5 Hints for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving constantly. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply additional information or have steps added to their research - all to ensure the end user gets the most useful information. To stay current with the always changing requirements, 48 Hour Turn Around is always seeking new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since 48 Hour Turn Around knows that time is important to everyone, below are a couple of tips you can do to speed up the process on any appraisals ordered from 48 Hour Turn Around:

Are you ordering appraisals online? By ordering online, you receive automatic e-mail notifications that the request 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 retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the request.
Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property? Being just one number off on the street address can really 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. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — however, remember that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.


	You're always welcome to contact us if you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you.

Be sure to let us know about the property's distinct features. Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how details unique to a property contribute 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 characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive without delay.
Set proper expectations with the homeowner. Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming steps in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uneasy with a stranger inspecting every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making copious notes. Some think they need to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, under the impression that will increase the value and will reschedule the appointment until they can get around to cleaning.

Hearing it directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- some information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't affect their home's value one bit, will help move the process along for everyone. I encourage you to point your clients to our website, where we have lots of pages of relevant information for homeowners and others regarding the appraisal process. They can even call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment as soon as possible!
Are you using our website as a resource to keep tabs on 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information is instantly available to you online. It's never been easier to keep track of your report's status.