5 Tips for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is always evolving. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their data gathering - all to guarantee the end user gets the best information that can be achieved. In order to keep up with the continuously changing requirements, Abaco Appraisal Services, LLC is constantly testing new tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Abaco Appraisal Services, LLC knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a few things you can do to lower turn times whenever you order an appraisal with Abaco Appraisal Services, LLC:

  1. Order your appraisals electronically. With online ordering, you automatically receive e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip single-handedly will save the most time! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property data is key. Having just one number incorrect on the street address can really add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name are helpful data to include with your request. Even a list of recent sales from the area is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

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

  3. Are you telling us up front any elements of the property that might make it unique? It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. What takes time is analyzing how characteristics unique to a property 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 characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. These are things we'd find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner will likely make your report arrive quicker.

  4. Let the homeowner know what to expect. One of the most time consuming tasks of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the current homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uneasy with an unknown person looking in every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making numerous notes. With the idea that it will increase the appraised value, some homeowners feel they must make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by . So they reschedule the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

    Hearing it directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- a little info 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 this website, where we have lots of pages of useful information for homeowners as well as others about the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to familiarize themselves with the staff and our services. Remind them it's to their advantage to set the appointment as quickly as possible!

  5. Our website is a great resource for verifying 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 track the status of your report.