A Few Steps to Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide more information or have steps added to their appraisal process. They do this extra work to guarantee their client receives the best information possible. To stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Freeland Real Estate Appraisals is always acquiring new tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Freeland Real Estate Appraisals knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a handful of items you can do to lessen turn times on any appraisals ordered from Freeland Real Estate Appraisals:

Order your appraisals online. With online ordering, you get automatic e-mail confirmations that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip alone will save the most time! No longer do we have to re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Make sure that the subject property information is accurate and complete. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to 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 — however, remember 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 appraisal we're working on for you.

Be sure to tell us about the unique elements of this property. Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how differing elements 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 recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive faster.
Let the occupants know what to expect. Confirming an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming tasks in the appraisal process. Many homeowners are understandably uncomfortable with the idea that a stranger wants to come in their house, look around, and make numerous notes. With the belief that it will increase the value, a few homeowners feel they need to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by and will reschedule the appointment until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- some information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't increase their home's value one bit, will help move the process along for everyone. I encourage you to point your clients to this website, where we have several pages of useful information for homeowners and others regarding the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it's in their interest to set the appointment promptly!
Our website is a great resource for tracking the status of your report. 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. There's no faster way to track the status of your report.