It’s common that people have some anxiety about an appraiser visiting to view their home. And I get that, who enjoys being judged? Sometimes people are nervous about this and I try to set them at ease.
First of all, it’s not about the housekeeping. Most appraisers have developed a mental filter about your stuff, and are magically looking past it to see the flooring, the wallpaper, the trim and the fixtures. Being messy or neat with your personal stuff isn’t going to affect your value much or at all. I often walk through rental homes occupied by tenants that don’t give a can of beans about the property’s appraisal value. I will be fair to those landlords in the same way I will be fair to homeowners who are packing to move, or who just got back from vacation, or who’s mom has been in the hospital all week. If you haven’t got much time to get ready, don’t panic.
It’s good to be ready though with basic facts about the property. This could include when you bought it, who you bought it from (if it wasn’t a realtor sale), what type of well or septic system you have, what type of foundation (if it isn’t obvious), the age of your shingles and furnace, what year was the addition, and a rough list of renovations and what year it was done.
Feel free to think about what the market value of your property is and what information you base that on. Appraisers are there to collect information and I often ask what owners think they could sell their property for, and what that’s based on, particularly if it’s not obvious. For example, if you know that the house two doors down sold privately six months ago for X, this is useful information. An appraiser can independently verify that information and it may be useful in the report. Realtor sales on the other hand are easily located and looked up so the appraiser probably doesn’t need help deciding which to include.
It’s perfectly ok to ask questions about the process and timelines. If it’s a purchase let me know when the conditions of finance and/or when the closing date is. I won’t be offended if you ask what I think the value is while I’m at the visit but don’t expect me to answer that, because as a valuation professional I do my homework back at my desk before developing an opinion, no exceptions.