{"id":15228,"date":"2020-03-06T13:02:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T21:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=15228"},"modified":"2026-04-05T21:35:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T04:35:50","slug":"how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal, According to Actual Appraisers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s very common for people to believe that their house has to look like it does on HGTV to appeal to an appraiser,\u201d says Chris Norton<\/a>, a top-selling real estate agent in Trenton, New Jersey. But that\u2019s a myth. In fact, your efforts to tackle a full makeover of your house could backfire (you won\u2019t recoup your spend on most major home-remodeling projects<\/a>). Instead, we\u2019ll show you how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects, some of which require no demolition at all.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
Source: (Haikal Omar \/ Pexels)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. Investigate neighborhood trends, then update your house to match the area<\/h2>\n

Homeowners tend to get laser-focused on their own property, when they should take a look around at the competition instead, explains San Diego appraiser Sidney Loiseau<\/a>. In his decade-plus of experience appraising homes, he finds this to be one of the most commonly overlooked \u201cprojects.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before an appraiser even steps foot on your property, they\u2019ll gather a list of comps<\/a> to compare your home. They\u2019ll use the price of similar homes sold nearby, and adjust based on features and qualities of your home. If homes in your area are selling with new hardwood floors, updated appliances, and fabulous curb appeal, you should consider taking on similar projects to fetch the same value. \u201cHow the market reacts to that property is a direct correlation of how they\u2019re going to react to your home,\u201d says Loiseau.<\/p>\n

So spend a few Saturdays browsing the area \u2014 online and in person. Take notes on what you see. Updates, features, and finishes common for your area should serve as a roadmap for making improvements to your own home. If you don\u2019t shop the competition, you could be missing out on trends and projects that attract high appraisal value in your area.<\/p>\n

2. Improve your curb appeal and take amazing care of your yard<\/h2>\n

\u201cThey say don\u2019t judge a book by its cover, but we all do,\u201d Loiseau says, speaking for the appraiser community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I see the curb appeal of the property is well put together, then I can assume the rest of the house will follow suit.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A good first impression is hard to beat, and curb appeal can return more bang for your buck than nearly any other project. You don\u2019t need fancy topiaries or expensive fountains to make a difference, either. Simply keep the yard manicured and tidy (if you\u2019re dealing with bare patches, grubs, brown spots, or weeds, consult HomeLight\u2019s guide to fixing up a troubled lawn<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Add a few low-maintenance shrubs, trees, or bushes to the property<\/a>, and mulch your garden beds liberally. 75% of top real estate agents across the country agree that homeowners who invest in landscaping can increase the property\u2019s overall value by 1% to 10%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Mike Ford<\/a>, a Southern California-based general-certified real estate appraiser since 1986, you can\u2019t necessarily put a price on curb appeal through quantitative appraisal methods<\/a>, but appraisers do take it into account qualitatively when reconciling that final value. Just make sure you turn off the sprinklers for the appraiser\u2019s onsite visit and avoid watering the lawn right before they arrive. They\u2019ll need to assess the outside of the house and would like to avoid tracking mud into your home in the process.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Source: (Digital Buggu \/ Pexels)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. Update your flooring for a consistent flow between rooms<\/h2>\n

Your flooring sets the tone for your entire home, and when in doubt, hardwood is king. The National Association of Realtors 2019 Remodeling Impact Report estimates a 106% ROI on new hardwood flooring in a home<\/a>. If you\u2019re lucky enough to already have hardwood but your boards are scratched and dinged, you can refinish them for $2,600 to fetch a 100% return on investment<\/a>, according to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.<\/p>\n

The Uniform Residential Appraisal Report<\/a> asks appraisers to specify the materials and condition of the floors. \u201cThere\u2019s an expectation of some type of finished flooring,\u201d says Ford. If he can see the carpeting tack-strips<\/a>, for instance, \u201cI\u2019m certainly making some notes in regard to the flooring. Likewise, carpeting that is visibly worn or has a noticeable odor, such as from pets, mold, or smoking, \u201ccan be a real impediment to value,\u201d Ford says. Market conditions and your price point will determine how much an appraiser knocks off.<\/p>\n

Whatever flooring style you go with, choose the same look throughout the home. \u201cPeople want to see a flowing house, with consistent flooring throughout,\u201d says Loiseau.<\/p>\n

4. Compile a comprehensive list of upgrades<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019ve put time and energy into upgrading your home, now\u2019s not the time to be modest. Don\u2019t assume the appraiser will notice every fixture updated or siding replaced. Instead, provide the appraiser with a comprehensive list of upgrades you\u2019ve done in the last four years. Include dates of projects and the associated costs.<\/p>\n

You can guarantee an experienced appraiser will do their research beforehand \u2014\u00a0which includes pulling your property\u2019s MLS listing. That means including specifics, like finishes and new appliances, will give the appraiser a full picture of what to expect and an idea of how they can price updates before they\u2019ve set foot on your property. \u201cI honestly believe the lion\u2019s share of the appraisal work is done ahead of time,\u201d says Norton. \u201cThey\u2019re looking for surprises on the property.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
Source: (Fran Hogan \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5. Get a pre-listing inspection to tackle deferred maintenance<\/h2>\n

When Loiseau works on appraisal consulting projects, he likes to throw clients a curveball when it comes to increasing appraised value: \u201cI always tell people to get a home inspection report<\/a>. It\u2019s going to help you identify big and small problems on the property.\u201d<\/p>\n

A pre-listing inspection can increase a property\u2019s value because it uncovers issues with that home that were previously invisible to the owner. That might lead you to make a decision like repairing the roof (which a buyer could ask you to replace before they\u2019ll close on a home) rather than splurge on that fancy backsplash for the kitchen which the new owners might gut upon move-in anyway.<\/p>\n

6. Fix chipped and peeling paint<\/h2>\n

While an appraiser doesn\u2019t care whether your house is red, blue, or orange (i.e., the color of your paint) they will pay attention to the condition of your paint. Is it chipped, peeling, or otherwise not as it should be? Chipped or peeling paint, especially on the exterior of your home, can invite wood rot and other structural issues and is especially problematic on homes built before 1978 when people still used lead-based paint.<\/p>\n

An appraiser isn\u2019t going to know whether your home contains lead paint or not. But they will have to note that it’s in bad shape for certain loans (such as FHA, VA, and USDA) and then you\u2019ll be required to have it properly fixed<\/a> by scraping the surface and applying new paint, according to Riverfront Appraisals, a 5-star appraisal firm in Kentucky. This can be the case for conventional loans, too.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re under a time or budget crunch, you don\u2019t need to repaint the entire home, \u201cJust touch things up where you know you need to,\u201d Loiseau says.<\/p>\n

Header Image Source: (Frans Van Heerden \/ Pexels)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Find out how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":15235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[320,242,322],"tags":[780,729],"class_list":["post-15228","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-add-value","category-home-appraisals","category-logistics","tag-how-to-increase-home-value","tag-preparing-for-the-appraisal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Can You Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Find out how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal, According to Actual Appraisers\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Find out how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-06T21:02:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-06T04:35:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal-head1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Emma Diehl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Emma Diehl\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Can You Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal?","description":"Find out how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal, According to Actual Appraisers","og_description":"Find out how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2020-03-06T21:02:06+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-06T04:35:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1500,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal-head1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Emma Diehl","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@gohomelight","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Emma Diehl","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/"},"author":{"name":"Emma Diehl","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f95759e8ccf4bbece5709ff886a99361"},"headline":"How to Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal, According to Actual Appraisers","datePublished":"2020-03-06T21:02:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T04:35:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/"},"wordCount":1259,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal-head1.png","keywords":["How to increase home value","preparing for the appraisal"],"articleSection":["Add Value","Home Appraisals","Logistics"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/","name":"How Can You Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal-head1.png","datePublished":"2020-03-06T21:02:06+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-06T04:35:50+00:00","description":"Find out how to increase your property value for an appraisal by focusing your time, energy, and money on a few key high-impact projects.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal-head1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal-head1.png","width":1500,"height":800,"caption":"Source: (Frans Van Heerden \/ Pexels)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-to-increase-property-value-for-appraisal\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Increase Your Property Value for an Appraisal, According to Actual Appraisers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America's Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/f95759e8ccf4bbece5709ff886a99361","name":"Emma Diehl","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3aa766f934096d77906b841a54653e094328cfd91dc22ae182564b64a5a994a?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d3aa766f934096d77906b841a54653e094328cfd91dc22ae182564b64a5a994a?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Emma Diehl"},"description":"Emma's work has been featured in Huffington Post, NPR and XOJane. When she's not combing her neighborhood for open houses, she's writing about technology, real estate or data.","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/emma-diehl\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15228","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15228"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15228\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15228"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15228"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15228"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}