5 Tips for Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to include extra information or have steps added to their process. They do this extra work to ensure the end user receives the best data possible. To keep up with the always changing requirements, Southern Star Real Estate Services is constantly acquiring new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Southern Star Real Estate Services knows that time is important to everyone, here are some tips you can do to lower turn times on any appraisals ordered with Southern Star Real Estate Services.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you get automatic e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Online ordering is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we got the order.
Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?: Having just one number incorrect 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 must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Are you letting us know up front any characteristics of the property that might make it distinct?: Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how differing features add 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 features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them sooner makes your report arrive quicker.
Be sure the occupants know the the plan.: One of the most time consuming tasks of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the homeowner. Some homeowners are justifiably uneasy with the thought a stranger wants to come in their house, look around, and take abundant notes. Not uncommonly they think they ought to make the place spotless before the inspection, having the thought that will make the house appraise higher. So they choose to not schedule the appointment until they can get around to cleaning.

Hearing from you -- a person they've been working with on their loan -- some info about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't affect their home's value one little bit, and can decrease the appraisal inspection time. Our website has many pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. They can even call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment soon!
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 can be viewed instantly online. There's no easier way to keep track of the status of your report.