A Few Tips for Faster Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving at all times. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to present more information or have steps added to their appraisal process - all to guarantee their client gets the most useful analysis. To stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Schaeffer Appraisal Services is constantly testing new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since Schaeffer Appraisal Services knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a couple of items you can do to lessen turn times every time you order an appraisal from Schaeffer Appraisal Services:

Order your appraisals electronically. With online ordering, you receive automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the request 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 we received the order.
Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property? Being just one number off on the street address can really add unnecessary time to 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 are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.


	If you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you, don't hesitate to call us at 978-475-5612

Are you telling us up front any elements of the property that might make it unique? Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how characteristics unique to a property contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique elements of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we will find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as soon as possible is likely to make your report arrive quicker.
Do the occupants know what to expect? One of the most inefficient steps of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the current homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be apprehensive with a stranger looking in every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making lots of notes. A common belief is that they have to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, with the idea that will increase the appraised value and will choose to not schedule the inspection until it is 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. Please feel free to point your customers to our website, where we have several pages of helpful information for homeowners as well as others about the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!
Our website is a great resource for tracking 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 and faster to keep track of your report's status.