5 Hints for Quicker Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to guarantee their client is presented with the best information possible. In order to keep up with the constantly changing requirements, Mountain View Appraisal is always researching additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Mountain View Appraisal knows that time is important to everyone, below are some items you can do to speed up the process on any appraisals you order with Mountain View Appraisal:


  1. Order your appraisals on the Internet. When you order online, you receive automatic e-mail confirmations that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the order.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property information is crucial. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt 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 area sales is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.

    3. Feel free to email me at ewarren@mountainviewappraisal.com if you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you.

  3. Let us know up front of the property's unique details. Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how elements 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 elements 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. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive earlier.

  4. Does the homeowner know what to expect? Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most tedious parts in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uneasy with an outsider looking in every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making abundant notes. Under the belief that it will increase the appraised value, a few homeowners think they have to make the place spotless before the inspection and will reschedule the appointment until it is cleaned.

    Hearing 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 several pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your customers. Have them call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. Remind them it's to their advantage to set the appointment quickly!

  5. Why not use our website as a resource to keep track of 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 each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no faster way to keep track of the status of your report.