A Few Hints for Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide extra information or have steps added to their data gathering. All to guarantee their client is presented with the best information possible. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Smith Appraisal Services is always acquiring additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. At Smith Appraisal Services we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a couple of items you can do to lower turn around times on any appraisals ordered with Smith Appraisal Services.

Are you ordering appraisals online?

With online ordering, you automatically receive e-mail confirmations that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. It's the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we got the request.

Confirm that the subject property information is accurate and complete.

There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to 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. Even a list of recent sales from the area is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.

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

Be sure to let us know about the property's unique characteristics.

Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how unique characteristics contribute 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 had a recent addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive faster.

Be sure the homeowner knows the the plan.

Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming steps in the appraisal process. Some current homeowners are clearly apprehensive with the notion a stranger wants to come in their home, look around, and make copious notes. One common belief is that they need to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, under the impression that will increase the value. So they choose to not schedule the appointment until the house is cleaned.

Coming directly from you -- a person they have been working with on their loan -- a little bit about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't increase their home's value one little bit, and likely go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. I encourage you to point your clients to this website, where we have several pages of relevant information for homeowners as well as others describing the appraisal process. Tell them to call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. And tell them it's in their interest to set the appointment promptly!

Our website is a great resource for keeping tabs on 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 each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information is available instantly to you online. There's no faster or easier way to keep track of your report's status.