What Does An Appraiser Look For? An appraiser looks for a homes “fixed qualities.” These are things like; location, age, quality of construction, total square footage, the size and type of rooms, how large they are in relation to the house as a whole, and the functional layout. They’ll also look at the homes systems, such as HVAC and plumbing, as well as health and safety factors and code compliance.This makes an appraisal sound very much like a home inspection, but the two are, in fact, very distinct. Each visit is carried out for a separate purpose, are commissioned by different parties in the house buying process, and report on different things.

What Does An Appraiser Look For?

The appraiser is using background research on the value of similar, neighboring homes, and their visit to the property in order to give a qualified opinion as to the value of the home. This impartial opinion is given to the lender. The purpose is so the lender can assess whether or not lending the amount requested would be recouped in the event the buyer defaulted on the loan and the property had to be resold.

An inspector is using what they see during their visit to give their opinion about the condition of the structure and systems of the home. This is done in order to provide a prospective buyer and possibly the lender, the information they might need about how much more money they may or may not have to put into the house in the future. This could then affect the amount they are willing to offer for the home.

So, what does that mean, in practical terms, for a homeowner who suddenly discovers their buyer’s lender would like to sen the appraiser round in two days? Are there things you should be doing to ensure the appraisal is as high as possible? Or maybe things you should not be doing? Yes and no.

Legal matters

First and foremost, the thing to remember is that it is illegal to interfere with the choice of an appraiser or to attempt to influence the appraiser in the course of their work. While there is no way to choose a particular appraiser or try to have a specific company send a professional to your home, there are ways in which you can ensure the appraiser who visits your home is the best qualified.

Before the appraiser turns up, have your real estate agent ask these questions and increase your chances of having the best qualified, most experienced appraiser possible to carry out the visit. This is the only way to be active within the process and make sure the most accurate appraisal possible takes place.

Now you know what you cannot do, let’s delve into the information an appraiser must provide, and what they will be looking at in order to provide that information. 

The Report Form

Depending on where you do your research almost every appraiser in the country, or actually, every appraiser in the country uses the Fannie Mae Uniform Residential Appraisal Report forms. These forms are used to record the visit to your house, the data that is used in the appraiser’s calculations and how they arrived at the appraised value. There are different report forms depending on the kind of property being evaluated. For example, there are separate forms for condos, manufactured homes and residential properties.

Along with the form, there are specific items, called “exhibits” which must be included with the report. These are:

1. A Building Sketch And The Associated Calculations. This hand-drawn sketch must include the dimensions of the property and the calculations to show how the appraiser arrived at their estimate figure of the gross square footage.
2. Internal Floor Plan. Not all homes require an interior floor plan. The appraiser will be required to submit an internal floor sketch if:
   • The layout is unusual enough for it to impact the value of the house.
   • A condo or other unit with a building is the subject of the appraisal. In this case, no external measurements are required, just an internal floor plan with dimensions.
3. Street Map. This must show the location of the property and the location of the comparable properties the appraiser uses in their calculations.
4. Photographs Of The Exterior. The appraiser must provide photos of the back and the front of the property, only needing pictures of the side if it is an unusual feature. Also included is a street scene and a photo of the front of each comparable home used in the appraiser’s calculations.
5. Photographs Of The Interior. The appraiser is required to provide, at a minimum, pictures of the:
• Kitchen
• Bathrooms
• Main Living Area
• Examples of any deterioration
• Examples of any renovations

Types Of Appraised Value

• There are three possible kinds of appraised value.

Sales Comparison Value

This is the most common kind of valuation. To calculate the value of the home, the appraiser uses the details of three recent comparable home sales in your area. These houses must be of a similar age, size, and construction as the property being appraised. The appraiser will start with the price range of these three properties. Then adjustments are made to this price according to your properties features. For example, if your home has a smaller lot than the comparables the starting price might be revised downward. If you have a recently renovated kitchen and the comparables did not, then the amount might be adjusted upwards.

Finally the appraiser factors in current market trends to arrive at a valuation.

Income Approach Value

This is usually required in a buyer wishes to purchase a property with the express intention of using it as a rental. The appraiser still has to provide a sales comparison value with three comparables, but the income approach value also details how much monthly rent could be expected from the property.

Replacement Approach

With the replacement approach value the comparison approach is still provided, but also the appraiser also gives their opinion on how much it would cost to rebuild the property.

What the appraiser looks for is the same with each value approach. The only difference is that with the income and replacement approaches the appraiser must carry out additional calculations.

What Does The Appraiser Look For Off Site?

Either before the visit or after, the appraiser will carry out a significant amount of research in order to provide an accurate appraisal. In general, the appraiser will look to see:

1. The zoning classification of the area around the property, ensuring that it is, in fact, compliant.
2. If the property is in a FEMA special flood hazard area, if it is, a note will be made of the FEMA map number, which flood zone the house is in and the maps date. 
3. Which utilities are connected to the home, if it is on mains sewerage if it has a well etc
4. That the real estate descriptions in public records accurately reflect the current property.
5. If there are any environmental concerns, hazardous conditions, etc. that will or could affect the property. However, there is also a caveat in the report that states the appraiser is not an environmental expert and as such the appraisal should not be considered an environmental assessment.
6. If the house has previously been offered for sale in the last 12 months and the details of any sales of the property in the previous three years.

Comparables

When choosing which comparables to use in their calculations, an appraiser should identify properties which have the same, or very similar characteristics as the property they are appraising. This includes the:

• Age of the property
• Gross living area
• The number of bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms.
• View from the property
• General condition
• Quality of construction and design.
• Heating and cooling systems
• Basement
• Attic
• Parking facilities
• Lot size

The appraiser must also record where the comparables are located in relation to the property under appraisal, how long they were on the market, how much they sold for, any special conditions that affected the sale price and from where the appraiser obtained all of this data.

The Report

All of this information from both onsite and offsite is pulled together along with:

• Current market conditions.
• Whether property values are increasing, stable or decreasing in the neighborhood.
• The current levels of supply and demand and housing stock.
• How long the appraiser believes the property will be on the market.
• The number of other similar properties are for sale in the area.
• How many comparable sales there have been in the neighborhood in the last 12 months.

Then, and only then, does the appraiser compile their final report. In this, they will give their considered and informed professional opinion as to the appraised value of the home.

cc RealestateInfoGuide 

What Hurts a Home Appraisal? Factors You Can (and Can’t) Control

An example of a factor you can control: The amount of general maintenance and investments you have made to keep the home up-to-date and have excellent curb appeal. By far, the biggest factor that reduces a home's value is deferred maintenance. Homeowner's who simply neglect their regular upkeep often don't realize how something small can blossom into a costly and extensive problem. 

For example, your roof has a small leak that might require $500 in repair cost's to fix. However, you postpone that repair for a year or even years, overtime it becomes more exposed to the elements like rain, which will continue to seep into the roof, ceiling and drywall. Water is honestly the most intrusive thing that can damage a property. So, in perspective, what could have been a $500 repair now becomes to be $20,000 years down the road. 

I always recommend, using one of my trusted and professional network of home inspector's, in which would benefit to give your house a check-up for around $350 before you list your property. They can point out items you might not have noticed or been aware of, like grading that allows water to run to your house or cracked weather-stripping. They will provide a list of items they recommend to repair orare required to be repaired to ensure a smooth, seamless process. A buyer of your home will typically pay to have this done as well so, being prepared for the unexpected ahead of time is the best thing you can do as a seller. 

Do not gloss over needed repairs. Ensure that your appraisal goes smoothly by being upfront about any necessary repairs that you haven't completed, such as fixing a cracked foundation and providing them with any bids or estimates for the work needed. An appraiser can factor that cost into their calculations instead of using a more general figure, which inevitably will throw off the value. ALWAYS be up-front. Don't try to withhold information because you are afraid to say something and expect the appraiser to guess in this situation. 

Factors you can't control:

Your home is part of a large real estate "ECOSYSTEM." 

Comparable Properties 

When you’re selling your home, your real estate agent will look at comparable sales in your area to help arrive at an asking price. The appraiser looks at these sales as well. While you can’t control the pricing of other homes, trust your agent to pull records of these comparable properties (or comps) to help justify their valuation.

The goal as an agent in this moment is to compare homes that are as close to your home as possible. If you're selling a two-story home, I will only compare two-story homes. That starts with square-footage, ideally 10% of your home's size. If you're home is 3,000 sq ft, hopefully the comparable homes are 3,000 sq ft if not close to it between 2,700 and 3,300 sq ft. I also aim to match the model of home from the same builder, or atleast compare homes with the same quality of construction and amentities. Is there a community pool? A park? Is it a gated community? Same school district? If an appraiser compares your property to one that turns out to be an outlier as far as market value — such as a home sale among relatives for a lower cost, divorce sale or foreclosure — it can impact the appraisal.

Depending on when your home was built, the floor plan may be more compartmentalized than that of a comparable property. This can drop the value — but only if buyers see this “functional obsolescence” as an issue. If you've found a buyer that’s willing to buy a house at a certain price, we’ve kind of gotten through that functional obsolescence. This comes into play more often when someone refinances a home. 

If there’s a better comparable for the appraiser to use, as your agent, I can bring it up ahead of the appraisal, or find out the details behind it if the appraisal comes in low, and appeal.

Market conditions

An appraiser doesn’t just consider your home’s value compared with historic data such as recent sales. They also analyze market conditions to forecast supply and demand. Sometimes an appraiser works outside a regular coverage area, so they’re not as familiar with the market conditions and previous sales in that area. In a typical real estate transaction, the appraiser doesn't work for the seller, their client is your buyer's lender - so remember, you can't choose who visits your property to conduct this. 

Still worried about what might affect the appraisal of your home? Although you won't know the answers to your questions until the final report comes back, it still doesn't have to be intimidating and stressful. I will communicate with you every single step of the way, including any concerns you may have regarding what might hurt your home appraisal you, as the homeowner, can decide how to address them and move forward towards the successful sale of your home. 

By establishing order in your refrigerator -- a space you access at least three times a day -- you'll enjoy a stress-free meal preparation experience. Plus, you won't forget (or overlook) ingredients you already have on-hand -- a major money-saver. 

Getting Started

Pops of colors! Earthy tones! Wood is cool again! Yay!

1. Kitchen colors 2020: Dark And Moody Cabinets

Bold and interesting paint colors are coming to kitchen cabinets this decade. White kitchens aren’t outdated and are still popular, but they aren’t the coolest kid on the block anymore.

Want to tiptoe into the water instead of diving in? Try painting your bottom cabinets only, or just your kitchen island a dark color. Hunter green, navy, black, anything with drama is in! 

2. Hello Warm Greige!

Cool grays that are overdone in the room have reigned supreme for this past decade, but they are trending away in  2020. It’s all about the warm, taupe colors… with grey undertones. Get it? "Greige!"

3. Rattan, Natural Wood And Woven Materials

Woven pendant lights, and hold the paintbrush – natural and raw wood looking cabinets are in. Yes, wood cabinetry. Nothing stained darker – it’s all about wood looking as if it’s in its raw, natural form. Which brings me to my next trend…

4. Black, Black, Black

Black cabinetry, black hardware, honed black marble, black furniture… it’s taking over. Modern and usually done in a matte finish, it’s the complete opposite of the crisp white on white on white, and I am loving all these black kitchens. Check out these chairs with natural caning, mixed with black!

Fabulous.  I especially love the very dark long sconces she used, against the bright white tile. Like 2020 in a nutshell. Find them here:

See how the black cabinets here don’t make the space feel or look dark? Between the white countertops, sink and the backsplash they have enough white to keep the room not feeling dark and heavy. I never thought I would love a black kitchen so much as I am today.

5. Hey Overdone Subway Tile- The Least You Can Do Is Stack Yourself!

But although subway tile is a classic, more alternatives are popping up as people want something similar to subway with a twist. Handmade, longer, bigger, anything that is just a twist on the conventional.

And when it is used, we will see it stacked some places. This is a fun and modern twist that I love to see!

More Kitchen Trends In 2020 To Lookout For:

• more mix and match metals
• colorful and bold ranges
• moody kitchens
• no “designs” in the tile above the stovetop
• Shaker style cabinetry will continue to be a trend
• hidden appliances with cabinet fronts

Don't take a chance waiting until tomorrow and let your dream home slip away! Head over to https://www.instagram.com/sellingazlifestyle/?igshid=1a3ii2k25xgti for more tips and exciting new things coming in the future! You definitely don't want to miss out!

https://heydjangles.com/look-for-less-3-modern-boho-entryways/

My favorite is #3. Why? Rustic yet contemporary, the below modern boho entryway is warm, cozy and oh so homey. Loving the brass accents and mid-century touch!

Target items making up this look:

• Round Decorative Wall Mirror Brass ($49.99)
• 28″ Artificial Fern Stem Green ($4.99 x2)
• Decorative Pop Up Belly Basket Light Pink ($19.99)
• Kingsley Medallion Area Rug ($107.99)
• Cupertino Console Table – Light Walnut ($142.99)
• Vase – White ($14.99)
• Valora Blue and White Cylinder Jar ($42.99)
• TOTAL = $388.92