A Few Suggestions for Shorter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to present more information or have steps added to their research - all to ensure their client receives the best data possible. In order to stay current with the continuously changing requirements, Valuation Consulting Group is continuously seeking new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for quickly. Since Valuation Consulting Group knows that time is important to everyone, below are a few tips you can do to accelerate the process whenever you order an appraisal with Valuation Consulting Group:

  1. Order your appraisals on the Internet. When you order online, you automatically receive e-mail acknowledgements that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Ordering online is 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.

  2. 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 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. 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 may differ from yours.

    3. If you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you, you're always free to call us at (727)859-5280

  3. Are you telling us up front any features of the property that might make it distinct? It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. What takes time is analyzing how unique features contribute 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 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 predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive more quickly.

  4. Be sure the homeowner knows the plan. Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most inefficient parts in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with an unknown person looking in every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making abundant notes. Many commonly think they ought to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, having the thought that will increase the value and will choose to not schedule the inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

    Hearing it directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- 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. Our website has lots of pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your clients. Encourage them to call us if they want to become familiar with the staff and our services. And tell them it's to their benefit to set the appointment as quickly as possible!

  5. Easily track the status of your report on our website. 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 your report's status.