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Some Hints for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving constantly. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to include additional information or have steps added to their data gathering. They do this extra work to ensure the end user receives the most useful information. In order to keep up with the constantly changing requirements, Greenaway Appraisals is constantly acquiring new tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. At Greenaway Appraisals we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed a couple of things you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals ordered from Greenaway Appraisals:

  1. Order your appraisals on the Internet. When you order online, you get automatic e-mail confirmations that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the order.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property information is crucial. Having just one number incorrect on the street address can really unnecessarily interrupt an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is helpful information to include with your assignment. Even a list of recent sales from the area is welcome — however, remember that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.

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

  3. Are you letting us know up front any characteristics of the property that might make it unique? It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how details 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 characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. These are things we will find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner makes your report arrive sooner.

  4. Be sure the occupants know the plan. One of the most tedious steps of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the occupants of the home. Many homeowners are clearly apprehensive with the idea that an unknown persons wants to come in their house, look around, and make lots of notes. Some think they have to make the place spotless before the inspection, having the thought that will increase the value . So they reschedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

    Coming from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- a little information 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. Please feel free to point your customers to our website, where we have multiple pages of relevant information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. They can even call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it's to their benefit to set the appointment quickly!

  5. Are you using our website as a resource to keep track of 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. It's never been easier to keep track of the status of your report.