Homeowners seek the highest home appraisal for many different reasons. Perhaps they’re looking to sell, or maybe they’re interested in refinance. It could be plain old curiosity, or it could be for insurance purposes. Regardless of motive, the endgame stays the same: the higher the property is valued, the better for the property owners.

It turns out there’s more to getting the best appraisal possible besides the numbers of rooms, baths, and windows. Changes from one day to the next can vastly alter the outcome of a certified appraisal by tens of thousands. Luckily, these changes can be harnessed in the homeowner’s favor:

Maintain functionality

Rule numero uno for getting the highest appraisal possible is to ensure the two pillars of home improvement are upright: things meant to change can be changed, things meant to stay constant stay constant. Lights, garage doors, kitchen sink sprayers, and windows ought to all be in working order. Anything on the fritz or otherwise not functioning will lead to severe docking of property value.

Maximize space

The fewer pieces of furniture per room, the more spacious the environment. With that said, the right furniture makes all the difference in fulfilling a space’s potential. For homeowners making plans to put their house on the market, a carefully chosen couch can lead to a room looking bigger and appearing fresher, resulting in a better appraisal. Using a furniture customization tool, homeowners can easily configure the perfect sofa online before purchase. This allows for finding just the right fabric, color, and style to illuminate a room without overcrowding it in the process.

Mow the lawn

Appraisers are known to take yard quality seriously. It speaks volumes about a homeowner’s likelihood of maintaining the building proper. Not to mention it simply means the quality of the overall property is less than ideal. Mowing the lawn weekly and keeping it free of debris and weeds will increase an appraisal by hundreds, even thousands of dollars.

Keep it clean

Some aspects of an appraisal are mostly out of our hands. While neighborhood data is nearly set in stone, there are still plenty of simple measure one can take to boost an appraisal. One is keeping a clean house. Similar to yard maintenance, a squeaky clean home speaks volumes about the owner’s care and consideration of their property. This tells appraisers the home itself is likely well taken care of, which equates to increased value.

Upgrade fixtures

Replacing door knobs, faucets, light switches, and other seemingly low key fixtures is a clever way to make property value soar on the cheap. These shiny, crisp elements spark rejuvenation in kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms without requiring heavy investments of time and money. Homeowners can expect to see extra estimated property value with little more than a few hours of home improvement work around the house, max.

Getting the highest appraisal value for a home is important in many situations. However many homeowners are surprised at how wide the pendulum can swing depending on seemingly irrelevant, temporary factors. It turns out keeping a house clean, its yard well maintained, utilizing space and making simple upgrades can greatly change the result of an appraisal. Taking care of these factors will ensure homeowners get the best estimate of value of their house.