5 Hints for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving constantly. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their appraisal process. All of this is to ensure the end user receives the best data possible. In order to keep up with the constantly changing requirements, Hall Appraisers, Inc. is always testing additional tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. At Hall Appraisers, Inc. we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a few things you can do to decrease turn times when you order an appraisal from Hall Appraisers, Inc..

Are you ordering appraisals online?: By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we got the order.
Complete and accurate subject property information is key.: 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 are helpful data to pass long with the request. Even a list of recent sales from the area is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.
Tell us up front of the property's distinct features.: Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique features 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 characteristics 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. While these are things that we would find out on our own, knowing them sooner makes your report arrive without delay.
Did you make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?: One of the most inefficient tasks of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the current homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with an unknown person looking in every corner of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. With the belief that it will increase the appraised value, many homeowners believe they have to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection. So they reschedule the inspection until it is cleaned.

Coming from you -- someone they have been working with on their loan -- some information 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 go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. I encourage you to point your customers to our website, where we have many pages of useful information for homeowners as well as others about the appraisal process. Tell them to call us if they want to become familiar with the staff and our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment as quickly as possible!
Are you using 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. It's never been faster to keep track of your report's status.