Some useful hints to speed your appraisal along from Appraisal Associates of North Georgia
To appraise a property, an appraiser is legally required to be licensed by the state when the transaction involves any federal financial regulatory agency such as Freddie Mac, Office of Thrift Supervision, and the like.
Contact us if you have any questions about the appraisal process.
To help the appraisal go as smoothly as possible we generally recommend to have these documents, if available, ready for the appraiser:
A plot plan or survey of the house and land (if available).
Records on the latest purchase of the property in the last three years.
Written property agreements, such as a maintenance easement for a shared driveway.
List of personal property to be sold with the building.
Title policy that lists encroachments or easements.
Most recent real estate tax bill and or legal description of the property.
Home inspection reports, or other recent reports for termites, EIFS (synthetic stucco) wall systems, your septic system and your well.
A list of any major home improvements and upgrades, the amount of their purchase and date of their installation (for example, the addition of energy efficiency upgrades or roof repairs) and permit confirmation (if available).
Find copies of the current listing agreement, broker's data sheet and, if the sale is "pending", the purchase agreement.
Any "Homeowners Associations" agreements or, if applicable, condo agreements or fees.
A list of "proposed" improvements if the property is to be appraised "as complete".
When the appraiser has arrived, you do not need to accompany him or her along on the entire site inspection,
but it's helpful be available to answer inquiries about your property and identify any home improvements.
Here are some other helpful recommendations:
Accessibility: Appraisers are very meticulous in their inspections. You should make sure that all areas of the home are accessible, especially the attic and crawl space.
Housekeeping: Appraisers see a lot of homes a year and aren't surprised at seeing a bit of clutter, but they're human
beings too! A good impression can translate into a better home value.
Maintenance: We generally recommend fixing small things like leaky faucets, missing door handles and trim.
FHA and VA Inspection Items: If your borrower is applying for either an FHA or VA loan, be sure to ask your appraiser if there are specific things that should be done before they arrive. Some items they may recommend might be:
having a banister on all stairways,
where paint is peeling it should be scraped and repainted,
eliminating pull-chain lights in areas other than the basement or attic.
