Five Tips for Faster Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply more information or have steps added to their research. All to ensure their client is presented with the best data possible. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Paine & Associates is continuously researching additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Paine & Associates knows that time is important to everyone, here are a couple of tips you can do to accelerate the process whenever you order an appraisal with Paine & Associates.

Order your appraisals on the Internet.: By ordering online, you automatically receive e-mail acknowledgements that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This 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.
Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?: Being just one number off on the street address can really add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name are helpful data to pass long with your assignment. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.
Let us know up front of the property's distinct characteristics.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. What takes time is 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 had a recent addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive without delay.
Does the homeowner know what to expect?: One of the most tedious steps of the appraisal process is confirming an appointment with the homeowner. Some current homeowners are clearly apprehensive with the idea an unknown persons wants to come in their home, look around, and make copious notes. One common belief is that they must make the place spotless before the inspection, thinking that will make the house appraise for more money. And will delay the appointment until they have cleaned.

Hearing from you -- a 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 make it more likely their sale will close, and can shorten the time it takes to inspect a home. Please feel free to point your clients to this website, where we have lots of pages of helpful information for homeowners as well as others regarding the appraisal process. They can even call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it's in their interest to set the appointment quickly!
Our website is a great resource for tracking the status of your report.: No more phone and fax tag. Up-to-the-minute status updates are 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 easier to keep track of the status of your report.