FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We currently service all of Maricopa County and Parts of Pinal County.

There are many steps you can take that are free or don’t cost a lot of money. They offer a huge return on your investment and can drastically improve your appraised value.

• Clean and declutter. Remove clutter by purging unnecessary items, deep cleaning your home, and putting excess furniture in storage.

• Make necessary repairs. Many repairs are cheap to fix and are just a matter of taking the time to handle them. If you’re not handy with tools, watch online videos to learn or ask skilled friends for a favor. A handyman is a cheaper alternative for small projects that don’t require a contractor.

• Enhance curb appeal. Spend the morning pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, and planting fresh flowers. It will make a huge difference in your curb appeal.

• Make a list of recent upgrades. Help your appraiser understand the time and money you’ve invested in your home. They may be willing to factor in recent upgrades and their estimated cost into their appraisal.

• Provide relevant documentation. Show that you’ve complied with local rules by showing floor plans and permits for your renovations. Include warranties on larger items, like an HVAC system or energy-efficient windows, that add value over time.

House appraisal costs vary according to the type of appraisal you need and the size of your home. Our appraisal service fees generally start at $325 and go up depending on the location, size, availability of comps, or other unusual circumstances.

These are the most common factors appraisers look at:

• Condition of the property. A well-kept home will receive a higher value than an outdated home with obvious repair needs. Appraisers factor in the cost of necessary repairs when determining value.

• Size and layout of the home. Size, functionality, and usability are big factors in a home’s value.

• Exterior appearance. Your home’s first impression is its curb appeal. Fresh paint, a groomed yard, and fresh flowers can make a huge difference.

• Recent upgrades. These upgrades can add extra value to your home and give your home an advantage over similar homes. Examples include kitchen remodels, converting a half-bath to a full bath, or adding more bedrooms and bathrooms.

• Comparable sales. The recent sale price of comparable homes in your local area gives an appraiser an idea of what buyers are willing to pay.

Yes, most appraisals require an inspection of both the interior and the exterior of the house. We will need to have access to all of the interior rooms so that we can take photos for the report and the appraisers secured workfile. Photos will not be stored on the cloud or accessible by anyone but the appraiser, so you do not have to worry about seeing photos of the interior of your home on the internet.

One thing you can not do if you are refinancing or buying a home with a loan is order your own appraisal. Why? Because of the home loan. Regulations require the lender be the one to order the appraisal. If a loan is not involved (for example, in the case of an estate appraisal or divorce) you can choose your own appraiser.

Yes, all of our appraisers on staff are Certified by the state of Arizona.

Depending on the size of the home, an appraiser can spend anywhere from 1 to 4+ hours at your home, and additional time at the office completing the appraisal report.

Once the inspection is done, the appraisal is not yet complete. An appraiser now needs to take the information collected from their visit and compile it into an appraisal report with data from your home and comparable home sales and listings, along with a quality rating and a valuation of the home’s worth.

The office work after the appraisal inspection can take anywhere from 2 - 48 hours or more depending on the complexity of the property being appraised.

Many people think that appraisals and inspections are essentially the same thing - but there are some key differences. Both an appraiser and inspector will walk around the house and take a good look at it, but they're each at the house for different reasons.

The appraiser is looking at the value of the home. An appraiser's primary mission is to protect the lender (Fannie Mae, FHA, VA Etc.). Lenders don't want to own overpriced property and that's why the appraisal takes place before the lender grants final approval of the buyer's loan. With that in mind, it's not surprising that appraisers aren't interested in whether or not the house is clean - but they do notice signs of neglect such as cracked walls, chipped paint, broken windows, torn carpets, damaged flooring etc.

While an appraiser is looking at the value of the home, a home inspector is looking for any defects with the home that may cause you financial grief later and educates the buyer about the condition of the home and its major components.

Square footage will affect your home’s assessed value, but more importantly, it has an effect on how much property tax you pay. During the appraisal, we take the time to measure your property to ensure that we have the correct square footage in the report which will result in a more accurate valuation.

If the actual measurements result in more square footage than the county tax assessment office has recorded, using the higher square footage calculation could increase the value of your home. That’s great if you want to sell, but it may also increase your property taxes.

If you believe that the public records are inaccurate, you should contact your local county’s assessment department to request that the data be reviewed.

The process varies by location; some may ask you to file an appeal or submit a grievance.