Appraisers and Roofers

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ28wLbS6_C1rPTk-wGkG4kPRpHUO-cnyBkvZH7tQqoEkw6mdo8wiDmcOVndleWtpn6V4sfxj5jgbKoeSsdOxSgSBIMuroeTDptGN3RIOvnekeFi3n_wBUpricsGVe0HRAFkzwDIbonao/s1600/IMG_2927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ28wLbS6_C1rPTk-wGkG4kPRpHUO-cnyBkvZH7tQqoEkw6mdo8wiDmcOVndleWtpn6V4sfxj5jgbKoeSsdOxSgSBIMuroeTDptGN3RIOvnekeFi3n_wBUpricsGVe0HRAFkzwDIbonao/s400/IMG_2927.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was 7:30 in the morning.  The house was all spic and span and</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the morning sun poured in the front of the house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SztahJj25-QfjnZIVCbdEtBf0aGFfDxpXVlmRZCIrM3lFl3QXt-sknd66Hw9zWFFc2WPWhIEFsdL8nKuNs6ltJlOf_fJ13AwevkF32DHdqXrE5PL8KDoXuNT4AgM_-BYMDxDg7xqKSg/s1600/IMG_2864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2SztahJj25-QfjnZIVCbdEtBf0aGFfDxpXVlmRZCIrM3lFl3QXt-sknd66Hw9zWFFc2WPWhIEFsdL8nKuNs6ltJlOf_fJ13AwevkF32DHdqXrE5PL8KDoXuNT4AgM_-BYMDxDg7xqKSg/s400/IMG_2864.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The yellow paperwhites brought their own sunshine to</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the dining room we all waited for the appraisers to arrive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There had even been a dusting of snow overnight that</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">perfectly covered my missing shingles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Everything was perfect....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...until I looked out the window to see...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-csRnFvMkQs6RLRKsy43Y9x1A-HpEfOJm-z8HV3du2_2zBJ2X2u0TVDzTdhisaEPy8Et_MRJN646V_IFI_JRt7MvihjbkEFL9GmP8iU2CtjF6ZPVJOSSbHzgZwhvXb2NW9E1_AFEb1U/s1600/IMG_2885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP-csRnFvMkQs6RLRKsy43Y9x1A-HpEfOJm-z8HV3du2_2zBJ2X2u0TVDzTdhisaEPy8Et_MRJN646V_IFI_JRt7MvihjbkEFL9GmP8iU2CtjF6ZPVJOSSbHzgZwhvXb2NW9E1_AFEb1U/s400/IMG_2885.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...the roofers had arrived unannounced.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I nearly had a heart attack.  All I could envision was the</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">appraisers arriving to find my roof...</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliYh0KgyvvUdTCJDgmuUL-OVtUmvHDseb1-NXua-AdlUD7gZdn0ozbRVlpBlxLUpqBkjbqaRJzvub5L4oRdbSYUDevjUvteQdOGyJdFm6EZEIeCttvUyYJi6j6CCWc3F_CFxkUOu6qcw/s1600/url.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiliYh0KgyvvUdTCJDgmuUL-OVtUmvHDseb1-NXua-AdlUD7gZdn0ozbRVlpBlxLUpqBkjbqaRJzvub5L4oRdbSYUDevjUvteQdOGyJdFm6EZEIeCttvUyYJi6j6CCWc3F_CFxkUOu6qcw/s320/url.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...looking like this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fortunately, they were just stopping by to accept delivery of the</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">roofing materials.  It would have been nice to have gotten this done</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">before the appraisal but at least they could see that it was actually going</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">to happen in the near future.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The roof was replaced the next day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrApemKVN_rWKTRb_8YwVwCm7GVFA6TsFJkeHRgnY2Wcc9GUd7bo0304uxrPeazzrj1pOgqQYZSElxZsDrZroMuOc-IAL_i9U-eAPHzHpMLpfoKQuih7h0E-JA6aha-HEHfi_TL-rrsXw/s1600/IMG_2622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrApemKVN_rWKTRb_8YwVwCm7GVFA6TsFJkeHRgnY2Wcc9GUd7bo0304uxrPeazzrj1pOgqQYZSElxZsDrZroMuOc-IAL_i9U-eAPHzHpMLpfoKQuih7h0E-JA6aha-HEHfi_TL-rrsXw/s400/IMG_2622.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So here's the before.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlMjvmz6qKhxu83bYOVvOmUvLRBJkXnoeHbixc4N4IgSquALA99iUypMDt_55QzPOh4PLNbCSD4aawvV1TpfF7wsBqUFBosu_a4uFaOeqBd20rRB0PRRmgurAQyHytcAFYLO9YfccK1U/s1600/IMG_2887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlMjvmz6qKhxu83bYOVvOmUvLRBJkXnoeHbixc4N4IgSquALA99iUypMDt_55QzPOh4PLNbCSD4aawvV1TpfF7wsBqUFBosu_a4uFaOeqBd20rRB0PRRmgurAQyHytcAFYLO9YfccK1U/s640/IMG_2887.jpg" width="402" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And here's the after.  It's not a huge impact but it does look a lot better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They also added a ridge vent which will provide better ventilation in the attic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(The shingles are Certainteed architectural shingles in Colonial Gray color.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The appraisal went well I think.  It's hard to judge and a lot of the outcome will</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">be the comparison of my house and its finishes to comparable properties</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">in the neighborhood based on recent sales.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They did say that it was apparent that everything was well maintained</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and that a lot of the finish work looked new.  That subjective data gets</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">offset by the fact  that I don't have a garbage disposal, a dishwasher and</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">a microwave, butcher block counters versus granite, etc. etc. etc.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A porch adds X dollars to the price, a patio adds X dollars</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">and off-street parking adds X dollars.  Good information.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">They did drawings of the floor plans and took photos of only of</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the kitchen and bathrooms, hot water heater and furnace. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not too invasive and it took less than a half hour.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7P_HC2lSF2Sr4hbnnhgW6HTN12A0Ig9r-1OAaShwwV8vdRiBh9Im12OcjEzewAMVq18KctUH7es3mj9BUl0VyzRyM8BCYrgcO_afQJqO5aeGf62OMZhyphenhyphenMqNNv5mu2stEVYxT8eOHjl0c/s1600/IMG_2925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7P_HC2lSF2Sr4hbnnhgW6HTN12A0Ig9r-1OAaShwwV8vdRiBh9Im12OcjEzewAMVq18KctUH7es3mj9BUl0VyzRyM8BCYrgcO_afQJqO5aeGf62OMZhyphenhyphenMqNNv5mu2stEVYxT8eOHjl0c/s640/IMG_2925.jpg" width="616" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't have any concern about where the appraisal will come in but I'm more interested in</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">how the work I've done to the house has affected the value.  I think it's important when you're</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">renovating to know the value of your house as well as understanding your local real estate</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">market.  I don't want to overshoot on installing high end finishes if I won't be able to recoup</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">that investment if I decide to sell the house at some point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Is there another renovation in my future? I don't know.  But it's good to be educated.</div></div>

Appraisers and Roofers

It was 7:30 in the morning.  The house was all spic and span and the morning sun poured in the front of the house. The yellow paperwhites br...

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