Staging and appraisal

Hello,
We would like to get our house appraised so we know if we are able to sell and move. I have been touching up paint and doing a few clean up projects. Do I need to stage the house just to get it appraised? I know we will need to stage for selling but, first we have to make sure we are not "in the hole!"

Thank you!!!

Re: Staging and appraisal

I would. By staging I really just mean de-clutter, take as much stuff off the countertops and surfaces as possible, organize all your closets, and minimize the amount of furniture you have in each room. You don't have to go crazy, but I do think it helps a bit to do these things.

Staging and appraisal

When we refinanced, we had to get our house appraised. Honestly, all I did was much sure the house was clean and our house appraised very well. A lot of the apprasial is based on the bones of your house (# of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc) as well as comparables in the area.

Re: Staging and appraisal

I wouldn't go crazy.

By appraised, do you mean you are hiring an appraiser to come in and do a full appraisal? Or do you mean that you are having a real estate come in to give you a market analysis and value opinion?

If you have an appraisal done, they care mostly about things like lot size, interior square footage, number of rooms (beds, baths, etc). Of course, they do look at the condition of the home in terms of capital improvements (have kitchens and baths been renovated, is there central air? Etc). But an appraiser will not give more value to things like crown molding, nicer floors, etc, and they really don't care about whether your home is decluttered or your closets organized.

Buyers will care, but really a staged, decluttered home will often help in terms of a faster sale, versus adding a lot if value. As a real estate agent, I will make suggestions when I come evaluate a house. I often will give a value range (not an exact dollar amount), and tell sellers that they shoukd do x,y, and z to get to the higher end of the range.

I also partner with an interior designer, and when sellers sign a listing with me, I provide them with a complimentary staging consultation with that designer.

So I wouldn't waste a lot of time and money doing things that may not really help in the long run. I'd talk to a real estate professional first.

Let me know if I can help!

Re: Staging and appraisal

I was told by an appraiser that it will only affect appraisal if things are in disrepair. So touching up is ok. Just declutter, etc.