How can I make my house look cheaper to a person who is appraising my house?

Question

I need to make our house look cheaper to an appraiser. I'm trying to help my mom because if we dont and the house is appraised highly my dad can get a LOT of our money. :(

So far we have the shower running just a bit to make it look like its leaking, and boxes everywhere, and we have pretty old furnature.

Any other suggestions? thank you so muchh!!!!!!

to everyone who is not being helpful - especially grannygrunt or whatever the hell their name was - my dad works in business and even though i dont like him i have to admit hes fairly brilliant and has got the numbers so that he gets WAY more than 50% of everything. I know what i am doing, and calling this a "nimrod question" or whatever is just going to make you look like an idiot.

Answer 1

Let the yard "go" and if they come inside have it a little warmer than it is comfortable. Detach the thermostate if you can w/o breaking it so that it says that it is cool but it is "obviously" broken.

Answer 2

There are many things that go into putting a appraisal together. The amount of land that you have, the size of the home, are more along the lines of what the appraiser will be looking at. None of the things that you are thinking of take a part in this as they are fixable damage. Also, the appraiser will look at houses that have recently sold in that area for an idea of pricing. I suggest that you just let the appraiser do his job and what each ends up with be final. Anything else could be worse.

Answer 3

Short of damaging the house which will actually make it less valuable, there is very little that you can do. Appraisers are professional and trained. They will look at the size of the house and lot, the number and type of rooms on each floor, the construction of the house (brick , stone, wood frame, etc) and the condition of the roof. They may check the outside condition of the foundation. Further down the list are the condition of the furnace, hot water heater, central air. The kitchen might be checked for age and condition of appliances. If the appraiser gets to that running shower, he/she might just reach in and shut off the water. Another very big item in assessing a house is the neighborhood. You aren't going to adjust that. As for the "our money", if that money was earned while your parents were married, it is their communal money. Be aware that courts could order the actual sale of a house and a division of the funds.

Answer 4

Well, if your ethics are anything like your mothers I am glad your father escaped! Geesh!

The odds of the appraiser actually entering your home are close to nil and everything suggested here is cosmetic, it won't matter.

The bulk of the appraisal is size of lot and size of house and not much else matters. The value per square foot is arrived at by the value of the homes around it. From there it gets a scale and ends up high or low comparing the build in features. Pool, flooring material, counter material, etc.

Answer 5

Dirty up the carpet or floor, make the kitchen shelves look lopsided, dirty the oven or stove, add hand prints to walls and windows, leave cans of roach sprays around the house and some fly swatters here and there.

Go get a mouse at a pet store and turn it loose in the house while the appraiser is there. Or you can set some mouse traps in corners of kitchen area.

Answer 6

Say that the septic is old. Sometimes the yard smells like farts. Say the furnace is old and electric bills are very high.. The roof occasionally leaks. Also, Crack a few tiles here and there in the bathroom. Let the lawn over grow.

Mention mold too. Lol. Wow, I feel bad for your dad though. Maybe he deserves what he gets though!!

Answer 7

First of all is your mom buying the house from you ? if you and your mom live there and it is her property are you selling it and are they splitting the proceeds or what if you are selling it i am assuming they are splitting the net proceeds but legally your mom nor him will know the appraised value but the contract value your selling it for i need to no more details before i can give you an answer on this that will help

Answer 8

I would say put a view dents and dangs on the wall. Spill a little something on the carpet that you can get up later. Dont let Alot of air in the house for a few days which will make a odor!

Answer 9

Probably what you are planning is going to backfire.
Use common sense and logic, ....................
if your parents are getting a divorce and they plan on splitting half the proceeds (money) from the sale of the house that means your mom gets half and YOU want her to have less of a half if the appraiser gives you a lower appraisal.

In other words
if the appraiser says it's worth :
$100,000.00 that means your mom gets 1/2 or $50,000.00.
If the appraiser gives a lower appraisal
because it's trashed, for example; and appraiser say it's worth:
$70,000.00 your mom gets 1/2 or
$30,000.00
That is $15,000.00 LESS than the higher appraisial.
THINK THIS THING OVER BEFORE YOU DO IT. .................................................
ALWAYS REMEMBER,..........................
IF YOU ASK A NIMROD A QUESTION THEY WILL ALWAYS GIVE YOU AND ANSWER. EVEN IF IT'S WRONG!

Answer 10

tear up the yard, pull up some boards or tiles on the floor, cut up the carpet, knock some holes in the walls. pour some water on a few of the walls to make it look like there is a water leak, pull loose some shingles on the roof, mess up the paint on the outside of the house.