10 tips for home appraisals in Lapeer MI.
1 Spruce the house up, you don't need to deep clean under couches and a few dirty dishes won't hurt your value.
2 Curb appeal also matters, mow the lawn, hack those weeds and trim those hedges.
3 Keep a list of all the updates, be ready to hand it over, a sketch plan of the house indicating square footage also helps.
4 Have comps on hand, you say this is the appraiser's job but every little bit helps.
5 Be mindful of peeling paint, FHA and veteran's loans will require peeling paint to be removed in houses built before 1978.
6 Focus, the best expenditures for most markets are paint, carpet, light and plumbing fixtures.
7 Location still matters, if there have been changes to the neighborhood, mention them.
8 Keep the $500 rule in mind, appraisers often value houses in $500 increments, fix leaky faucets, cracked windows, missing hand rails and structural damage.
9 Remember the concept of "effective age", the age the appraiser can assign to a home after taking into consideration updating and condition.
10 Lock up dogs and cats, appraisers say they get annoyed enough by homeowners following them around but a growling dog is even worse, try to make the appraiser comfortable.
With those things in mind, let the appraisers do their job.
references: dow jones, wall street journal, don horne
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