My New Blog

I get asked this question several times a week so I decided to outline a few things that make my job, and that of other appraisers a little easier.

Depending on the size of your home a typical appraisal inspection should take approximately twenty to sixty minutes. 

My routine is as follows:

First I will take photos and measure the exterior of the home.  Next I'll go inside and normally start on the top level of your home.  A 1.5 or 2 story dwelling may require some interior measuring, a one story home generally will not require measuring on the interior.  I will make notations of all the rooms and locations for the sketch, then walk back through and take individual notes on each room.  Some lenders require interior photos and sometimes I will elect to take photos to give the reader a better idea of the home's quality or condition.  The last step in my appraisal process is to take a minute to discuss any updates or improvements recently made to the property or ask any questions I may have about the property.

What can I do to get ready for the appraiser?  

1.Work with the appraiser on appointment times.

We make every effort to accommodate clients to meet reasonable appointment times. Of course, we are restricted by daylight hours and when rates get lower or the real estate sales market is booming, our flexibility can be decreased somewhat.  A lot of people worry about clutter and want to take a few days to clean house.  Clutter alone need not be a concern and will not affect your appraisal.

 2.Large dogs should be handled by owner/occupant and not left unattended while the appraiser is trying to measure the house.  This is not normally a problem but, if you know your dog is likely to pester new people, it would be a good idea keep the dog occupied so the appraiser can do his/her job.

3.Improvements to property.

If you have made significant improvements since purchasing your home or in the past couple of years, take some time and write them down.  I will normally ask this question at the time of the appraisal inspection and more often than not, the homeowner will call me back after I have left to tell me of other improvements they forgot to tell me about.  I suggest writing down any improvements or updates before the appraisal inspection and provide a copy to the appraiser for reference when she/he is assembling your appraisal report. 

 Hopefully this will give you an idea of what to expect and how you can make your appraiser's job a little easier.

Well, the new values are in and the only feedback I have gotten so far from my fellow Wake County residents is that they are all too high.  I might agree with some of you, however, land has appreciated substantially in our area.  There are many things that could lead to an inaccurate tax assessments of your home.  The information the county already has in the database being incorrect is the most common problem I see on a regular basis.  Most commonly, the incorrect information is the size of the home.  Substantially too large or too small.   

Most homes in subdivisions seem to be fairly close to the market value, not taking into consideration condition.  The condition of a property is sometimes overlooked by the appraiser's in the tax office, as they do not reinspect properties on a regular basis.

The homes that seem to have taken some of the largest increases, are homes that were once on the fringes of cities & townships.  This is especially true where you have larger parcels of land being bought for development purposes at very high per acre costs.  The remaining homes in the area, on somewhat larger than typical sites, are calculated based on this same high, per acre figure.  This is not always an accurate way of calculating land value, as it may take two or more sites being combined in order to get the full highest & best use of the land as used for development. 

 In cases like these, it may be a good idea to get an appraisal in order to get a more accurate estimate of market value to give to the assessors office.