A home appraiser’s role is to determine a home’s value by investigating the property’s location, square footage, condition, number of rooms, and any renovations or additions. They will also look at recent sales of similar homes in the neighborhood. So, what are some of the key external factors they’ll consider? Like many parts of a home appraisal, much of this is beyond your control including The location: Everything from nearby schools to the proximity to employment opportunities gets factored in here. An appraiser will also consider things like entertainment (is there a movie theater or restaurants nearby?) as well as the likelihood of any impact from a natural disaster (say, if it’s in a flood zone). Land use: If you look at the neighborhood, is it suburban, rural or urban? What percentage of the land is used for homes vs. businesses? Are there a lot of wide open spaces (parks, etc.) or is it very dense? The size of your lot. Access to public utilities, parking along with any recent sales in the area.

So if you’re thinking of selling your home you want it to be presented in its best possible light to potential buyers. You don’t have to hire a professional home stager and buy all new furniture to get the look buyers love. I’m going to go beyond the obvious tips about staging your home to sell that you’ve all heard before – clean like a crazy person, pack up half of your clothes to make the closets look bigger, put away all the knick knacks and clutter, clean off the counters, and stick any extra pieces of furniture that make your rooms look small out in the garage or in storage. Don’t put furniture in front of doors that lead out to the backyard or deck. So without further ado, here are seven small details when staging your home to sell that have a great impact with minimal effort and/or money. 1) Let the sunlight in; 2) Make your bathrooms look like a hotel; 3) Turn on all the lights; 4) Give the kitchen a facelift; 5) Ditch the rugs; 6) Set the temperature; 7) Rearrange your furniture.

The top three reasons that a house does not sell are: 1) It is in poor condition; 2) The house is priced too high; 3) The immediate surroundings, general area, or housing market may be a bit depressed. Sprucing up areas that need improvement generally pays for itself, especially in areas of higher-priced homes. Unfavorable home inspection reports have and will pour cold water on many a hot deal. Not everyone has the mentality to fix up a house – they may consider pricey adjustments for repairs out of their league. Making the effort to get your home in top condition eliminates these loopholes. And don’t expect top dollar for your home if it is not in the right neighborhood. You’ve heard it said, “location, location, location.” A good location commands a high price when it comes to real estate. Houses appreciate faster in a good market and decline slower in a bad market when they are in better communities. Better communities have better schools and amenities and your neighbors generally are working professionals. If the housing market is hot, houses sell fast. If not, there is a longer wait for the average house to be sold.