I recently built a fence around my property—it's half vinyl and half chain link—about two years ago, but I didn't get a permit for it. I'm looking to hire a house appraiser to assess my home's value to help eliminate the PMI on my mortgage. I'm curious: will this unpermitted fence be an issue for the appraiser? Will it potentially boost or lower my property's value?
3 Answers
Just a heads-up, I did hire someone to put up the fence. It didn't exist when I purchased the house, so I'm wondering if that makes a difference.
Generally, appraisers don't worry about whether or not you got a permit for your fence. They're more focused on the structure itself—square footage, number of rooms, that kind of stuff. The fence might not have a significant impact on the appraisal value unless it's super high-end. It's all about the recent sale prices of similar homes in your area.
Honestly, most appraisers won't even notice or care about permits for a fence. They're more likely to look at the overall characteristics of the home rather than specifics like a fence. So, in most cases, it shouldn’t really affect the appraised value either way.
It shouldn't matter much for the appraisal unless they think it affects the property's functionality or safety. They mostly care about permanent structures.