Five Suggestions for Shorter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is continuously evolving. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to include additional information or have steps added to their data gathering. They do this additional work to guarantee their client has the best information to be had. To keep up with the always changing requirements, Triangle Residential Valuations is always acquiring new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since Triangle Residential Valuations knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a few things you can do to decrease turn times on any appraisals you order from Triangle Residential Valuations.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you automatically receive e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. It's the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we received the request.
Complete and accurate subject property information is essential.: Being just one number off on the street address can really 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. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Are you letting us know up front any features of the property that might make it distinct?: Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how features unique to a property add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when you order your report 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 prone to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible is likely to make your report arrive earlier.
Did you make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?: One of the most inefficient parts of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the current homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with a stranger looking in every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. Thinking that it will make the house appraise higher, a few homeowners think they have to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection. And will reschedule the appraisal inspection until the house is cleaned.

Hearing from you -- a person they are working with on their loan -- a little information 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 go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. I encourage you to point them to this website, where we have lots of pages of relevant information for homeowners as well as others regarding the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it's to their advantage to set the appointment soon!
Use our website to verify 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no easier or faster way to track your report's status.