There are several factors that can affect the appraised value of your home, including whether or not:

• It is well maintained inside and out
• Additions fit well into the existing house
• Properties throughout the neighborhood are well maintained
• The style of the house conforms with those in the neighborhood
• Zoning changes are anticipated

For those items listed above that you can improve on, such as maintaining your house (which includes repairing leaky faucets, painting over spots on the wall, etc.), it is well worth the effort to do so prior to scheduling the appraisal. An appraiser must come to a conclusion regarding the quality and condition of a property. While there is little one can do to change the quality of materials used in construction of the building, its condition is going to be rated as being either poor, fair, average or good.

Once you decide to schedule the appraisal, you should gather all of the following information and documents to present to your appraiser upon his or her arrival:

• The date the house was built
• The last date a new roof was installed
• Copies of any appraisals, home inspection reports or other recent reports such as for termites, slope stability analysis, or permits for completed additions
• Homeowners Association information and fees
• In the case of condominiums a copy of the legal description defining the vertical and horizontal limits of the unit.
• All written property agreements that you may have – such as a shared driveway maintenance agreement, an easement in your behalf or for the benefit of others.
• A list of personal property that is to be included in the sale of the home
• A list of major home improvements such as when dual pane windows were installed (including date and permit confirmation if the improvement required a permit.) Un-permitted improvements cannot be considered part of the property being appraised. The estimated cost to cure illegal improvements is generally subtracted  from property value.
• A copy of your current listing agreement
• A copy of your broker’s data sheet about the property
• A copy of your Purchase Agreement if a sale is pending

Also prior to the scheduled appraisal inspection, you should make sure that all areas of your home and yard are accessible, animals are confined for the safety of the appraiser and that the person responsible for showing the property to the appraiser has sufficient time to allow up to one hour of inspection and measuring time.

When I inspect a property, I consider 202 elements of construction. From a list of 849 possible choices I come to 232 conclusions that thoroughly describe your property. I physcially measure the exterior of the house and garage to determine square footage. I make a thumbnail sketch to show the general location of the rooms inside buildings and any yard improvements of  market value. In my office this data is converted by computer into a scaled drawing and included in the appraisal report.

Once your appraiser has arrived, you do not need to accompany him or her on the entire site inspection, but you should be available to answer questions about your property and point out any home improvements that might not be otherwise prominently visable such as a  cellar, a well, a sophisticated water treatment and filtration system or an extensive underground drip irritation system.