Five Suggestions for Faster Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving at all times. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply more information or have steps added to their process. They do this additional work to ensure the end user is presented with the best data that can be achieved. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Boivin Appraisals, Inc. is always researching new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. At Boivin Appraisals, Inc. we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a few tips you can do to accelerate the process each time you order an appraisal with Boivin Appraisals, Inc.:

  1. Order your appraisals online. When you order online, you receive automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Ordering online is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to re-key information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we got the request.

  2. Make sure that the subject property information is accurate and complete. There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to 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. We even welcome lists of recent sales in the area — however, remember that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.

    3. If you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you, don't hesitate to contact us

  3. Are you letting us know up front any characteristics of the property that might make it distinct? Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how features unique to a property contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When you order your report, let us know if there are unique elements of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible will likely make your report arrive more quickly.

  4. Are you making the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect? Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most inefficient steps in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be uncomfortable with an outsider inspecting every corner of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. Not uncommonly they think they need to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, thinking that will make the house appraise higher . So they put off the inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

    Hearing from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- 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 helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. Advise them to call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!

  5. Easily verify the status of your report on our website. 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 is available instantly to you online. It's never been easier to keep track of the status of your report.