American Property Financial Blog
4242 Medical Dr., Ste 4150
San Antonio, TX 78229
hjmays@aol.com
www.saloans.com
Tel: 210-614-8951
Fax: 210-614-8952
Get a High Appraisal!
Whether you're buying or refinancing, no one wants to face the challenge of having their appraisal come in lower than their mortgage amount. To ensure your appraisal comes in high, these are some tips from us to help you make sure your home is valued high.
Does the Appraiser know the Area?
You may be surprised to find out that borrowers have gotten a mistakenly low appraisal because the appraiser was unfamiliar with the area.
By making sure the appraiser is familiar with the area (5-10 mile radius), this ensures your property won't be mistakenly undervalued along with comparable homes nearby.
Immaculate counters and surfaces
While just a few small items like a hairbrush, lotion bottle, and dental floss on your bathroom counter may not seem like a huge clutter, do your best to make all counters and surfaces in the house, immaculate! Put items up in cabinets and closets, but if storage space is limited, temporarily hold items in your car or a trusted neighbor's home.
However, decorative items like a dining room table centerpiece are objects you would want to keep out on display.
Don't Fix it & Forget It
Making renovations and improvements to your home is an obvious way to ensure a high appraisal. While your renovations may wow the appraiser at first sight, he/she may undervalue your renovations. We highly advise to record the improvements you made to your home. By saving copies of receipts and taking before/after pictures are ways to give the improvements a tangible value to the appraiser.
Create "Curb Appeal"
Another easy step to take to make sure your appraisal soars in high numbers is to make your lawn look like it should be on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens.
Mowing straggly weeds, adding a couple flower pots to a barren porch, painting and/or repairing broken gutters are some useful ideas to consider when priming your yard and exterior for an appraisal.
Everything Functions
Once you have all appearances in check, don't forget to make sure all appliances, plumbing, and electric is working properly.
The last thing you'd want to happen is have the appraiser give your gleaming, remodeled; kitchen a high value and then have a small kitchen faucet leak arise to diminish the value.