If he’s good at what he does, he will walk around the entire car to get an overall view of the body and paint condition of the vehicle, also checking the tires for tread wear.
He’ll then check the currency of your tags, inspection, registration, he’ll inspect the windshield and all the glass for any cracks, chips, or blemishes.
He will check the fluids, open all the doors, hood, and trunk. He’ll look inside the vehicle for cleanliness, he will make sure every button and switch works. If your vehicle has a navigation system, DVD player, or CD, he’ll make sure they operate correctly.
He’ll then scan the vehicle identification number (VIN) with his smartphone and check its history with a company such as AutoCheck Vehicle History Reports to make sure the vehicle’s title history comes back clean.
Most of these smartphone programs will also tell the appraiser about the current used car market and some average current values on the vehicle he’s appraising.
As the appraiser goes through his inspection of your car he’s looking for certain “red flags” like paint lines, wrench marks on nuts and bolts, a sputtering engine, misaligned carpet, low fluids, etc.
If he finds one of these “red flags,” he will look a little deeper into the area to see if he can find anything else he can use to devalue the vehicle.