The hundreds of checkboxes and data fields that make up a home appraisal report are enough to make anyone’s eyes glaze over. But together, all of the inputs determine the fate of your home sale, so get ready to put on your thinking cap and readers.

“When I go on a listing appointment, if people seem like they’re being unrealistic about the list price, I bring up the appraisal,” said Al Urban, a top-selling agent in Kansas City, MO. “The appraisal has to come in at least at the sale price.”

The report, which will contain the appraiser’s opinion of value and the factors they used to come up with that number, could hold the keys to why your home didn’t appraise or reveal opportunities to add value to the house. Let’s review each section of the report and its applications so you can approach it with the literacy of an informed homeowner, if not an amateur appraiser.