Five Tips for Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to present extra information or have steps added to their process. They do this additional work to ensure the end user has the best information possible. In order to keep up with the always changing requirements, Homestead Real Estate Services, LLC is always acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for quickly. At Homestead Real Estate Services, LLC we know that time is important to everybody, so here are some items you can do to decrease turn times on any appraisals you order with Homestead Real Estate Services, LLC.

Always order your appraisals online.: When you order online, you get automatic e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip alone will save the most time! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.
Complete and accurate subject property data is essential.: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to 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 — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Tell us up front of the property's distinct details.: Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how differing features contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When you order your report, 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 susceptible to flooding. These are things we'd find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on is likely to make your report arrive sooner.
Do the occupants know what to expect?: Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most inefficient steps in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with an unknown person inspecting every corner of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. Not uncommonly they think they must make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, believing that will make the house appraise for more money. So they delay the inspection until the house is cleaned.

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 change their home's value one little bit, and can shorten the appraisal inspection time. Our website has many pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. They can even call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment as soon as possible!
Easily track the status of your report on our website.: 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 keep track of the status of your report.