5 Steps to Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Every year, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer extra information or have steps added to their appraisal process. They do this extra work to ensure the end user receives the best information available. To keep up with the continuously changing requirements, Associate Appraisers of America is continuously acquiring new tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. At Associate Appraisers of America we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a couple of items you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals ordered with Associate Appraisers of America.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Online ordering is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.
Confirm that the subject property information is accurate and complete.: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt 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 — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Let us know up front of the property's distinct features.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. What takes time is analyzing how elements unique to a property contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when you order your report if there are unique details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we would find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible is likely to make your report arrive more quickly.
Do the occupants know what to expect?: One of the most inefficient steps of the appraisal process is confirming an appointment with the homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be uncomfortable with an outsider inspecting every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. Under the belief that it will make the house appraise for more money, a few homeowners feel they ought to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. So they choose to not schedule the appraisal inspection until it is cleaned.

Coming directly from you -- someone 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 make it more likely their sale will close, and can shorten the appraisal inspection time. Our website has several pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your clients. Have them call us if they want to familiarize themselves with our staff and services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment soon!
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 is available instantly to you online. There's no easier or faster way to keep track of the status of your report.