5 Steps to Faster Turn Times

1. Are you ordering appraisals online? By ordering online, you automatically receive e-mail notifications 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 re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
   
   
2. Verify that the subject property information is accurate and complete. Being just one number off on the street address can really add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name are great data to pass along with the request. We even welcome lists of recent sales in the area — however, remember that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.
   
   

	You're always free to contact us if you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you.



3. Are you letting us know up front any features of the property that might make it distinct? Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how unique characteristics add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. At the time you order your report, be sure to let us know if there are unique details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive earlier.
   
   
4. Did you make the occupants of the home aware of what to expect? One of the most time consuming tasks of the appraisal process is confirming an appointment with the current homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with a stranger looking in every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. Thinking that it will increase the appraised value, some homeowners feel they ought to make the place spotless before the inspection and will put off the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.
   
   Hearing from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- some information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't change their home's value one bit, will help move the process along for everyone. I encourage you to point your customers to our website, where we have multiple pages of helpful information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment quickly!
   
   
5. Our website is a great resource for tracking your report's status. No more phone and fax tag. Up-to-the-minute status updates are 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 keep track of the status of your report.