A Few Tips for Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to present additional information or have steps added to their appraisal process - all to ensure their client receives the best information that can be achieved. In order to stay current with the continuously changing requirements, ValPros is continuously researching additional tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since ValPros knows that time is important to everyone, below are a few tips you can do to hasten the process when you order an appraisal from ValPros:

Are you ordering appraisals online? When you order online, you receive automatic e-mail confirmations that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip single-handedly will save the most time! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we got the request.
Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property? Being just one number off on the street address can really add unnecessary time to 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 sales in the area is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.


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

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 home. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how characteristics unique to a property contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition built on, 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 soon as possible will likely make your report arrive quicker.
Let the occupants know what to expect. Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming parts in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with an outsider inspecting every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making lots of notes. A common belief is that they should make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, thinking that will make the house appraise for more money and will put off the inspection until the house is cleaned.

Hearing from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- a little knowledge 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. Please feel free to point your clients to our website, where we have multiple pages of relevant information for homeowners and others describing the appraisal process. Encourage them to call us if they want to familiarize themselves with our staff and services. Remind them it's in their interest to set the appointment without delay!
Use our website to track 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 each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no faster or easier way to keep track of your report's status.