One of the biggest assets during your lifetime is your home. Getting your home appraised is an important step to find out the worth of your home. With an ever-changing real estate market, it is always important to call in a professional real estate team to find out the true value of your home when you want to sell.
Prepping your home before it is appraised is always a good idea. If you have not had a home appraisal in a while these tips below from our Anne Winch Ottawa Real Estate Team can make this transition smooth for you.
Act like you are inviting a buyer into your home
When we come into your home for an appraisal, it is always nice to see homeowners take the time and elbow grease to make there home clean and appealing. A well-maintained home will make it look like you take pride in your home and want it to look its best. It makes our job easier to appraise.
Take a moment to jot down your home improvements
When we appraise homes, it is not always evident what improvements you made in your home. Take a moment to jot down any improvements, the cost and where your improvements were done. If you have before and after pictures, this will really help also!
Tidy and Declutter
Don’t wait until after the real estate team comes to your home to tidy and declutter. We can’t envision the total picture if your home is cluttered with lots of furniture or is untidy. Give carpets a good cleaning, scrub floors and have rooms dust free.
Make your curbside shine!
It is hard to appraise a home that has overgrown gardens, grass and weeds. Take an hour or so to sweep your front porch, mow the lawn, weed gardens or remove snow from the pathway to your door. Don’t forget that our first impression of your home is the exterior.
The true age of your home
Don’t be worried if your home is older if you have kept it upgraded and well-maintained. Often older homes are often more appealing and have a different flair than cookie-cutter homes. A well-maintained home can take years of its actual age.
Point out the amenities
It is often a good idea to point out any amenities in your neighbourhood to your real estate team. If you know a new school, sports centre or greenspace is being added make sure you mention this. This can add value to your home.
These are just some ideas of what you can do as a seller to ready your home for appraisal. We will always offer suggestions on how we can stage your home for free to make it look its best. Give us a call so we can make sure your home is appraised with the true value so that you are in direct competition with other homes for sale in your neighbourhood. Let us help you get your home on the market!