Five Suggestions for Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply extra information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to guarantee the end user gets the best information available. To stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Summit Appraisal, Inc. is always acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. At Summit Appraisal, Inc. we know that time is important to everybody, so here are some tips you can do to accelerate the process each time you order an appraisal from Summit Appraisal, Inc..

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the order 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 manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property?: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt 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 — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.
Be sure to tell us about the unique elements of this property.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how elements 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 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. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them as soon as possible will likely make your report arrive more quickly.
Set proper expectations with the homeowner.: Confirming 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 uncomfortable with an unknown person inspecting every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making abundant notes. Under the impression that it will increase the value, some homeowners believe they need to make the place spotless before the inspection. So they put off the inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Hearing from you -- the person they've been working with on their loan -- a little bit 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 decrease the time it takes to inspect a home. Please feel free to point them to this website, where we have many pages of relevant information for homeowners as well as others describing the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to familiarize themselves with the staff and our services. And tell them it's in their interest to set the appointment quickly!
Our website is a great resource for keeping tabs on your report's status.: Phone and fax tag are a thing of the past with up-to-the-minute status updates available online, anytime, 24/7. As each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information is instantly available to you online. It's never been easier and faster to track your report's status.