5 Tips for Faster Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer extra information or have steps added to their research - all to ensure the end user receives the most useful analysis possible. In order to keep up with the continuously changing requirements, K.W. APPRAISALS, LLC is constantly acquiring new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since K.W. APPRAISALS, LLC knows that time is important to everyone, here are a few tips you can do to reduce turn times on any appraisals ordered from K.W. APPRAISALS, LLC:

  1. Are you ordering appraisals online? When you order online, you automatically get 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 re-key information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property data is crucial. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is helpful information to pass along with the request. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — however, remember that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

    3. If you have any questions about your property or an appraisal we're working on for you, you're always free to contact us

  3. Be sure to tell us about the property's distinct elements. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique details 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 features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. These are things we will find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on is likely to make your report arrive without delay.

  4. Set proper expectations with the homeowner. One of the most time consuming tasks of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the occupants of the home. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with an unknown person inspecting every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making numerous notes. Believing that it will make the house appraise higher, many homeowners feel they should make the place spotless before the inspection and will reschedule the appointment until they have cleaned.

    Hearing from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- a little bit about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make a significant difference in their home's value, will help move the process along for everyone. Our website has several pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your customers. They can even call us if they want to familiarize themselves with our staff and services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment as soon as possible!

  5. Easily keep tabs on the status of your report on our website. Phone and fax tag are a thing of the past with up-to-the-minute status updates 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.