Some Tips for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving constantly. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer extra information or have steps added to their data gathering. They do this extra work to guarantee their client has the best information to be had. To keep up with the continuously changing requirements, All-Star Appraisers is constantly acquiring new tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since All-Star Appraisers knows that time is important to everyone, below are a handful of items you can do to hasten the process each time you order an appraisal with All-Star Appraisers.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: By ordering online, you receive automatic e-mail notifications that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is good information to include with your request. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.
Are you letting us know up front any elements of the property that might make it unique?: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. What takes time is analyzing how characteristics unique to a property add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When you order your report, let us know if there are unique characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as soon as possible makes your report arrive without delay.
Do the occupants know what to expect?: One of the most time consuming tasks of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the occupants of the home. Some current homeowners are justifiably uneasy with the fact an unknown persons wants to come in their home, look around, and take numerous notes. Having the thought that it will increase the appraised value, many homeowners think they need to make the place spotless before the inspection. So they reschedule the appraisal inspection until it is cleaned.

Coming from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- a short explanation 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 shorten the appraisal inspection time. Our website has lots of pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. Encourage them to call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!
Are you using our website as a resource to follow 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 is instantly available to you online. It's never been faster and easier to track the status of your report.