How to Prepare for an Appraisal Inspection

At Reynolds Appraisal Services we strive for accuracy in our appraisal reports.  While some information regarding the subject property is derived from county records or from listing information, the majority of the information is obtained from the appraisal inspection.

Scheduling the inspection:

The appraiser will typically call you to schedule the appraisal inspection.  Try to return the appraiser's calls promptly as the appraiser is likely trying to schedule several inspections in your area for the same day.  Even if you will be unavailable for the next few days, let the appraiser know so that they can schedule other appraisal inspections accordingly.   

Preparing for the inspection:

• Accessibility: Make sure that all areas of the home are accessible including the front and back yards and all interior rooms.  Fha, USDA Rural Housing, and reverse mortgage appraisals also require a visual inspection of the crawl space (under the home) and the attic.

• Restrain all dogs, even friendly dogs can be protective when a stranger enters the back yard or the home.  Also, barking dogs may be a distraction during the inspection and cause the appraiser to overlook important details.

• Generally appraisers are trained to look past most clutter to examine the physical condition of the home.  While a clean home often leads to an overall impression of a well maintained home, it is not necessary to have the home spotless on the day of the appraisal.

• The appraiser will take pictures. These pictures will be included in the report to the lender.  Lenders are now requiring photographs of the interior of the home as well as the exterior.  The pictures will better reflect the home if ladders, trash, toys, tires, etc... are removed.

• Maintenance: You may want to repair minor items like missing door handles and missing trim. While the lender may not require these repairs they typically have an impact on the overall condition rating of the home (even if you plan to fix them soon).

• FHA, USDA, or Reverse Mortgage Inspections: If you are applying for an FHA insured loan, a Rural Housing / Rural Development loan, or a Reverse Mortgage the appraiser will need access to the crawl space and attic areas.  Many crawl space or attic accesses are located in closets and are blocked by the stuff you store in your closet.  Try to have the areas accessible for the appraiser.

The appraisal inspection:

Once the appraiser has arrived, you do not need to accompany him or her along on the entire inspection.  Appraisers are able to measure a home without any help and need to concentrate while doing the inspection.

Typically the appraiser will inspect the exterior of the home and property first, then inspect the interior of the home.  After the interior inspection the appraiser will usually have some basic questions for the homeowner, take that opportunity at the end of the inspection to provide information to the appraiser and to ask any questions.  This allows the appraiser to concentrate on the inspection first, then discuss any other items with a better understanding of the property. 

To facilitate the appraisal process, it may be beneficial to have some information ready for the appraiser:

• "Brag sheet" that lists any home improvements and upgrades and an approximate date of their installation (for example, the addition of central air conditioning in 2008 or a new roof in 2009).  This is especially helpful if the property was purchased in the prior three years.
• Information on HOA fees and amenities or condominium covenants and fees.
• Documentation of irrigation rights and acreage.
• Photographs of the view if the appraisal inspection is performed on a cloudy day.
• Information on existing and proposed utilities at the property (community/public water or a private or shared well, public sewer or a private septic, natural gas, etc...)
• Information on any proposed or pending changes in the neighborhood. (paving the street, proposed developments, schools, proposed parks, zoning changes etc...)
• Details regarding any purchase or transfer of the property in the past three years.
• Details regarding any current listings of the property and any listings of the property in the prior 12 months.
• Any recent test results of EIFS (synthetic stucco) wall systems, asbestos, mold, termites, etc... Also any recent tests of septic systems and wells.

Ask questions:

We understand that the appraisal process can be confusing and stressful.  Our jobs are highly complicated and go way beyond the appraisal inspection to finding comparable properties, investigating terms of sale of the comparables, investigating marketability of various amenities, and determining values of unique features, along with complying with complex governmental regulations and client guidelines. 

We often complete the appraisal inspection quickly and are busy concentrating on the property during the inspection.  Because of this we may seem like we are in a hurry.  Please feel free to ask questions, especially at the end of the appraisal inspection after the appraiser has had a chance to look at the exterior and the interior of the home.  This allows the appraiser to concentrate on the property first, then answer any questions with an adequate knowledge of the property and without being distracted.  If you forget to ask a question at the time of the appraisal, click on the "contact us" button above and call or email us.