Five Hints for Quicker Turn Times

The appraisal profession is continuously evolving. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer extra information or have steps added to their appraisal process. All to guarantee the end user has the best information to be had. To stay current with the constantly changing requirements, JoAnn Ray Appraisal is constantly acquiring new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since JoAnn Ray Appraisal knows that time is important to everyone, here are some tips you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals you order with JoAnn Ray Appraisal.

Always order your appraisals online.: By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail acknowledgements that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Online ordering is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Complete and accurate subject property information is crucial.: Having just one number incorrect on the street address can really 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. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.
Let us know up front of the property's unique features.: Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how differing elements contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique elements of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them early on makes your report arrive faster.
What are you doing to make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?: One of the most tedious parts of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the occupants of the home. We understand that a homeowner may be apprehensive with an outsider inspecting every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. With the notion that it will increase the value, some homeowners believe they have to make the place spotless before the inspection. So they reschedule the inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Hearing it directly from you -- a person they have been working with on their loan -- a little information about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make it more likely their sale will close, and likely go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Please feel free to point them to this website, where we have lots of pages of useful information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. Encourage them to call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment quickly!
Easily track the status of your report on our website.: Phone and fax tag are a thing of the past with up-to-the-minute status updates available online, anytime, 24/7. As each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information is available instantly to you online. It's never been easier and faster to keep track of the status of your report.