If you are getting ready to buy or sell a home there’s a good chance you’ll want to have the home appraised so you know what the fair market value is. With a professional home appraisal it’s much easier for the buyer, seller, real estate agent and mortgage lender to agree on a final contract and close the transaction. At By Carrier we want you to get the best value when buying or selling your home so we offer a few helpful tips that will prepare you for a home appraisal in Connecticut.
You don’t need to accompany an appraiser through the site inspection but there are documents you should have on hand that can facilitate the appraisal process including:
– A survey of the house and land
– Written property agreements
– A list of major home improvements and upgrades, the date completed and the costs
– Home inspection reports
– A copy of the current listing agreement and broker’s data sheet and Purchase Agreement
Before the date of your appraisal have these documents in order and ready for the appraiser. While you don’t need to be with the appraiser during the inspection it is a good idea to be available to answer any questions and explain recent home improvement projects.
Make all areas of the house accessible for the appraiser. Though you may think it’s just an oversight that the attic is locked and appraiser may think you are hiding something and that is not the impression you want to give. Do your best to clean up the home as best as possible. While the orderliness of a home won’t affect the value it will make the appraiser’s job easier and can make the process much easier. Also try to take care of any minor repairs including leaky faucets and broken door handles. Every little bit helps and the more prepared you are the better your appraisal will go.