5 Suggestions for Faster Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply extra information or have steps added to their appraisal process. All of this is to guarantee their client gets the best data. In order to keep up with the continuously changing requirements, Appraisals Excel Corporation is constantly seeking new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. At Appraisals Excel Corporation we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed a handful of items you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals you order from Appraisals Excel Corporation:

  1. Always order your appraisals on the Internet. With online ordering, you get automatic e-mail confirmations that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Ordering online is 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 order.

  2. Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property? 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 include with the request. Even a list of recent sales in the area is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

    3. You're always free to call us at 562-245-0564 if you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you.

  3. Are you telling us up front any characteristics of the property that might make it distinct? Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how differing elements 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 elements of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we would find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on makes your report arrive earlier.

  4. Does the homeowner know what to expect? Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the appraisal process. Many homeowners are justifiably uneasy with the fact that an outsider wants to come in their house, look around, and make numerous notes. Not uncommonly they think they must make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, with the notion that will increase the appraised value and will reschedule the appraisal inspection until it is cleaned.

    Coming from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- a little information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't increase 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 lots of pages of useful information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. 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!

  5. Why not use 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 available to you online. It's never been faster to keep track of your report's status.