If you have a home that you are preparing to sell, you will need to have it appraised. An appraiser looks at your home and land to make an appraisal. He or she then reviews data on comparable homes in the area and later gives you an appraised value for the home. The objective of an appraisal is to get your home appraised at the highest value possible. Before you call up the local appraiser, there are some things you will want to do to get a high appraisal on your home.
Instructions
1. Give your home a thorough cleaning. You will want to make sure that your home is clean and uncluttered when the appraiser comes to look at it. The home doesn't need to be spotless, but the appraiser needs to be able to have a good sense of the size of the home, and any special features need to be visible. A good vacuuming and straightening up should be enough cleaning. As you work, be sure to make a note of anything you notice that needs to be repaired.
2. Perform maintenance. When the appraiser comes to look at your home, you want to be sure that everything is in proper working order. If you have any loose tiles, peeling wallpaper or the like, be sure to make such repairs before you have the home appraised. You can use common household tools, such as a screwdriver, wrench and hammer, to make simple repairs yourself.
3. Make a list of all remodeling you have had done before the appraiser comes. Remodeling may increase the value of your home, so it is important to point it out to the appraiser if it goes unnoticed. Some examples of value-adding remodels would be adding a Jacuzzi tub to your bathroom or making an unfinished basement into a rec room with a bar.
4. Go to your local county courthouse and get copies of your plot survey and house plans. You can use these items to find out the stated square footage of your home as well as the legal description of your property. You can give these copies to the appraiser for comparison, but the appraiser will still need to walk your land. You may have to pay a small fee for the copies; just ask the clerk at the courthouse about copying fees.
5. Gather copies of tax documents and inspection reports. If you do not have a copy, go to your local county courthouse and get a copy of the most recent tax assessment paperwork on the home. Also, obtain copies of any inspection reports for termites, septic systems and the like from the companies that handled those inspections if you do not already have a copy.
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