5 Suggestions for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Every year, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to ensure the end user is presented with the most useful analysis that can be achieved. To keep up with the always changing requirements, Evans Appraisal Services is continuously seeking additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since Evans Appraisal Services knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed some tips you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals you order from Evans Appraisal Services:
  1. Always order your appraisals on the Internet. When you order online, you receive automatic e-mail confirmations that the assignment 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 received the request.

  2. Make sure that the subject property data is accurate and complete. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is helpful information to include with the assignment. We even welcome lists of recent sales in the area — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.

    3. If you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you, don't hesitate to contact us

  3. Be sure to tell us about the property's unique elements. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. What takes time is analyzing how differing elements add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know 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, and it's susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we would find out on our own, knowing them as soon as possible makes your report arrive sooner.

  4. Be sure the homeowner knows the plan. One of the most tedious parts of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with an outsider inspecting every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making numerous notes. A common belief is that they should make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, with the belief that will increase the appraised value . So they reschedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

    Coming from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- a little bit about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't change their home's value one bit, will help move the process along for everyone. Our website has several pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your clients. Have them call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!

  5. Are you using our website as a resource to verify your report's status? 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. There's no faster way to keep track of the status of your report.