HOME | improve the appraisal value of your home

If your getting ready to sell or you're in the market to purchase a new home
there are several elements that can affect appraisal values.

Some of those are:

 -the location of your home and the surrounding property values

-the quality and condition of the construction

-the homes amenities

 -special features that affect value

Make sure your home stands out against competing properties by checking these basics first.... 

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♦ On a very basic note: Install safety equipment and make sure its working properly.  This would include a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, smoke detectors through out the home and even air quality detectors, built in water filtration systems etc.

♦ Considering your homes location and the condition of surrounding homes, or the quality and valuation of other homes in your neighborhood that are for sale, decide how much to spend on improving your home.  Spend money to repair any damaged construction or old, worn out vital systems in the home.  Keep in mind that a bank appraiser is not looking at decorative elements.  They see past that to the structure and mechanical elements that add value.  Spend your money on things like the roof, insulation, plumbing and electrical systems, the heating and AC systems.

♦ Inside the home, think about having the electrical, plumbing, heating and AC systems checked.  An appraiser for the purchasing family will dig deep on these areas to find potential problems.  Assess whether the electrical panel is up to par and that the plumbing is up to new building codes and maintained on all sinks {some historical homes have pipes that are too small and made out of materials that are no longer deemed approved}, toilets and even the washing machine drain and dryer ventilation.  Some newly constructed homes now have laundry rooms located in the middle of the home and the plumbing and dryer vent system may run through the concrete foundation.  If dryer vents get clogged over time with lent it can be a real hassle and big expense to repair.  It can create a fire hazard and also an air quality problem where bacteria and mildew can build up within the home.

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♦ A point about the insulation in the home......

Not only is it important to check the state of the insulation in the home; in the roof and underneath the home if its on a raised foundation, but also the state of the insulation in the walls.

Verify that there has not been a leak in the roof that has allowed water to drain down into the walls.  If you find yourself having to replace the roof, you may have to replace the roofs wooden structure and insulation.  If water has leaked through, into the wall insulation and space between studs or drywall, more than likely, especially for high humidity zones, there is black mold.  This creates a huge health issue.  If you've seen a home sitting on the market for a long time...this might be one reason.  This issue can make it hard to get financing and home owners insurance on the property.

a little personal story...
 if your having a new home built and say the roof is not on yet, there could be a timing situation where the builder is pushed to complete certain stages of the build when contractors can show up to your job site.  So, there's no roof and the exterior walls and insulation go up and a good portion of the interior drywall gets installed....{i know...that sounds nuts huh?}  But it happened! At my home! lol... and then IT RAINED!  yea, it rained...and soaked everything...which luckily I visited the site and took photos right after it rained to show that the walls were soaked..drywall and insulation.  They roofed the next day and tried so say it was fine.  I pushed the subject after and had it inspected by the construction foreman and mold was already developing...black mold coating the insulation in the walls.  He made the crew remove all of the drywall and insulation at their expense and they had to remediate the water damage to clean out the mold from the lumber structure.

Just saying, it's a good idea to check these things or it can cost YOU big time {anywhere from $4 to $7 per sq.ft x appr. 3800 square feet, if every wall had been damaged}  If I had left that, and tried to sell that home within a couple of years, not to mention how sick everyone in the home would be on a continuing basis, it would have been my expense to cover because an appraiser would have discovered this.  Any offer would be held on the condition of repairs to be made or possibly the offer would be withdrawn all together.

♦ Energy efficiency is a big deal, think windows and doors with high energy ratings.

Think about the hot water heater too...the inspector will be looking at that as well.  Is it large enough for the number of Beds/Baths in the home and the expected number of people using it?  Does it have a good energy rating?  A good rating for hot water heaters is .90 depending on the tank volume.

♦ Examine water drainage/run-off outside of the home too.
Replace old gutters, or put gutters up if you dont have them.  Make sure water is not puddling on the foundation anywhere, which can cause structural issues over time.  Look for any cracks or sinking.

♦♦♦

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If you've kept up all of these areas of the your homes structure through the years, kudos to you...it will pay off with a higher listing price.  Of course if you have money left to spend on decorative updates, think neutral, clean lines and simple design styles.  You want to create a basic foundation for a new home owner to work from.  If they are tallying up a total they have to spend on a ton of repairs and re-decorating, it could put your home last on their list of possibilities.
visit Ande's Edition, Haute Coco Home

happy home selling,

                        xoxo, ande