The appearance of your house on the day I do that home appraisal can affect its valuation. You want to maximize its value, so there are a number of things that you ought to do to prepare for the arrival of your property appraiser.

First of all, make it easy on the appraiser. Put away any and all pets, such as dogs, that might be a problem. It would also be a good idea to tell your appraiser where you have them locked up so he doesn’t accidentally walk into the area where you’ve put them.

Second, present your best foot forward by cleaning the house. We will be taking pictures of the place. In the very least, put dishes in the dishwasher. Tidy the place up. Clean scrub marks off the walls. Do some painting, if necessary.

If you want the maximum possible appraisal for your property, you will help yourself get it by making your home look as enticing as possible. And you needn’t spend a large amount of money to do this.

As a home appraiser, I’m trying to make the house look as pleasing to the eye as possible. People will be looking at those pictures we shoot. Usually, the ones looking at them will be finance people. The folks at the bank want to see evidence that the house is being taken care of before they give you any money.

If they see that the house looks unkept, they may think there are other issues with the house, such as plumbing, not being addressed. So, help me help you make your home look as appealing as possible.

I can’t put a percentage value on the difference between a house when it is messy and that same house when the place is tidied up, but it does make a difference when we have to compare it to another similar house in order to establish value.

When we go to the next house down the block to look at a “comparable sell,” if that neighboring house is cleaned up and looks nice, we have to gauge the difference, and we have to say the subject house doesn’t look as good. We will say that the comparable neighboring house is superior to the subject house, when in fact it would be the exact same thing if it were just cleaned up.

And that is my advice on how a homeowner should prepare his or her property for an appraisal.

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