How to Prepare for a Home Appraisal

Wondering how to prepare for a home appraisal? An appraisal is a valuation of your home, so you should show it in the best possible light and prepare it as if a potential buyer were coming to evaluate your home.

Present a good first impression.
If your property looks pleasant, clean and well-maintained before an appraiser ever steps foot inside, that appraiser is more likely to be in a positive mindset when it comes to evaluating your home. On the other hand, if your yard is messy, shingles falling off your roof and your siding coming apart, an appraiser is going to come into your home expecting the worst. Make everything neat and tidy before the appraiser arrives, including upgrading fixtures if you have cash to spare and stepping up your curb appeal. Present a good first impression to get your appraisal off on the right foot.

Conduct inspections before the appraiser arrives.
It helps to have inspections conducted before an appraiser shows up. Get a pest inspector out to look for termites. Have a building inspector check out your building's structural integrity and vital systems. Knowing about any issues beforehand gives you the ability to address them with the appraiser, and correct issues that you can control before the appraiser arrives.

Clean and perform basic maintenance.
You should complete any little bits of maintenance that you've been putting off before the appraiser arrives. Change light bulbs, touch up the paint or deal with any outstanding maintenance-related issues. Make sure the yard is neat and tidy, and mowed and weeded to present the best possible face. Finally, clean the house itself; a clean house shows better, and it can give the appraiser a more accurate idea of the value of the home.

Prepare all of your relevant documentation.
An appraiser is going to want to see any documentation you have relative to the property or special agreements that you have in place. If you've got a survey or certificates of occupancy, have them ready for the appraiser. Shared access or private rights to water or driveways should be documented for the appraiser. If you have a homeowner's association, it helps to have a copy of the association documents handy. Anything relevant to the condition or potential value of your home should be ready for the appraiser to view.

Provide copies of financial documents pertaining to the property.
If you've got a condominium association, have a copy of the condo budget for the appraiser. If you've made repairs to your home, keep copies of the bills and details of the repairs to provide to the appraiser. Copy your tax receipts for the appraiser, and have any other financial documentation relative to the property available. This excludes your current mortgage, as that's typically irrelevant in regards to home appraisals. They don't need to see your personal financial documents, but rather financial documents relative to the property.