Some Steps to Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving constantly. Every year, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply extra information or have steps added to their appraisal process. All to guarantee their client gets the best data possible. To stay current with the always changing requirements, C & S Appraisal Services is constantly seeking additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. At C & S Appraisal Services we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a few things you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals you order from C & S Appraisal Services.

 

  1. Always order your appraisals on the Internet. By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail acknowledgements 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 retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we got the order.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property information is key. 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 must always 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, you're always free to contact us

  3. Let us know up front of the property's unique characteristics. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. 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. At the time you order your report, be sure to let us know if there are unique details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. These are things we'd find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner makes your report arrive quicker.

  4. Be sure the occupants know the plan Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming parts in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uneasy with an outsider inspecting every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making numerous notes. Thinking that it will make the house appraise for more money, many homeowners believe they should make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. So they choose to not schedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

    Coming directly from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- some information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make it more likely their sale will close, and can go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has multiple pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your customers. They can even call us if they want to familiarize themselves with our staff and services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment soon!

  5. Easily keep tabs on the status of your report on our website. No more phone and fax tag. Up-to-the-minute status updates are available online, anytime, 24/7. As we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information is available instantly to you online. There's no easier way to keep track of your report's status.