5 Tips for Quicker Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply more information or have steps added to their research. They do this additional work to ensure their client is presented with the best data available. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Performance Appraisals Inc. is constantly seeking additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for quickly. Since Performance Appraisals Inc. knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed some things you can do to speed up the process on any appraisals ordered from Performance Appraisals Inc..

Always order your appraisals on the Internet.: By ordering online, you receive automatic e-mail notifications that the assignment 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 retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Are you providing complete and accurate data 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 great information to pass long with the request. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.
Tell us up front of the property's unique elements.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. What takes time is analyzing how unique elements add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when ordering 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 prone to flooding. These are things we would find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner makes your report arrive without delay.
Set proper expectations with the homeowner.: One of the most tedious parts of the appraisal process is confirming an inspection date with the homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uneasy with an outsider inspecting every corner of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. Believing that it will make the house appraise higher, some homeowners feel they must make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. So they choose to not schedule the inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Hearing it directly from you -- a person they are working with on their loan -- some 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 time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has multiple pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. They can even call us if they want to familiarize themselves with the staff and our services. And tell them it's to their advantage to set the appointment soon!
Are you using our website as a resource to keep tabs on your report's status?: No more phone and fax tag. Up-to-the-minute status updates are available online, anytime, 24/7. As we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no faster or easier way to keep track of your report's status.