Five Hints for Quicker Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer extra information or have steps added to their process. They do this extra work to guarantee their client has the best data possible. To stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Bradley & Associates is constantly acquiring additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. At Bradley & Associates we know that time is important to everybody, so here are some items you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals you order from Bradley & Associates.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: With online ordering, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Ordering online is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the request.
Verify that the subject property data is accurate and complete.: 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. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.
Are you letting us know up front any characteristics of the property that might make it distinct?: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how details unique to a property add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When you order your report, let us know if there are unique characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive without delay.
What are you doing to make the occupants of the home aware of what to expect?: One of the most tedious steps of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the current homeowner. Many current homeowners are clearly uneasy with the thought an outsider wants to come in their home, look around, and make copious notes. Believing that it will increase the appraised value, a few homeowners think they must make the place spotless before the inspection. So they reschedule the inspection until it is cleaned.

Hearing it directly from you -- the 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 affect their home's value one little bit, and can go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has lots of pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your customers. Have them call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it's to their benefit to set the appointment soon!
Use our website to keep tabs on your report's status.: Phone and fax tag are a thing of the past with 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 easier and faster to keep track of the status of your report.