Gearing up for an appraisal from Boivin Appraisals, Inc.

	To appraise a property, an appraiser needs to be licensed by the state when the transaction involves any federal financial regulatory agency such as Fannie Mae, FDIC, etc. Contact us if you have any questions about the appraisal process.

To make your appraisal process go as smoothly as possible we generally recommend to have these documents, if available, ready for the appraiser:

• A survey or plot map of the property and building (if readily available).

• Information on the latest purchase of the property in the last three years.

• Information on any written private agreements, such as a shared driveway with a neighbor.

• List of personal property to be sold with the home.

• Title policy that lists encroachments or easements.

• Most recent real estate tax bill and or legal description of the property.

• Any 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 central air conditioning or roof repairs) and permit confirmation (if available).

• A copy of the current listing agreement with broker's data sheet and purchase agreement if a sale is "pending".

• Any "Homeowners Associations" agreements or, if applicable, condo covenants 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 you should be available to answer inquiries about your property and be willing to point out any home improvements.

Here are a few other tips:

• Accessibility: Appraisers are very detailed in their inspections. Make sure that all areas of the home are accessible, especially the attic and crawl space.

• Housekeeping: Appraisers see quite a few of homes a year and will look past most clutter, but they're human beings too! A good impact can translate into a higher home value.

• Maintenance: We generally suggest fixing small things like leaky faucets, missing door handles and trim.

• FHA and VA Inspection Items: In the case of your borrower applying for either an FHA or VA loan, definitely ask your appraiser if there are additional things that should be done before they arrive. Some items they may recommend might be: having smoke detectors on every floor of the home and especially near bedrooms, removing and repainting where there's paint peeling, eliminating pull-chain lights in areas other than the basement or attic.