Yesterday, we had our home appraised as we are currently in the process of refinancing for a lower rate in the hopes of lowering our monthly mortgage payments.
I work Mondays through Saturdays and the only convenient time for my husband and I to have an appraiser come over is on a Sunday. Luckily, the appraiser company assigned to us had professional resources who were flexible to accommodate our schedule on a weekend.
The appraiser came to our home exactly as scheduled and did the inspection, assessment, and photography in less than 30 minutes. The process was prompt, quick, and professional. I am quite certain that training and experience allotted for her to perform her evaluation in an organized manner. But as a homeowner, there are things that we had done to help make her routine extra easy.
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The following are our personal preparations and are not professional opinions. However, we hope that it helps homeowners with their own appraisals:
- Schedule a date and time convenient for you and your family. If your loan transaction is not time-sensitive, choose a day and time after you are able to organize and tidy the house. You do not have to take a day off nor stress over making the property overly presentable. Believe me, a party-look is not what the appraisers are looking at.
- Neat and tidy version of your everyday. For a family of four, it is common to have everyday mess. You do not have to reorganize the entire house but it helps to ensure that:
- Dirty laundry is out of sight
- No dirty dishes on the sink, kitchen tops, and tables
- Toilet seats are down
- Mail and paperwork are neatly stacked
- Clear the path. I am a mom of two little girls who leave a trail of toys wherever they walk in the house. Since my husband regularly vacuums our floors (safety measures for kids who pick-up and put everything in their mouths), it is relatively kept well. We just had to make sure that the hallways, openings, doors, and paths where the appraiser is to walk on, is clear and free of toys and other obstructions. This allots for a smooth and safe walk-through.
- Turn on the lights and lift the blinds/curtains. Our appraiser did not have a professional camera, instead a point-and-shoot digi-cam. Lighting, both natural and built-in, help the lenses pick up as much room detail. Plus it saved us time having to turn on lights and draw the blinds in each and every room.
- Smoke detectors properly installed. Make sure your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors are properly installed, has working batteries, and visible where they need to be. Appraisers will want to take photos of them.
- Accessibility to heating and air conditioning systems. If your home has its own water heating and/or air conditioning system, the appraiser would like to see them. Clear its doors or contraptions of any obstruction so it is easily seen and photographed.
- Get out of the way. Let your appraiser do her or his job. A brief, pleasant greeting is appreciated. But do not chit-chat away! Do not get offended if the appraisers are not chummy and remain professional. Their opinions are guided by a set of ethics under their profession.
So, this is how our Sunday went. It ate up less than half an hour of our time giving us a lot of room to enjoy the rest of our Sunday. Here's to wishing the value's what we hope them to be.
