5 Tips for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide extra information or have steps added to their research. All to ensure their client has the best information available. To keep up with the constantly changing requirements, Grantham Appraisal & Realty, Inc. is continuously acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for more efficiently. At Grantham Appraisal & Realty, Inc. we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a few items you can do to decrease turn times when you order an appraisal with Grantham Appraisal & Realty, Inc..

Always order your appraisals electronically.: When you order online, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip single-handedly will save the most time! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Complete and accurate subject property information is essential.: There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily delay an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is good information to include with your assignment. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — 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 unique details.: Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how characteristics unique to a property add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique elements 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. These are things we would find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive quicker.
Be sure the occupants know the the plan.: One of the most inefficient parts of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be uncomfortable with an unknown person inspecting every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. Thinking that it will increase the appraised value, a few homeowners feel they should make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. So they delay the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming directly from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- a little knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make it more likely their sale will close, and likely go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has many pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your clients. They can even call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!
Our website is a great resource for verifying your report's status.: 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 each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information is available instantly to you online. There's no faster or easier way to keep track of your report's status.