Boosting Your Home’s Value Before Appraisal

An appraisal is a professional estimate of the market value of your property; it is conducted before selling or refinancing to provide buyers and lenders an assessment of your home’s worth. When an appraiser comes to your home, they will assess its interior and exterior condition, age, any additional structures, size of lot and building, desirability of the lot and neighborhood, and any unusual factors. There are certain quick and low-cost improvements that can be made to your home ahead of this process to increase your home’s value, as well as steps to take so appraisers don’t deduct from your home’s value because of damage.

• Declutter & Deep Clean
  • The first impression your home gives off is very important
    • Clean homes say that you have cared for and maintained your home
  • Fresh Paint & Damage Touch Ups
    • Refresh outdated colors
    • If you can’t repaint entire walls, fill nail holes with spackle and do touch ups on peeling or chipping paint
    • Repair damaged molding and trim
    • Assess the outside and perform paint and trim touch ups as needed
• Boost Curb Appeal
  • • Lawn maintenance
    • Trim bushes
    • Potted plants
• What Have You Learned to Live With?
  • • There are probably a few things in your home that you’ve probably forgotten about but will be problematic for buyers. addressed. Here are some examples that will need to be addressed
      • Leaky faucets
      • Flickering lights
      • Torn screens
• List Previous Improvements
  • • • Major improvements
        • Kitchen or bathroom remodels
        • Additional bedrooms or bathrooms
        • Structural upgrades
      • Include small improvements too
      • Try to include the approximate date and cost
• Gather Property Tax Records
  • • • Reviewing records and permits helps avoid discrepancies in information such as number of bathrooms
• Realtor Involvement
  • • • Your realtor will help prepare you for the appraisal, provide the appraiser with comparable homes, and can answer questions

If you have a rental property in Hawaii and have questions about property management, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us by email at concierge@caronb.com or by phone at (808) 593-9826.