How Do We Value The Interior Without Seeing It?
You might think that a Desktop Appraisal with no inspection would be blindly looking at a property's quality and condition. We try to limit this as a consideration by asking for pictures and details regarding the property and using MLS photos from a listing if the home is on the market.
We focus heavily on your opinion and input because you may have more information that we might not pick up on even doing an interior inspection. A Desktop Appraisal's use is still limited in uses and may only be used with prior Lender approval.
What Information Should I Give About the Subject?
Information about a property should include factors that affect the marketability of a home good and bad. Of course no two people will see eye to eye on everything from style, quality, condition and features. An appraiser will try to give a fair impartial opinion not only of the value of a property but also the objective items noted. The descriptions and photos submitted will be categorized in general levels regarding quality, condition, views, features and location appeal rather than a home being evaluated based on individual components.
Another important aspect of an appraisal to remember is that the value of a subject home is arrived at by placing the property appraised equal to a comparable home which was recently sold or that was sold near the effective date of the value. The Comparable homes that the subject property will be compared with will have limited photos and descriptions that are provided in Listings so even a handful of photos and general descriptions usually provide sufficient information to get good results.
What Pictures Should I Take?
There are 9 critical pictures to send to an appraiser to : 1) The front of the property from the street. 2) A picture of the street from the front of the property to show any traffic related influence. 3) A picture of the rear of the dwelling. 4) A picture of the Living/Family Room 5) A photo of the Kitchen 6) Two pictures are needed of a bathroom, one of the sink area and one of the shower/tub. 7) A Master Bedroom photo 8) Pictures of recent remodeling/upgrades and or repairs needed. 9) A shot of the view if a property has one that is considered a special feature.
Additional photos are welcomed but these 9 mentioned are the pictures that are used to compare one dwelling against another. The order page a Order FAQ page gives examples of these and other pictures in an appraisal.
Can I Use Old Photos?
Old photos are more helpful than none at all, and in some cases old photos are preferrable. If your appraisal has an older Effective Date then older photos taken around the Effective Date can be beneficial. A common occurrence of such a situation may be when a Date of Death appraisal is ordered and changes have been made to the home since the death or when the dwelling has been sold and the individual ordering the appraisal no longer has access to the home. Another situation where this happens is in a Divorce Appraisal and a value is needed at the time of separation rather than a current value. If older photos are not available in the case of older Effective Dates a description can be made instead. If a current value is needed then updated pictures are sought.
How Do I Send or Upload Pictures?
Old photos are more helpful than none at all, and in some cases old photos are preferrable. If your appraisal has an older Effective Date then older photos taken around the Effective Date can be beneficial. A common occurrence of such a situation may be when a Date of Death appraisal is ordered and changes have been made to the home since the death or when the dwelling has been sold and the individual ordering the appraisal no longer has access to the home. Another situation where this happens is in a Divorce Appraisal and a value is needed at the time of separation rather than a current value. If older photos are not available in the case of older Effective Dates a description can be made instead. If a current value is needed then updated pictures are sought.