maximize Value
Preparing your home for a professional appraisal can be tricky, but some expert insights might surprise you. From decluttering and cleaning thoroughly to depersonalizing your space, various professionals, including an Acquisitions Manager and a Founder & CEO, reveal their successful strategies. With actionable advice drawn from multiple experiences, this article starts with tips on decluttering and cleaning thoroughly and concludes with the importance of depersonalizing your home. The four insights provided will equip you with all you need to impress any appraiser.
- Declutter and Clean Thoroughly
- Deep Clean and Stage the Home
- Perform Small Repairs and Upgrades
- De-Clutter and Depersonalize
Declutter and Clean Thoroughly
One thing that I always recommend to my clients before getting a professional appraisal for their home is to declutter and clean the space thoroughly. This may seem like a simple and obvious step, but it can make a big difference in the overall perceived value of the property.
When potential buyers or appraisers come into a cluttered and messy space, it can be difficult for them to see the true potential of the home. It can also give the impression that the house is not well maintained, which can significantly decrease its value in their eyes. By decluttering and cleaning your home, you are creating an open and inviting atmosphere that allows visitors to easily envision themselves living in the space. This can greatly increase the perceived value of the home and influence the appraisal outcome in a positive way.
Additionally, decluttering and cleaning can also help highlight the best features of your home. By removing unnecessary items and keeping surfaces clean, potential buyers and appraisers can focus on the unique selling points of your property without any distractions. In my experience, taking this extra step to prepare for an appraisal not only maximizes the value of the home, but also helps create a great first impression, which can go a long way in making a successful sale.
Deep Clean and Stage the Home
One thing I did to prepare my home for a professional appraisal was to get a deep clean and stage the home. While appraisers are supposed to largely look at things from a logical point of view, they will still often give more credit to subtle differences in a house, such as how aesthetically pleasing it looks. In the particular case with this house, we made sure to use staging equipment, such as throw pillows and throw blankets, to make the house look even better, even though it was dated in some ways; we definitely saw this give a slight boost to the appraisal. Additionally, in order to make sure that the appraisal came where we believe it should have, we prepared a binder of comparable properties along with their sold dates as evidence in case the appraisal came a little bit lower than expected. In this case, the appraisal did come in lower than expected, and we were able to contest it by bringing four recently sold properties that were comparable. Even though an appraiser is a professional, it's still very important to understand the data yourself just in case the appraisal doesn't come in where you believe it should; this won't work all of the time, and your data should be accurate—not something unrealistic.
Perform Small Repairs and Upgrades
Performing little repairs and upgrades, particularly in high-exposure areas, is a useful strategy I employ to get ready for a professional review. This could involve tasks like painting over chips or fixing dripping faucets, updating outdated light bulbs, and replacing tattered carpeting.
The home appears well-maintained and may be worth more after these comparatively cheap repairs. An appraiser might be more favorable toward a home in good repair since it indicates that the property has been well maintained over time.
The intention is to showcase the house in the best possible light while avoiding significant changes. My appraiser's overall opinion of the property's condition and value is positively impacted by these improvements.
Nevertheless, the precise influence on the appraisal result may differ significantly based on the particular property, regional market circumstances, and the appraiser's judgment.
De-Clutter and Depersonalize
I consistently advise my clients to de-clutter and depersonalize their homes before a professional appraisal. This means removing personal items such as family photos, religious or political décor, and any excessive clutter that can make the space feel smaller. By doing this, it allows the appraiser to see the true potential of the home without any distractions. It also helps create a neutral and inviting atmosphere for potential buyers.
In one particular case, I had a client who was hesitant to remove their collection of vintage dolls from their living room for fear that it would decrease the value of their home. However, upon seeing the appraisal report, they were surprised to find that their home actually received a higher appraisal value after the dolls were removed. This is because the appraiser was able to focus on the actual features and square footage of the living room without any distractions.
