Some Tips for Quicker Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to present extra information or have steps added to their data gathering. All to guarantee their client receives the best information possible. In order to stay current with the continuously changing requirements, The Appraisal Firm is constantly testing new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since The Appraisal Firm knows that time is important to everyone, below are a handful of things you can do to lower turn times whenever you order an appraisal with The Appraisal Firm.

Always order your appraisals on the Internet.

When you order online, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip alone will save the most time! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

Complete and accurate subject property information is crucial.

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 in the area — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you.

Tell us up front of the property's unique characteristics.

Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique characteristics contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when ordering your report 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. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them early on makes your report arrive without delay.

Did you make the occupants of the home aware of what to expect?

One of the most inefficient tasks of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the occupants of the home. We understand that a homeowner may be uncomfortable with an outsider looking in every corner of their home, taking photos, and making abundant notes. With the belief that it will increase the value, many homeowners believe they need to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. So they reschedule the appraisal inspection until it is cleaned.

Coming from you -- someone they've been working with on their loan -- a little information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't increase their home's value one little bit, and can go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Please feel free to point them to this website, where we have many pages of helpful information for homeowners as well as others describing the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to become familiar with the staff and our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!

Why not our website as a resource to track your report's status?

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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information is available to you online. It's never been easier to keep track of the status of your report.