Sacramento Appraisal Blog

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What should you do before the appraiser comes?

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It’s always nice to experience hospitality while I’m working. I am thankful when home owners offer me something simple like a warm smile, bottle of water, cup of coffee, fruit or a $10 Starbucks gift card (just kidding on the last one). These things, like cherries pictured below given to me in Sacramento, are definitely not necessary, but they do bring up an important question. What should you do to prepare for an appraisal inspection?

I often get asked about what to do before an appraiser comes over, so here are a few tips for you to consider:

  1. Neat and Tidy:  Clean up the house if you can. Life is full and busy, so if roller skates and video games clutter your home, that’s okay. But if you have a few minutes, tighten things up. If that’s not possible, don’t worry because appraisers are paid to be objective. Why not make a great first impression though if you are able?
  2. Make a List:  Compile a list of any recent improvements to your home and give it to the appraiser when he arrives. Write down bullet points including the date and cost of improvements if you have them. For example, instead of just saying “Bathroom remodel,” say “Bathroom remodel: new clawfoot tub, 16 inch travertine tile, cherrywood cabinetry, Kohler sink, etc… $15,000).
  3. Questions and Space:  Make yourself available to the appraiser for any questions, but give the appraiser a bit of space to do his job. You don’t want to hover over the appraiser during the entire inspection.
  4. Friendly Fido:  Your pets are your best friend, but they may or may not like the stranger (appraiser) in your home, so it’s best to keep your pets in the backyard or garage just to be safe. I actually was bit by a dog a couple weeks ago who was friendly according to the tenant (just not on Mondays apparently).  🙂
  5. Easy Access:  Make sure the appraiser has access to every room in your house. If you have a tenant in one room, have the key during the inspection. If the appraisal is for a loan, the lender is going to want the appraiser to view every room eventually and you may have to pay a re-inspection fee if the appraiser cannot access each room.
  6. Insider Information:  If opportunity arises for you to discuss why you purchased your home and what attracted you to the neighborhood, speak on. This is valuable insight. You may or may not be able to have this type of conversation with every appraiser, but I certainly enjoy hearing these things. Additionally, is there something special or funky about your home? Is it on the historic registry or is there something significant about the architect, builder or location? Hopefully the appraiser is in the know already, but why not share if you have the inside scoop?
  7. HOA, Mello Roos & Other Fees:  If you live in an HOA, have the HOA management company phone number and monthly or quarterly figures available. If there are any other fees you pay as a part of living in the neighborhood, feel free to share that type of information.
  8. Keep your clothes on:  I know it’s freeing to walk around in your birthday suit or Sponge Bob boxers, but just make sure you come to the door fully clothed. I say this from many years of inspections.  🙂

Let me know if you have any questions or other tips. Please know too if you do offer me a gift card, I will decline because it would be a conflict of interest. If you’ve had a recent interaction with an appraiser, what was it like? Was the appraiser friendly and professional or interested in anything you had to say?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Why some locations don’t work for FHA loans

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All locations are not created equal and some properties don’t quality for FHA financing because of location issues. Have a read below directly from FHA’s 4150.2 Handbook, Appendix D. This is important to keep in mind for appraisers, but it’s good for real estate agents too when marketing a property. Are there any gas stations, Superfund sites or any other potential hazards nearby? Could these locations potentially impact the subject property’s ability to quality for FHA financing? You can cure basic FHA condition issues like broken windows and missing dishwashers, but location isn’t too curable, is it? This underscores how important it is to know the local neighborhood market and definitely be aware of the types of commercial properties nearby too.

FHA guidelines require that a site be rejected if the property being appraised is subject to hazards, environmental contaminants, noxious odors, offensive sights or excessive noises to the point of endangering the physical improvements or affecting the livability of the property, its marketability, or the health and safety of its occupants. Rejection may also be appropriate if the future economic life of the property is  shortened by obvious and compelling pressure to a higher use, making a long-term mortgage impractical.

FHA loan specialist Sheri Schmitz says, “As far as location problems, that’s not an issue I run into a lot around here in the Sacramento area.  In the past, I have had to deal with issues such as, defunct gas station next door- what a nightmare- soil tests, engineer certs, underground gas tank issues, etc.  Realistically my only location issues are zoning issues.  Zoned commercial- with a residence- is not going to fly.  For some reason though, I had more issues with locations in a rural area such as Red Bluff than in the greater Sacramento region.” Catch up with Sheri on her website, Twitter or give her a call at 916-605-9722.

What sort of location scenarios might cause a property to be disqualified for FHA financing?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

Is your doggy door an FHA problem?

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We all know pets often need a way to get from the Laundry Room to the garage, but installing a doggy door on a fire door is not a good move to secure an FHA loan. Why is that? A fire door is designed to reduce the spread of fire, but when a pet door is installed in the fire door, the firewall is compromised. If you’ve ever cared to look, there should be a difference between the door to the garage (fire door) and many of the other doors in your home. Whereas bedroom doors are often hollow on the inside, the fire door to the garage is solid because it is designed to stop fire. All things considered, this is a safety issue in the eyes of FHA, so the problem must be cured according to FHA minimum property standards. A small hole may not seem like a big deal, but fire doesn’t discriminate against size, does it?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

How long does it take to complete an appraisal?

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I’ve heard rumblings recently about appraisers taking way too long to complete their work. In fact, last week I had an out-of-state real estate agent call me to talk about what she might do since escrow was scheduled to close, but the appraiser had been sitting on the report for nearly twenty days. Sound familiar at all?

How long does it take? Some appraisal assignments are complex and they may need a matter of weeks to really do a thorough job. But in these cases, the client should know the complexity of the assignment and has probably already agreed to a longer-than-typical timeline or extended the original timeline. For example, I am working on a file right now where the house has had very extensive fire damage, which requires more research on my end. It’s not your “48 hour special” so to speak.

What about standard tract house appraisals though? In my experience most of these can comfortably be handled in 5 business days unless an appraiser is not carrying any other work and can complete them sooner. Remember, appraisers are balancing a number of assignments all at the same time and they need time to coordinate an inspection, research the market and make contact with quite a few local agents. Most of my lender clients tend to want appraisal reports back in seven calendar days (sometimes less), while private parties often expect the same (or more or less depending on their circumstances and the reason for the appraisal).

What about “rush” appraisals? There is a time and place for “rush” assignments because clients need them to post bail, for tax deadlines, court, estate planning, escrow or whatever the reason. I understand that and I bend like a gymnast for clients when needed (like tonight I’m finishing a “rush” assignment). However, I will say in principle a fast job does not necessarily mean a job well done. Call me anal, but unless I’m at the car wash or buying a cup of coffee, I’m not a huge fan of “quick” as a main platform as it can sometimes attempt to compensate for lower quality. Ultimately it seems “quick” is outweighed by things like experience, accuracy, quality, dependability and service. But are appraisals still needed quickly? Yes, of course they are. I think you get my point though.

Tip: In short, if you hire an appraiser to complete an appraisal for you, make sure to ask the appraiser when the report will be in your hands and get it in writing. It may be helpful to understand general timelines as I mentioned above, but make sure to share any deadlines you have and ask the appraiser if those specific deadlines can realistically be met.

What would you recommend for someone to do in a situation where an appraiser is taking way too long to complete a standard assignment?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to posts by email.

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