I’ve never personally appraised a home for a higher amount because of the type of mailbox it had, and I’ve never heard of a mailbox actually increasing the market value of a property. Have you ever encountered buyers who purchased a home for more because it had a nice mailbox? Probably not. With that being said, I’ll say in principle that many times a good looking mailbox is often a byproduct of a house that has been well cared for. This isn’t always true, but generally speaking, when a home owner has taken the time to add attention to even the mailbox, usually effort has also been given to the actual house itself. Have you found this to be mostly true also?
While snapping comp photos today in Dixon, CA after inspecting a property I am appraising, I happened upon the mailbox below. I know, a mailbox can be sort of like piece of art, and either you’ll love it or hate it, but my eye caught a hold of this one because of the telephone-pole vibe as well as the metal craftsmanship that was probably custom-designed or maybe even welded by the owner. I thought this was a very creative example of a mailbox and it really fit well with the overall presentation of the home (and sure enough, the rest of this house looks very decent too, which supports my generalization above).
There are certainly many more examples of mailboxes out there. We’ve all seen the chicken mailbox, the duck, the giant brick pillar, or the miniature mailbox that is designed and painted just like the actual house. Have a look at the links below to find out more about what is out there (and even the history behind mailboxes).
Mailbox Links:
- Ugly Mailbox
- “Letter Box” Article on Wikipedia (mailbox history)
- United States Postal Service
- Postal Regulatory Commission
- Free Plans for Building Your Own Wooden Mailbox
- Post Office in Dixon, CA
If you have an additional link suggestion, please comment above. Also, if you have a picture you took of a wild mailbox, email me at ryan@lundquistcompany.com and I’ll post it here so long as it is appropriate.
www.SacramentoAppraisalBlog.com A Mailbox in Dixon, CA: Photos from the Field
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