A Few Tips for Faster Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to include additional information or have steps added to their data gathering. All of this is to ensure their client is presented with the best information possible. To stay current with the always changing requirements, Appraisal Services is always researching additional tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. At Appraisal Services we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a handful of tips you can do to decrease turn times on any appraisals ordered from Appraisal Services.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you automatically receive e-mail confirmations that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip single-handedly will save the most time! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the order.
Make sure that the subject property information is accurate and complete.: Having just one number incorrect on the street address can really add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. And if you have a tax parcel number, plat map number, subdivision name or anything else that uniquely identifies the property, please pass it along. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.
Let us know up front of the property's unique characteristics.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique elements add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's predisposed to flooding. These are things we will find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on will likely make your report arrive quicker.
Be sure the homeowner knows the the plan.: Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the appraisal process. We understand that a homeowner may be uncomfortable with a stranger looking in every corner of their home, taking photos, and making copious notes. Under the impression that it will make the house appraise for more money, some homeowners feel they ought to make the place spotless before the inspection. And will choose to not schedule the appointment until the house is cleaned.

Hearing it directly from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- some knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't affect their home's value one little bit, and can go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has several pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. Have them call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment quickly!
Why not our website as a resource to track the status of your report?: Why are you still playing phone and fax tag when our website offers up-to-the-minute status updates available online, anytime, 24/7? As each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no faster way to track your report's status.