home appraisal ?

We have three houses and trust me when I say the appraisal has nothing to do with the appearance. They see how big it is, how many beds and baths it has and then compare that with the going rate for comparable houses in your area, mostly on your street or in your housing development. You can have a kick-a$$ lookin' house in a mediocre area and they won't price it higher than the going rate.

Hi Dixie :) When an appraisal is done on a house, such as for a purchase/sale or I would imagine for a refinancing too, they won't be looking at whether your rooms are cluttered or not... so don't worry yourself about that :) Since a mortgage company owns your home until you have paid it off in full, they appraise the asset itself (the building) for mainly structural things that would affect its value (they don't consider the personal possessions of the home's residents). They check the roof, the windows, the foundation, look for things like water seepage, anything that could be dangerous (either to the property itself or to the residents), things of that nature. At least, that's how it's done where I live :)