Saturday, March 2, 2024 / by Teresa Pileggi
6 Top Tips To Prepare Your House For An Appraisal
6 Top Tips To Prepare Your House For An Appraisal
Overview
Do you have plans to sell your home any time soon? Preparing it for an appraisal should top the list of your priorities. As far as preparing your home for a valuation is concerned, there are several considerations that you should make. From ensuring that your home is sparkling clean
to decorating it, an array of ideas can help you get started. Note that by doing so, your home's value will increase and thus enable you to sell your home at a relatively higher price.
Without more ado, let's dive into the top tips that can help you prepare your home for an appraisal:
1. Clean up your home.
Dirt is one of those elements that can lower the value of your home. To be on the safe side, consider cleaning it up before the valuation process kicks off. When it comes to cleaning your home, there are places that you should pay attention to. Some of these places include the kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, etc. Besides the inner parts of your house, consider cleaning the exterior parts, as these sections speak volumes about you. If you cannot clean all these areas alone, consider working with a professional cleaner; your home will be left sparkling clean.
2. Fix any existing structural issue
Some areas have developed defects if you have lived in your home for quite some time. For instance, your house can have sections needing painting, broken or chipped tiles, damaged or missing roof shingles, wall cracks, etc. All these structural defects are typical of any old house. However, they can be a deal breaker regarding home valuation. Before your home valuation begins, fix these issues so your property can be pristine.
3. List the main features of your home
Every home has several features that distinguish it from those within its neighborhood. Before the actual home valuation starts, ensure that you list the main features of your house. By doing so, the valuer will notice essential features. For instance, you can consider listing features such as solar panels, newly installed HVAC systems, new carpets, pool filters, and more. Besides listing these features, ensure that you include how much they cost you and if they are still under warranty. These figures will play a key role when the actual home valuation starts.
4. Declutter your home
Over time, your home must have accumulated unnecessary items. Many items, from old magazines to toys, might form clutter in your house. If you want to prepare your home for valuation, ensure that you declutter your house. Here, it would be best if you tried to clear unnecessary items in your bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc. If items should be kept in the pantry, ensure that you place them there right away. By doing so, your house will look more orderly and can positively affect your home's value.
5. Depersonalize
Since you want to prepare your home for a valuation, you need to make a prospective buyer able to imagine themselves residing in your home. To achieve this objective, you should ensure that you depersonalize your house. When it comes to the depersonalization of your home, some of the items that you should remove include calendars, memorabilia, and photographs, among other items. If your home looks more neutral, trust that the buyer will be less likely to feel as if they are invading someone's space.
Conclusion
Whether you want to sell your home to finance a specific project or move to another premise, you must prepare it for valuation. The valuer will be keen to note the condition of your bathroom, kitchen, living room, plumbing system, lighting, bedroom, garage, and so forth. If these areas are in pristine condition, be sure that your home's value will increase tenfold. Consider all the ideas we have discussed above, and you will have adequate preparation for your home valuation process.
Overview
Do you have plans to sell your home any time soon? Preparing it for an appraisal should top the list of your priorities. As far as preparing your home for a valuation is concerned, there are several considerations that you should make. From ensuring that your home is sparkling clean
to decorating it, an array of ideas can help you get started. Note that by doing so, your home's value will increase and thus enable you to sell your home at a relatively higher price.
Without more ado, let's dive into the top tips that can help you prepare your home for an appraisal:
1. Clean up your home.
Dirt is one of those elements that can lower the value of your home. To be on the safe side, consider cleaning it up before the valuation process kicks off. When it comes to cleaning your home, there are places that you should pay attention to. Some of these places include the kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, etc. Besides the inner parts of your house, consider cleaning the exterior parts, as these sections speak volumes about you. If you cannot clean all these areas alone, consider working with a professional cleaner; your home will be left sparkling clean.
2. Fix any existing structural issue
Some areas have developed defects if you have lived in your home for quite some time. For instance, your house can have sections needing painting, broken or chipped tiles, damaged or missing roof shingles, wall cracks, etc. All these structural defects are typical of any old house. However, they can be a deal breaker regarding home valuation. Before your home valuation begins, fix these issues so your property can be pristine.
3. List the main features of your home
Every home has several features that distinguish it from those within its neighborhood. Before the actual home valuation starts, ensure that you list the main features of your house. By doing so, the valuer will notice essential features. For instance, you can consider listing features such as solar panels, newly installed HVAC systems, new carpets, pool filters, and more. Besides listing these features, ensure that you include how much they cost you and if they are still under warranty. These figures will play a key role when the actual home valuation starts.
4. Declutter your home
Over time, your home must have accumulated unnecessary items. Many items, from old magazines to toys, might form clutter in your house. If you want to prepare your home for valuation, ensure that you declutter your house. Here, it would be best if you tried to clear unnecessary items in your bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc. If items should be kept in the pantry, ensure that you place them there right away. By doing so, your house will look more orderly and can positively affect your home's value.
5. Depersonalize
Since you want to prepare your home for a valuation, you need to make a prospective buyer able to imagine themselves residing in your home. To achieve this objective, you should ensure that you depersonalize your house. When it comes to the depersonalization of your home, some of the items that you should remove include calendars, memorabilia, and photographs, among other items. If your home looks more neutral, trust that the buyer will be less likely to feel as if they are invading someone's space.
Conclusion
Whether you want to sell your home to finance a specific project or move to another premise, you must prepare it for valuation. The valuer will be keen to note the condition of your bathroom, kitchen, living room, plumbing system, lighting, bedroom, garage, and so forth. If these areas are in pristine condition, be sure that your home's value will increase tenfold. Consider all the ideas we have discussed above, and you will have adequate preparation for your home valuation process.
