Finding a buyer is the first step toward selling your house. After that, you have to clear only two more major hurdles before you can close – the inspection and the appraisal. An appraisal is a formal report of your house’s fair market value as determined by a certified and licensed professional. The professional, the appraiser, assesses your property’s worth and determines whether it is priced appropriately with respect to condition, features, and location as compared to comparable houses in your area. You want your house to appraise for as much as possible because that will determine whether you can get your asking price and whether the buyer can get enough financing. It’s critical, then, that you know how to prepare your house for an appraisal in Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati.
Do It Early
The first step to prepare your house for an appraisal in Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati is to have an appraisal done as early as possible. This will let you know if there are any issues that may reduce your home’s value, and then you can take of them before they become an issue for buyers. It will also let you know early on how you should price your home so that you don’t price too high or too low.
Do the Quick Fixes
Also, to prepare your house for an appraisal, you should make all the quick fixes first – all those things that aren’t really major, but are noticeable. Whatever you can do to make your property appear well maintained will help it appraise for more. These quick fixes include such things as touching up paint, fixing dripping faucets and running toilets, repairing cabinet doors and drawers, re-grouting tile, and installing new light fixtures and switch and outlet plates.
Do a Deep Clean
You also need to declutter and then do a deep clean – and keep your house clean and clutter free till it sells. This deep clean will mean cleaning areas that you normally don’t and cleaning more thoroughly than usual because this too will make your house appear well maintained. Don’t neglect to scrub walls and shampoo carpets on the inside, and clean gutters and wash windows on the outside.
Work on Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is critical because it is your only chance to create a great first impression. In fact, improving curb appeal, especially landscaping, can boost your home’s value by as much as 10% to 12%. So, in order to prepare your house for an appraisal in Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati, touch up exterior paint, fix sagging fencing, clean up the outside, and do some landscaping. You’ll be glad you did when the appraiser hands you her report.
Make Sure Everything is Working Properly
A critical step to prepare your house for an appraisal is to make sure everything is working properly. Doors and window should open easily without sticking, faucets and toilets should shut off, sinks should drain, and lights should come on. Pay particular attention to the HVAC unit because the appraiser and buyers will. With everything working properly, the appraisal is likely to come in higher/
Do What Will Yield a Good ROI
In doing things to prepare your house for an appraisal in Middletown, Dayton, or Cincinnati, you also need to consider carefully so that you make the repairs and upgrades the will actually boost the value of your house and get you a better sale price. Basically, you should take of only the things that really need attention and not worry about the rest. Your goal is to improve market value in the most profitable way.