4 things to do to your house before you get an appraisal

When you have a home appraisal coming up for your property, it’s important to have it valued as high as you can. If you get an offer for the home, but the home appraisal comes in at less than offered, the deal may be off. Or, you may have to bring down your asking price.

There isn’t much you can do about your square footage or the area that the home is in before the appraisal, but there are many things that you can do to improve the way your home looks, functions, and is perceived. These are things that you can often do yourself without paying a lot to do any of them. It may take a little elbow grease, but you can often make a difference in what your home is valued at.

Fix Things That Need Fixing

One of the things that an appraisal looks at is how well the home has been maintained and whether anything needs to be fixed. There are both small things and big things that could probably use your attention in your home before your appraisal. If you have a cabinet that doesn’t close, a door that doesn’t lock, a touch-up needed to the paint, etc., get it done before the appraisal visit.

Many of these things cost very little money to do, if any, and don’t take much time. When everything is in good order and is working fine, it shows that you have maintained the home well and worked to keep it in good condition. When there’s a problem that won’t take much time, get it out of the way so you can tackle the more complicated repairs that are needed.

If you fail to fix everything, it could be a significant amount of home value that you lose out on. Make sure that you check everything in the home to make sure that everything is working. If it seems like a daunting task, go from room to room, checking everything in one room before moving on to the next.

Are all the bulbs working and all of the outlets and smoke detectors working? Check the drawers, doors, and windows to make sure they are all in good working order. Remember that you will need a home inspection at some point as well. When things are left in non-working order, it may mean the appraisal is low and the home inspection is not a positive one.

Add to Your Curb Appeal

One of the many things that add value to your home is the landscaping around it. Having great landscaping can make your home look better and actually have more value. A well-landscaped house will almost certainly go for more than an identical home without that feature. It doesn’t have to be that expensive to upgrade your landscaping, and it can make a big difference. In most cases, the yard won’t need to be completely redone, but adding some decorative plants and landscaping materials to key areas can help a lot.

Make sure that you mow the lawn evenly before the appraisal. Then, look for any dead plants and remove them. Get rid of any weeds in the yard. Plant some flowers that are in bloom at the time. Adding in some inexpensive landscape lighting can also make a difference. Choose native plants for your landscaping so that they won’t need much maintenance or a lot of water. If you have mulched areas, add some fresh mulch to them. You also need to replace any broken screens and pressure wash the outdoor surfaces to clean them up.

Clean Indoors

It isn’t just the outside of your home that should be cleaned before your appraisal. You also need to do a deep cleaning of your home. If your home is dirty, it looks like it hasn’t been well cared for. You can likely use the cleaning products that you already have to perform a deep clean. Get everyone in the household involved and clean it room by room in order to break this big project down into steps.

This deep clean isn’t just for the items you normally clean- it’s also for the areas that you rarely clean. Washing down doors and drawers can help them to look better. Shampoo all of the carpets to get rid of any stains. Clean areas you don’t normally think about like the insides of your cabinets and the floors of the closets. You want areas to be bright and clean and never dull and looking old. Wash down walls and get rid of scuff marks that you may not even see anymore because they’ve been there so long.

Declutter the Home

Another low-cost thing you can do is to declutter the home as much as possible. A cluttered home doesn’t feel as cared-for, so make sure your home isn’t cluttered. You can actually make money by doing this if you have a couple of garage sales or sell extra items online. Don’t forget to donate anything usable that you don’t sell.

You might want to rent a storage locker for some of your things if you have a lot that you don’t want to get rid of. Keep the home feeling big and airy for a favorable impression of it. Make sure each room is free from unnecessary clutter before your appraisal.

Contact AmeriMac Appraisal Management when you need an appraisal of your home. We offer fast appraisals that are highly effective, accurate, and compliant.