What Not To Tell A Home Appraiser?

Share facts without asking for a target value

The best conversation is simple: you tell us accurately about the home. Describe your improvements, any known issues and the records you have. Leave the final value, and the choice of comparable sales, to us.

Information you can provide

• A dated list of additions, renovations and major repairs.
• Permits, receipts, plans and inspection records you have.
• Known damage, access limits or features that aren't obvious during a visit.
• A sale address or other factual market evidence you think may be relevant.

We decide how the information fits the assignment. Offering us a sale is different from insisting we use it or that it lead to a particular result.

Avoid pressure about the number

Saying "it has to appraise for the contract price" or "get the value as high as possible" asks for an outcome, not an independent look at the home. An online estimate, a neighbor's result or the buyout figure you hope for can't replace evidence about the home itself.

Do explain what the appraisal is for and any reporting instructions. Just don't tie payment or cooperation to reaching a certain value.

Be accurate about repairs and condition

Please don't hide a significant problem or misstate work that was done. If you did a renovation yourself, tell us what you did, when you did it and which permits or inspections you can show. An honest description helps far more than steering around the subject.

If you don't know an answer, say so. And it helps to separate what you saw yourself from what someone else told you.

Allow time for the visit

Ask how and when to share your notes, then give us room to look around and document the property. Questions are fine. Asking over and over for a number during the visit doesn't help the research.

Understand the report relationship

When a lender orders the appraisal, the lender is usually the client. For a private assignment, agree on the client, the intended users and who receives the report before work begins. Ask how confidentiality and sharing the report work for your assignment.

If a finished report seems to have a factual mistake, use the proper review process and send specific supporting information. Keep the request about the evidence, not the result you wanted. If you're not sure how to word it, call us at (302) 298-3336 and we'll help you think it through.