A Few Hints for Quicker Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply additional information or have steps added to their process. They do this additional work to guarantee the end user receives the best information to be had. To stay current with the continuously changing requirements, Anderson & Associates is constantly seeking additional tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for in less time. At Anderson & Associates we know that time is important to everybody, so below are a few tips you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals you order with Anderson & Associates.

Order your appraisals online.: By ordering online, you automatically receive e-mail notifications that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. It's the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.
Make sure that the subject property data is accurate and complete.: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily slow down 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. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Tell us up front of the property's unique features.: Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. 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 ordering your report, let us know if there are unique characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we will find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive quicker.
Set proper expectations with the homeowner.: Confirming an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the appraisal process. Many current homeowners are understandably uncomfortable with the thought an outsider wants to come in their house, look around, and take lots of notes. A common belief is that they should make the place spotless before the inspection, having the thought that will increase the value. And will put off the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming from you -- the person they have been working with on their loan -- a little knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't change 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 numerous 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 meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it's to their advantage to set the appointment promptly!
Easily follow the status of your report on our website.: 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 can be viewed instantly online. There's no easier way to keep track of your report's status.