5 Tips for Quicker Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their process. They do this extra work to guarantee their client has the best data to be had. To keep up with the constantly changing requirements, Triangle Residential Valuations is always seeking new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Triangle Residential Valuations knows that time is important to everyone, below are some tips you can do to speed up the process on any appraisals ordered with Triangle Residential Valuations.

Always order your appraisals online.: By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail notifications that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Online ordering is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.
Verify that the subject property information is accurate and complete.: Having just one number incorrect 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 — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Let us know up front of the property's unique characteristics.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. What takes time is analyzing how differing features contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. At the time you order your report, be sure to 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 predisposed to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on will likely make your report arrive more quickly.
Did you make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?: Confirming an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming steps in the appraisal process. Many current homeowners are understandably uncomfortable with the notion a stranger wants to come in their house, look around, and take numerous notes. A common belief is that they have to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, thinking that will increase the value. And will put off the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- some info 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 decrease the appraisal inspection time. Our website has multiple pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. They can even call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment as quickly as possible!
Our website is a great resource for tracking 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 track the status of your report.