What do Appraisers look for when appraising houses? (agents, value, appraiser)

[Patrissha40]

I'm having my house appraised tomorrow (last minute). I have been out of town for two weeks so my house is a mess right now. I do not have the time to clean it up for the Appraiser who is arriving bright and early in the a.m. What will the Appraiser be looking for in my house? If the house is a mess (not filthy, just cluttered) will that make any difference on the appraisal?

Thanks!!

[Rakin]

Don't be to concerned about normal clutter. That should not take away from the value of the home.

[WendyK]

The appraiser is only looking at the structure, not your housekeeping. They are very good at looking past any "stuff" and seeing the value of the home itself.

[Annemieke Roell]

We are not with Better Homes and Gardens so we don't care about a little clutter.

As pointed out by other posters, we are interested in the general condition of the house and as long as we can see the floors and walls etc, we are good to go.

It becomes a problem when there is so much clutter that we can't observe the condition of the house and when clutter creates pest issues.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by Schousse

We are not with Better Homes and Gardens so we don't care about a little clutter.

As pointed out by other posters, we are interested in the general condition of the house and as long as we can see the floors and walls etc, we are good to go.

It becomes a problem when there is so much clutter that we can't observe the condition of the house and when clutter creates pest issues.

Most appraisers are pretty honest about making an effort to move into rooms and get the actual measurements, but I have seen them through up their hands when they can't get into room to even shoot a laser measurement.

Even boxed clutter that is easy to move is better than having it so that the poor appraiser is unable to set into a room...

[GnosticCyn]

Appraisers look at size, location, structure, and condition. Like agents, they've seen plenty of messy homes. The others are right, as long as there isn't so much clutter that the appraiser can't do their job, you're fine.

[cther]

they look at windows, wall conditions, what kind of moldings, countertops, light fixtures like ceiling fans or above the bathroom mirror, size of rooms, what the floors are made of, bathrooms conditions, the roof and how old it is and the siding on your house and how old it is and what it is. also things like the heating system boiler their condition. size of yard and maybe driveway condition also.. all those things account into how much your house is worth to them.