You’ve already made the decision to put your house on the market. You’re now trying to figure out what price buyers will be willing to pay — or how much you’ll be able to make off the sale, in other words. A property appraisal Brisbane is your best bet here, and there’re a few things you can do to ensure it yields the highest possible valuation.

Get it Done Early on

An early appraisal gives you the opportunity to address issues that might put a dent in your home’s valuation. Even if you decide not to make any changes, the information will still come in handy when you’re pricing your home. Think of it as a way to keep unpleasant surprises from cropping up during the pre-closing inspection.

Take Care of Maintenance

While there’s the option of having your home appraised as-is, any fixes you make will be worth the effort. Remember that property appraisal Brisbane in increments of $500; do the math and you’ll see how big an impact a few small defects can have on the outcome of your appraisal. It’s in your best interest to take care of those pending maintenance issues; paint chips, dripping faucets, faulty door knobs, and whatever else have you.

Tidy Up

You’re probably sick of hearing this by now, but it’s worth stressing the need to give your home a thorough clean prior to the appraisal. Pay special attention to areas that might not be on your standard cleaning routine (e.g. basement, garage & cabinet interiors). Also make sure to clean up your gutters and storm drains when cleaning up the exterior. Feel free to hire a cleaning service if you don’t have the time.

Do Your Homework

To a large extent, your home’s appraisal value will be determined by how it compares to similar properties within the area. Checking closing figures for recent sales in your neighborhood will give you an idea of how your place measures up. Most of this information will be on public record, and your real estate agent will be more than happy to provide additional insights. For a good measure, chat up a few neighbors and see if they can shed light on appraisals they might have had done recently.

Make it Easy

There’re a few things you’ll want to do to facilitate a smooth appraisal process. Gather all the relevant documents, communicate properly, and be sure to show up on time when D-Day comes. We should point out that this is by no means an attempt to get on the appraiser’s “good side” or influence their professional opinions. That said, everyone likes to be treated with respect and courtesy. Appraisers also tend to have congested schedules, so making things easy for them is the least you could do.