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5 Hints for Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Every year, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer extra 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 always changing requirements, Richardson Appraisal Service is constantly seeking additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Richardson Appraisal Service knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed some tips you can do to speed up the process when you order an appraisal with Richardson Appraisal Service:

  1. Always order your appraisals on the Internet. When you order online, you automatically get e-mail confirmations that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. It's the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Make sure that the subject property information is accurate and complete. 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 sales from the area is welcome — however, remember that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

  3. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you.

  4. Be sure to tell us about the unique elements of this property. Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how characteristics unique to a property 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 details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we would find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive faster.

  5. Are you making the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect? Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most tedious steps in the appraisal process. Some current homeowners are justifiably apprehensive with the fact that an unknown persons wants to come in their house, look around, and take abundant notes. A common belief is that they need to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, with the belief that will increase the value . So they choose to not schedule the inspection until it is cleaned.

    Hearing 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 numerous pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. They can even call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!


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