Selling your home? The new appraisal sees more. Here’s how to get ready.

01

What the appraiser will document

The appraiser is now required to photograph every kitchen, every bathroom, the bedrooms and main living areas, and any recent updates.³ Each kitchen and bathroom is described on its own: how updated it is, roughly when the work was done, and its condition.⁴ The interior and exterior of your home get separate condition ratings.¹

The report also captures details the old forms mostly left to comments. The appraiser estimates the age of your roof. A garage turned into a game room or office is reported as converted area.⁴ Finished rooms where the ceiling falls under seven feet across most of the space, like many bonus rooms over garages, are reported separately as nonstandard square footage.⁵ Guest houses get their own section.¹ Any defect, damage or deficiency is logged by location, with a note on whether it affects the soundness of the house and a recommended action.⁴

02

Your rating outlives your sale

This is the change we want every seller to understand. When your home sells, the condition and quality ratings on that appraisal stay attached to that sale. If your house is rated a C4, it remains a C4 every time an appraiser uses that sale as a comparable.⁶

In Northwest Dallas, your sale becomes part of how your neighbors’ homes are valued for years, and their sales shape yours the same way. The rating scale itself did not change, but its definitions were rewritten to make the lines between ratings clearer.¹

03

How to get ready

Start with a written list of every improvement you have made, with the year. Kitchens and baths matter most, because the new report asks when they were updated. Pull your receipts, contractor invoices and permits, especially for additions, garage conversions or anything structural.

Know your roof. Plenty of Dallas homeowners have replaced a roof after a hailstorm. Find the date and the invoice, and the insurance paperwork if there was a claim. If you have impact-resistant shingles, owned solar panels or an energy rating, keep that documentation ready too, because the report has a place for each. Leased solar is reported differently from owned, so know which you have.⁴

Fix deferred maintenance before you list. Small items can be appraised as is, but anything that affects safety, soundness or structural integrity has to be repaired before your buyer’s conventional loan can be sold to Fannie Mae.⁶ It is far better to handle that on your schedule than under a lender deadline.

Finally, treat every room as if it will be photographed, because it will be. That includes the bedrooms and the guest room you use for storage.

04

Square footage deserves a second look

The new report measures to a national standard (ANSI) and separates standard living area from nonstandard, below-grade and unfinished space.⁵ The result may not match your county tax record or an old listing. We price from the house, not the tax record, and our listings include 2D floor plans, which helps settle the square footage conversation before an appraiser ever arrives.

05

Where we come in

This is where a good listing agent earns their keep: an update sheet for the appraiser with the improvements, dates and documentation behind your price. The new report has a place for that detail, so the preparation shows up on paper.

Thinking about selling in the next year? Start with a conversation, or request a pricing opinion. We would rather walk your house with you now than read about it in a report later.