Antiques and Jewelry Appraisals questions, answered by experts
Basement bedrooms can count toward your room count and the square footage of your home on an appraisal if they’re fully legal, which means they have proper ventilation and points of egress, as defined by your local building code. Simply partitioning off a space for a bedroom in an otherwise unfinished basement that isn’t a legal living space won’t affect your appraisal value.
A koi pond may add value to your home if it’s a feature sellers are looking for. Like pools, ponds can affect your property value depending on their condition, whether they’re a popular selling point, and how well they’re incorporated into your home’s landscape.
Yes, the age of your home can impact its value. However, age is just one of many factors that will have an effect. An older home may be perceived as needing more work and maintenance, but if you’ve kept up with repairs or done any renovations, this will increase its value. Buyers will also consider the size of the house, location, and how nearby homes are priced. Lastly, value also depends on whether it’s a buyer or seller’s market.
You can be present during a home appraisal, but it’s best to stay out of the appraiser’s way. Make yourself available, but don’t engage or interrupt, and don’t discuss value or your target sales price. If possible, have your agent present in the house instead of being present yourself.
The differences between market value and appraised value depend on the local market, so they can match, or either one can be higher than the other. In a “seller’s market,” where there is an abundance of buyers, market value will likely sit higher than the appraised value because there’s more demand for the low inventory of homes. In a “buyer’s market,” where there are more homes than there are buyers, the market value is more likely to sit below the appraised value to entice buyers.
The Philip, SD homeowners’ guide to antique and jewelry appraisals
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
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