What Appraisers Look for When Appraising Your House

Maintenance

• Home appraisers look at the general appearance of the home, including how well you maintained your property. Before bringing in a home appraiser, perform repairs, clean up the home and do all necessary landscape work so that the appraiser is more likely to value the home higher.

Housing Market

• How the appraiser values the home depends on the market value of various aspects of the home. The appraisers must keep up to date on popular home styles and the current market value of home additions such as swimming pools.

Additions

• Appraisers partially appraise the home based on the size of the home. Appraisers do not take into consideration non-living space such as garages. However, garages can be added to the overall value of the home. They also calculate screened or covered porches separately. They assess the square footage of the home by examining the exterior of the home and estimating.

Finished Basement

• Finished basements affect the value of the home based on government regulations and the quality of the basement finish.

Permanent Fixtures

• Appraisers only include permanent fixtures when appraising a home. For example, an appraiser includes an in-ground swimming pool when appraising the home, but does not consider an above-ground swimming pool. Additions such as fireplaces improve the value of the home. However, these addition must be installed correctly. Dangerous fireplaces can detract from the value of the home.

Footage

• Appraisers sometimes look at the exterior quality of the nearby homes and the general area when appraising the value of the home, but this depends on the appraiser. Also, the overall location of the home has an enormous effect on the value of the home. Homes in very safe neighborhoods with access to a lot of resources tend to have much higher appraisals.

Number of Rooms

• The number of rooms in the home affects the value of the home. Homes with bathrooms and bedrooms have extra value, as the number of bathrooms and bedrooms increases the number of people who can live in the home. However, the increase in the value also depends on the typical number of bedrooms and bathrooms that the nearby houses have. Adding extra bedrooms and bathrooms in an area that doesn't normally have so many will not add very much value to the home.

Property Size

• Appraisers consider the overall size of the property when appraising the property. Buyers often want larger property so that they have more space and the option of expanding the home.