What Repairs Are Required for an Appraisal in California?

Life is full of unexpected twists and turns. Some of these are great and offer fulfillment or success. However, others leave you feeling overwhelmed and burdened.

Some situations can even lead to the need to sell your home. It may be an unexpected death in the family, a divorce, or financial issues.

One step to take before a bank will lend to a buyer when you’re selling is getting a home appraisal in California. Unfortunately, this step can be tricky if your home needs significant work.

You may wonder what home repairs will be required after the appraisal. You may wonder if there are any alternatives. 

We’ll be discussing these things in this guide. Continue reading to learn more. 

what repairs are required on an appraisal in california

The Basics of Appraisals in California

Appraising a house is a major step in the home-selling process for most homeowners. A licensed appraiser in the area conducts this service. The appraiser is an expert in home values and must be local.

Local appraisers understand the area and can determine accurate home values in a particular city or neighborhood.

The process begins by when the buyer’s lender hires an appraiser. Next, the appraiser visits the home to conduct an evaluation.

Appraisers are thorough. They analyze all the key components to determine a home’s condition. One of the primary things they look for is if a home has good bones.

Good bones refer to a home’s structural integrity. Is the home built well? Does it have structural issues? 

Your home appraisal will reveal these things. That’s why making repairs is necessary before hiring an appraiser.

But do you need an appraisal to sell your home? The answer is not always, but appraisals do serve several vital roles:

Appraisals Help Understand Home Value

An appraisal is the only bank-approved way to find a home’s value. You can speculate about values by comparing your home to others. Unfortunately, every home is unique, and many factors affect its value. 

An appraisal is helpful if you want to sell your home for an accurate amount. If you don’t make repairs beforehand, an appraisal might require you to make the repairs as a condition of the appraised value. Selling a house that needs work is difficult when using a realtor and the buyer is using a bank loan.

Lending Reasons for Appraisals

Appraisals are also necessary for lending reasons. When buying a home, buyers want to pay the right price. Additionally, lenders want to ensure they make wise loans. 

When refinancing, lenders measure risk levels through appraisals. 

lender required appraisal repairs

Repairs You May Need to Complete

An appraisal is also helpful for determining how to proceed with a home sale. However, should you make home repairs for the appraisal? 

The answer is yes. The home appraisal affects your ability to sell and the price you get. 

But what repairs should you complete? It depends on your home’s condition. Here are some repairs you’ll need to do if your home needs them:

Roof Repairs

An appraiser will look closely at your home’s roof condition. The roof protects the entire house. A roof can negatively affect your home’s condition and value if it’s bad. 

Plumbing

An outdated or faulty plumbing system requires immediate attention. If the plumbing system leaks, water can significantly damage a home’s structure and materials. 

Selling a home with water damage is not easy. Most home buyers avoid purchasing properties with extensive damage like this. As a result, plumbing issues are a problem you must fix before selling a house.

Electrical

A bad electrical system can pose major risks to a home’s safety. Outdated electrical can lead to shorts, which may cause a fire to break out.  

These types of repairs are necessary before an appraiser. However, they’re also very extensive and costly.

Structural Repairs

Property safety also matters. Therefore, appraisers examine a home’s structure. You will need to repair your home if it’s structurally compromised

Repairs You May Need to Complete

The costs of fixing these things can cause financial strain. If you’re in a situation where you need to sell your home quickly, you might not have the necessary funds to pay the repair bills. 

Financial costs are only one challenge of fixing a home before selling it. Another challenge is timing.

Extensive repairs take time to complete. First, they require gathering quotes and hiring a contractor. Next, it takes time for the contractor to work the job in their schedule and complete the work. 

When you combine these challenges, you’re left in an emotionally stressful situation. What should you do? 

Alternative Options to Completing Lender Required Appraisal Repairs

When you find yourself in this situation, you could do what some homeowners do: turn to cash home buyers. These buyers purchase homes as-is.

Selling a house as-is completely changes the way a home sale occurs. It provides a way to sell a house fast in California without stress. It also allows you to sell without making repairs.

The process is simple. You begin by contacting a cash home buyer. Premier Property Buyers is a company in Southern California that purchases as-is homes.

When you contact us, we offer fair offers to homeowners. We don’t require repairs and updates. We won’t require an appraisal either. 

We will buy your house the way it sits. You can benefit from this in several ways:

  • It offers a solution for selling your home
  • You won’t have to invest any money 
  • You won’t have to hire contractors to fix things
  • You won’t have to pay a real estate commission
  • There is no stress involved

The other benefit is that it’s fast. You can close a home cash sale in just a few weeks, solving the problem quickly and effortlessly. 

sell house without appraisals or repairs

Consider Skipping the Home Appraisal in California

Getting a home appraisal in California is essential if you want to sell your home through a traditional sale. However, avoiding this step might be the best option if your home needs a lot of work.

Avoiding the appraisal helps you save money, and there is an alternative way to sell it. 

Premier Property Buyers can help. We provide stress-free home sales in Southern California. This means you can avoid investing money into your home. 

Instead, you can sell your home today as-is. Contact us if you’re ready to sell your home hassle-free. We provide no-obligation cash offers.