Some Tips for Shorter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their data gathering. All of this is to guarantee the end user gets the best information possible. To stay current with the always changing requirements, Alliance Appraising LLC is always researching additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Alliance Appraising LLC knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a few items you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals you order from Alliance Appraising LLC:

Always order your appraisals online. With online ordering, you get 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! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the order.
Complete and accurate subject property data is key. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily slow down an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name are helpful data to pass along with the request. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — 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.


	If you have any questions about your property or an appraisal we're working on for you, feel free to contact us

Be sure to tell us about the property's distinct elements. Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how characteristics unique to a property add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when you order your report if there are unique elements 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 susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them sooner will likely make your report arrive faster.
What are you doing to make the occupants of the home aware of what to expect? Confirming an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming steps in the appraisal process. Many homeowners are clearly uneasy with the notion that an unknown persons wants to come in their home, look around, and take lots of notes. With the belief that it will make the house appraise for more money, a few homeowners believe they ought to make the place spotless before the inspection and will reschedule the appointment until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- a little bit about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make a significant difference in their home's value, will help move the process along for everyone. I encourage you to point them to this website, where we have several pages of useful information for homeowners as well as others about the appraisal process. They can even call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it's in their interest to set the appointment promptly!
Use our website to keep tabs on 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. It's never been easier to track the status of your report.