A Few Steps to Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their appraisal process. They do this extra work to guarantee their client has the best data to be had. In order to stay current with the always changing requirements, Village Appraisal Ltd. is constantly acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. At Village Appraisal Ltd. we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed a couple of tips you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals ordered with Village Appraisal Ltd..

Are you ordering appraisals online?: By ordering online, you get automatic e-mail confirmations 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 retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we got the order.
Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?: Being just one number off on the street address can really unnecessarily delay an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is helpful information to pass long with the request. Even a list of recent sales from the area is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.
Are you telling us up front any characteristics of the property that might make it unique?: Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique characteristics add 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 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 as early as possible makes your report arrive more quickly.
Set proper expectations with the occupants.: Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most tedious parts in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with a stranger inspecting every corner of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. One common belief is that they ought to make the place spotless before the inspection, believing that will increase the appraised value. And will choose to not schedule the appointment until they have cleaned.

Hearing from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- a little info 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. I encourage you to point your clients to this website, where we have lots of pages of useful information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it's to their advantage to set the appointment as quickly as possible!
Our website is a great resource for tracking the status of your report.: 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. It's never been faster and easier to track the status of your report.