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We are refinancing our condo and just learned that they need an appraisal. They said that they will need to take photographs of all of the rooms and the basement. We have refinanced at least twice before and they didn't do a home inspection those times. We have lived in the condo 28 years.
What are they looking for? Do they need that to see the condition of the woodwork, carpets, general upkeep or what? Since it is a condo the basic framework, exterior, and land is the same as all of the other condominiums in the complex.
I'm a little embarrassed but caring for a disabled relative, combined with my own health needs means that our condo is not "white glove perfect" in fact far from it. Will it matter that the house is cluttered (not "hoarding" cluttered just "lived in" cluttered)? Should wetry to do a whirl-wind clean up or doesn't it matter?
Please advise. Thanks.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-20-2013 at 02:50 PM..
Different lenders have different requirements. They don't care how messy it is, how your furniture looks, etc.. Just that the unit itself is in the same condition as stated in the appraisal.
Another reason for taking pictures is to jog my memory. As a rural appraiser I do several inspections in 1 day so I take photos of all kinds of things such as flooring and other detail.
I always tell the home owner that I am not with Good Housekeeping and as long as I can see the floor and the walls I am good.
Good point. Since it is a condo we still have the original brochure that has all of the measurements and type of doors, woodwork, tile, etc. (of course we bought the condo almost 30 years ago so I'm hoping that it is still in the file).
Just an update.
We were able to unclutter a bit before the appraiser came. She was very nice and said that almost everyone had a basement or room that was cluttered so I shouldn't worry about it.
One thing that I wished didn't happen. The day before she came I had to take my husband to the hospital & was there for hours and hours so we missed taking our dog on his usual long evening walk. Just as the appraiser was finishing and leaving (early the next morning) I noticed a huge dog poop on the carpet sort of behind the couch and I'm sure that she noticed it, too. I hope that doesn't get in the appraisal report.
There were cases in the past where unscrupulous appraisers did not visit the property / properly account for the basics of room count. You won't get dinged for not cleaning the place nor do your get any "bonus equity" for being an OCD clean freak...
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Photos are for documentation purposes!
