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A Few Steps to Quicker Turn Times

The appraisal profession is continuously evolving. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to guarantee their client gets the most useful information that can be achieved. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Becky Walker Certified Appraiser is always seeking additional tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. Since Becky Walker Certified Appraiser knows that time is important to everyone, here are a few items you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals you order with Becky Walker Certified Appraiser:

  1. Order your appraisals on the Internet. By ordering online, you get automatic e-mail notifications 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 re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property information is essential. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is great information to include with your request. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to 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, feel free to contact us

  3. Are you letting us know up front any elements of the property that might make it unique? Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how features unique to a property add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. At the time you order your report, be sure to let us know if there are unique features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them sooner will likely make your report arrive earlier.

  4. Set proper expectations with the occupants. Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most inefficient steps in the appraisal process. Some current homeowners are justifiably uneasy with the thought that a stranger wants to come in their house, look around, and take abundant notes. Many commonly think they must make the place spotless before the inspection, believing that will increase the appraised value . So they choose to not schedule the inspection until the house is cleaned.

    Coming 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. Our website has lots of pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. They can even call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it's to their benefit to set the appointment quickly!

  5. Why not use our website as a resource to follow the status of your report? No more phone and fax tag. Up-to-the-minute status updates are 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 or easier way to track your report's status.