How Do You Prepare for an Appraisal?

Today we are fortunate to have a guest post from Andrew McGrath, a licensed appraiser.

A common question at the beginning of the appraisal process is “What does the homeowner/buyer need to do to get ready for the appraisal inspection. The truth is that the homeowner/buyer should not go out of their way at all to make the home presentable to the appraiser. While some cleanup is always appreciated, the most important factor is that the appraiser have access to all areas of the home.

 When setting the appraisal appointment, I always stress to the contact that I will need access to every room in the home, including briefly the bedroom and bathrooms, the garage, and around the exterior of the home to the best degree possible. 

Many homeowners cringe a bit at the thought of the appraiser poking around in the bedrooms (no pun intended) and the bathrooms, but for most inspections a quick visual check of these rooms is necessary to ensure accurate reporting of their ammenities and overall condition. Whenever a homeowner, or more often a tenant, indicates that a room or bathroom may not be accessible, I inform them that it is indeed necessary to have access and that if for any reason access is not possible, the appraisal inspection will be halted and rescheduled which will delay the funding of any associated loan.

So, remember that while it’s not necessary to scrub the house before the appraisal, please make sure that all rooms are available.

Originally published at How Do You Prepare for an Appraisal?