The first step you have in selling your house is finding a buyer. Once you have a buyer, you have to clear two more significant hurdles to overcome before closing the home inspection and the appraisal. So what is an appraisal? It’s an official report completed by a certified and licensed professional with a determination of your house’s fair market value. The appraiser uses multiple data points, assesses your property’s worth, and determines whether it is priced appropriately for condition, features, and location than comparable houses in your area. You want the value of your home to appraise for as much as possible! Why? Because it will determine if you can get your asking price and if the buyer can get enough financing without having to either drop your price or the buyer bringing cash to closing. It’s these reasons that make it crucial that you know how to prepare your house for an appraisal in Denver.

Get It Done Quickly

The first thing you want to do to get your house ready for an appraisal in Denver is to have the appraisal done as early as possible. It will let you know quickly in the sales process if any issues may lower your home’s value. If there are problems, you can take care of them before they become an issue for buyers.

Focus On The Quick Fixes

One of the best things to do before an appraisal is to take care of the quick and easy fixes first. These are small things that aren’t huge issues but are definitely noticeable. Your goal here is to make your property appear well maintained, and in doing so, will likely help it appraise for more. What quick fixes are we referring to? These are issues like touching up paint, fixing dripping faucets and running toilets, repairing cabinet doors and drawers, re-grouting tile, and installing new light fixtures and switch and outlet plates.

Do a Deep Clean

One of the best things you can do to prepare for selling and the appraisal is declutter and then do a deep clean of the home. Once complete, make sure to keep your house clean and clutter-free until it sells. This deep clean will mean cleaning areas that you usually don’t and cleaning more thoroughly than usual because this will make your house appear well maintained. Don’t neglect scrubbing walls and shampooing carpets on the inside, clean gutters, and wash windows outside.

Work On Increasing Curb Appeal

Curb appeal is vital because it is your only chance to make a great first impression. Improving curb appeal, particularly landscaping, can raise your home’s value by as much as 10% to 12%. So, to prepare your house for an appraisal in Denver, touch up exterior paint, fix broken fencing, clean up the exterior, and do some simple landscaping. This can be as small as adding fresh mulch or planting some flowers. You’ll be happy you did when the appraiser hands you the report.

Make Sure Everything is Working Properly

A critical step to preparing your house for an appraisal is to make sure everything is working correctly. Doors and windows should open easily without sticking, faucets and toilets should shut off, sinks should drain, and lights should come on. Pay particular attention to the HVAC unit because the appraiser and buyers will. With everything working correctly, the appraisal is likely to come in higher.

Do What Will Gets a Good ROI

In doing things to prepare your house for an appraisal in Denver, you also need to consider that the repairs and upgrades you make will boost your house’s value and get you a better sales price. It would be best to take care of only the things that need attention and not worry about the rest. Your goal is to improve market value in the most profitable way.

And this is where your local agent can help you avoid costly mistakes when preparing your house for an appraisal. Discover more – contact us today at 720-928-3231.