How to Boost Your Home’s Appraisal Value

Sellers often are astonished at a low home appraisal value. You love your home, and considering all the care and effort you’ve put into it, it’s completely reasonable to want to get as much as you can for it. To do that, you’ll usually need a home appraisal that supports that sales price. Follow these simple tips to maximize your home’s appraisal value.

Do Your Own Inspection & Make a List

Start by gathering information. Inspect your home (invite your real estate agent along, if you have one) and make a list of everything that you’d like to fix or address before you list your home. That way, they’ll be completed when the appraisal takes place.

Prioritize High ROI Improvements

In any home improvement project, there’s the cost you’ll put into completing the work—that’s the investment—and the amount you can expect to get back in a home sale—that’s the return on your investment, or ROI. Prioritize the repairs and projects on your inspection list that will earn you back the highest percentage of your original cost. Common high-ROI improvements include replacing your garage door, minor kitchen remodels, and swapping out bathtubs for walk-in showers.

Clean Up Little Dents and Dings

They may seem inconsequential, but little dents, dings, and scratches on your home’s walls can create an overall sense of neglect and disrepair that can negatively impact your home’s appraised value. Carefully patch up any holes, then paint your walls a soothing neutral tone. Brighten up trim with white or off-white paint and touch-up spots that have sustained small scratches to spruce up your interior. Also, take this opportunity to declutter and personal photographs to create a more open and inviting environment.

Refresh Your Flooring

Is your carpet worn or just filthy and matted down? Start with a relatively inexpensive deep clean, then assess whether you should replace or repair any specific sections before the appraisal.

Don’t Neglect Your Home’s Exterior

Nothing ups your home’s perceived value like a spruced-up exterior. Mow the grass, trim back tree branches, and generally clean things up. Seasonal potted and hanging plants on your porch and a power wash all around can also help improve your home’s curb appeal.

Check the Roof

Make a point of checking out your roof (or hiring a pro to do it for you). It’s not necessarily a glamorous or particularly aesthetic part of your home, but the roof’s condition will go a long way towards establishing the value of your home. Note any loose shingles, siding, or flashing and contact the appropriate repair pro to get it fixed.

Ready, Set, Appraise

These tips will help you maximize your home’s appraised value and get a buyer with a healthy offer to meet your goals.