Home Appraisal Checklist: How to Prepare Your Home, What Appraisers Look For, and What You Can Say

The appraiser's job is an opinion of market value, and most of it rests on comparing your home with recent sales. Inside your house, the appraiser is collecting the facts that drive the adjustments on that comparison: size, layout, condition, quality and features.

• Size, measured to a standard. For loans sold to Fannie Mae, appraisers measure and report above-grade and below-grade square footage using the ANSI Z765-2021 standard, according to the Selling Guide section on the improvements section of the appraisal report. A level counts as below grade if any part of it is below grade, so a walk-out basement is reported separately from the main floors.
• Room count and layout. Bedrooms, bathrooms and how they connect.
• Condition and quality, each rated on a six-step scale, covered next.
• Features buyers pay for: garage, porch, pool, outbuildings, an accessory dwelling unit, view.
• Additions and permits. If an addition lacks a required permit, the appraiser must comment on the quality and appearance of the work and its effect on market value.

An appraisal is not a home inspection. The appraiser does not test the furnace or open the electrical panel the way an inspector does, which is why our guide to the property inspection waiver stresses that skipping one never replaces the other.

UAD condition ratings

Appraisals delivered to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac use the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD), which rates condition from C1 to C6 on an absolute basis, not relative to the neighborhood. The summary below follows the agencies' published UAD condition and quality rating definitions.

Quality is rated separately from Q1, a one-of-a-kind custom home built to exacting standards, to Q6, construction that may not meet local building standards. Homes built from standard plans that can be reproduced many times are typically Q4, and semi-custom or upgraded homes Q3. You cannot change quality in three days; you can change condition. Fannie Mae's guide on property condition and quality also asks appraisers to report the level of updating as not updated, updated or remodeled.

The agencies are moving appraisals to UAD 3.6 and a redesigned report form, which Freddie Mac's UAD and forms redesign FAQs say becomes mandatory for new reports submitted on or after November 2, 2026. The definitions above are the UAD 3.6 versions, and nothing on this home appraisal checklist depends on which form your appraiser uses.

On any home appraisal checklist, the repairs that matter most are the ones that affect safety, soundness or structural integrity. Under Fannie Mae's guide, when an appraiser finds such a deficiency, the property must be appraised "subject to" completing the repair, and a loan on a home rated C6 is not eligible for sale to Fannie Mae until the home is repaired to at least C5. In practice, that can mean a reinspection and a delay to closing. Infestation, dampness or settlement also draw required comments, and the lender then needs proof the problem was fixed or a professional report that it poses no structural threat.

Minor conditions are different. The same guide lists worn carpet, minor plumbing leaks, holes in window screens, missing handrails and cracked window glass as examples of minor conditions and deferred maintenance that generally do not require repair, although the appraiser must still report them.

The cost question is simple arithmetic. As an illustrative example, a $900 roof repair that keeps a home out of a "subject to" condition is cheap compared with a reinspection, a delayed closing and a buyer who starts renegotiating. A $12,000 kitchen refresh in the week before the appraisal is a different bet, because adjustments follow what local buyers pay for a feature, not what it cost you.

Appraisers see what is in front of them and what public records show. They cannot see that the plumbing was replaced last year or that the HVAC system is new unless someone tells them. An appraisal improvements list fixes that, and it is the most useful page in a home appraisal checklist. Keep it to one or two pages:

• What was done: roof, windows, HVAC, water heater, kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, additions, solar, landscaping and drainage.
• When: month and year.
• Cost: what you paid, from invoices.
• Permit: permit number and final inspection date where a permit was required.
• Approvals: for homes in an HOA, the architectural approval letter for exterior changes. Our guide to the HOA architectural review process explains what that approval looks like.

Say you are selling a 1950s ranch in Arcadia, Phoenix (an illustrative example) where you replaced the roof in 2021, the HVAC in 2023 and both bathrooms in 2024. Three lines with dates, costs and permit numbers give the appraiser what is needed to rate the home C3 with confidence rather than guess from the listing photos.

Also bring your latest property tax bill and check the assessor's square footage and bedroom count against reality. If public records are wrong, have your own measurements ready; our guide to condo property taxes explains how assessor records are built and corrected.

Unpermitted work deserves honesty. If you finished an attic in a bungalow in East Nashville (another illustrative case) without a permit, do not describe it as permitted. The appraiser will comment on the quality of the work and its effect on value either way, and a false statement creates a bigger problem than the missing permit.

Appraisal preparation tips often focus on staging, but a home appraisal checklist should put access first. An appraiser who cannot see the attic, crawlspace or mechanical equipment may have to note it, and that can lead to conditions or a return visit.

• Clear the paths to the attic hatch, crawlspace, electrical panel, water heater and furnace.
• Unlock everything: gates, sheds, garages, an accessory unit, and any room that is usually locked.
• Turn utilities and lights on, and replace dead bulbs so rooms photograph clearly.
• Declutter for appraisal so rooms can be measured and photographed. You are not staging for buyers; you are making sure the photos in the report show the condition, not the clutter.
• Handle pets so the appraiser can move through every room.
• Clean visible problem spots, such as old water stains you have already fixed, and keep the repair receipt with the improvements list.

If you own an older house in Ballard in Seattle or in Coral Gables, give the crawlspace or slab edges, gutters and roof a look the weekend before. Those are the places where a leak you never noticed becomes a condition on the report, in any climate.

• Leave the improvements list, permits and any HOA approvals on the kitchen counter.
• Answer factual questions: what was updated, when, and whether the basement floods.
• Let the appraiser measure and photograph without a running commentary.
• If you are the seller, let your agent arrange access rather than attend to make a case on value, the same logic that applies to whether the seller should be present at the home inspection.

The visit itself is usually the short part; report writing takes longer. Our guide to how long a home appraisal takes covers both.

Appraiser independence rules exist so the number reflects the market rather than whoever wants the deal to close. The CFPB's Regulation Z valuation independence rule bars lenders, agents and other covered parties from trying to influence an appraiser to report a minimum or maximum value. The same rule expressly permits asking the appraiser to consider additional, appropriate property information, to explain the conclusion and to correct errors.

Fannie Mae's Appraiser Independence Requirements add a practical layer. Real estate agents and loan officers paid on commission are restricted parties who may not have substantive valuation conversations with the appraiser, although any party may request additional information, an explanation or the correction of factual errors.

If you are the borrower, as in a refinance, the lender must give you a free copy of the appraisal promptly after it is completed and no later than three days before closing, according to the CFPB. If the value comes in low, our guide to what happens after the appraisal covers the reconsideration request and timing. To sanity-check the number yourself, see how to value your house.

A condo appraisal covers your unit, but the building shapes its value. Have the monthly dues amount, any special assessment and the list of amenities ready, and tell the appraiser about updates inside your unit. Our guide to HOA special assessments explains why an assessment changes how buyers price a unit, and a recent reserve study shows the building's repair outlook.

The lender's review of the condo project is a separate step from the appraisal. A buyer using FHA financing also needs the building to meet FHA's rules, which our guide to FHA qualified condos covers. And some conventional loans close with no appraisal at all; our explainer on the appraisal waiver explains when.

This page can be printed. Work through the lists in order.

One to two weeks before

• Fix active leaks, safety hazards and anything that makes a kitchen or bathroom unusable.
• Write the appraisal improvements list: item, month and year, cost, permit number.
• Gather permits, final inspection records and HOA architectural approvals.
• Check the assessor's record for square footage, bedrooms and bathrooms.
• Condo owners: note dues, assessments and recent building repairs.

Two to three days before

• Clear access to the attic, crawlspace, panel, water heater and furnace.
• Replace dead bulbs and confirm all utilities are on.
• Declutter rooms so they can be measured and photographed.
• Walk the exterior: gutters, steps, railings, roof edges, grading.

Appraisal day

• Unlock gates, sheds, garages and any locked rooms.
• Put pets away and leave the improvements packet out.
• Answer factual questions; do not discuss price or the contract.

After the visit

• Borrowers: watch for your copy of the appraisal and check facts such as size and room count.
• Report factual errors through the lender, in writing, with evidence.
• If the value is low, gather better comparable sales and ask the lender about a reconsideration of value.

An appraiser forms an opinion of value and a lender decides what to do with it. If a repair, a permit question or a low value could change your deal, talk to your agent, your lender or a contractor before the visit. For what the building or street is really like, ask the people who live there on Ask a Resident.

Neighbors who sold or refinanced recently know how appraisers treat homes like yours here.

• When you sold or refinanced, did the appraisal come in at, above or below the price?
• Which of your improvements did the appraiser seem to credit, and which did not seem to matter?
• Did anyone's appraisal come back "subject to" a repair, and what was it?
• How long after the visit did the appraisal report arrive?
• Are there common problems in homes like ours, such as roofs, crawlspaces or drainage, that appraisers or inspectors flag?
• For condos: was a special assessment or dues increase pending when you sold, and did it affect the appraisal?
• Did the HOA give you trouble producing architectural approval letters for past work?