Some Steps to Faster Turn Times

The appraisal profession is always evolving. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their appraisal process. All of this is to ensure the end user is presented with the best information to be had. To stay current with the continuously changing requirements, Race Appraisal Services, LLC is continuously researching additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Race Appraisal Services, LLC knows that time is important to everyone, below are some tips you can do to hasten the process when you order an appraisal with Race Appraisal Services, LLC.

Are you ordering appraisals online?

With online ordering, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the order 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 you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?

There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt 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 in the area — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

You're always welcome to contact us if you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you.

Let us know up front of the property's distinct characteristics.

Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how elements unique to a property contribute 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 susceptible to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on makes your report arrive earlier.

Be sure the occupants know the the plan.

One of the most inefficient parts of the appraisal process is confirming an inspection date with the homeowner. Many homeowners are clearly uneasy with the notion an outsider wants to come in their house, look around, and make numerous notes. Not uncommonly they think they must make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, under the impression that will increase the value. So they put off the inspection until the house is cleaned.

Coming 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 increase their home's value one little bit, and can go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. I encourage you to point your clients to this website, where we have many pages of useful information for homeowners and others describing the appraisal process. They can even call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!

Our website is a great resource for following 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. It's never been faster to track the status of your report.