The appraiser is not coming to your property to find things.  Please understand, however, that if there is something you do not wish the appraiser to see, whatever it is should be taken care of BEFORE the inspection occurs.  You usually have plenty of time to prepare for the inspection, and the observations will include the exterior and interior of your property.  The client, lender, attorney, or appraisal management company tells the appraiser what they want to see, and it is the appraiser’s responsibility to provide the data requested. The lists below will help you to assure that your property shows it’s very best when the time comes:

What the client (lender/bank/attorney) may want to see:

• Pictures of all four (or more) sides of the improvements on your property.
• Pictures of all interior rooms of your property.
• Pictures of any value influencing feature or item, negative or positive.
• Pictures of the crawl space.  Pictures of the attic space.
• A complete narrative comment section that tells the client what the appraiser observes while performing the inspection of your property.

Helpful Hints to Make Sure Your Inspection Goes Well:

• Make sure trash cans, bicycles, excess vehicles, debris, and similar items are put away or out of sight.
• Make sure all rooms are accessible, beds are made, sinks are empty, etc.
• Garage Doors Closed - Always.
• Secure the dogs!  It’s only for a few minutes, and even if your appraiser loves animals they do NOT appreciate being jumped on, car door scratches, or being bitten.
• It is always a good idea to put the toilet seats AND lid down.  You would be amazed at how many pictures of open toilets arrive at your lenders desk each day.