Five Tips for Faster Turn Times

The appraisal profession is always evolving. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer more information or have steps added to their appraisal process. All of this is to guarantee the end user has the best information available. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Triangle Residential Valuations is always acquiring additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. Since Triangle Residential Valuations knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a handful of things you can do to trim turn times on any appraisals you order with Triangle Residential Valuations.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you automatically get e-mail acknowledgements that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Ordering online is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we received the order.
Verify that the subject property data is accurate and complete.: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to 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. 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 differ from yours.
Are you letting us know up front any elements of the property that might make it distinct?: Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how differing characteristics contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when ordering your report if there are unique features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as soon as possible makes your report arrive sooner.
Are you making the occupants of the home aware of what to expect?: One of the most time consuming parts of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the current homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with an unknown person looking in every corner of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. Under the impression that it will increase the value, a few homeowners feel they ought to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. And will put off the inspection until it is cleaned.

Coming directly from you -- someone they have been working with on their loan -- a little knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make it more likely their sale will close, and likely shorten the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has several pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. They can even call us if they want to familiarize themselves with the staff and our services. And tell them it benefits them 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. It's never been faster to track the status of your report.