5 Tips for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving at all times. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply extra information or have steps added to their data gathering - all to ensure the end user is presented with the most useful information possible. In order to stay current with the continuously changing requirements, Coffey & Associates, Inc. is constantly acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. At Coffey & Associates, Inc. we know that time is important to everybody, so below are a few things you can do to accelerate the process each time you order an appraisal with Coffey & Associates, Inc.:

Always order your appraisals online. When you order online, you receive automatic 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 re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property? 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. 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 might differ from yours.


	If you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you, you're always free to contact us

Be sure to tell us about the property's unique features. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique details 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 put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we'll find out on our own, knowing them sooner makes your report arrive more quickly.
Let the homeowner know what to expect. One of the most inefficient steps of the appraisal process is confirming an inspection date with the homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be uncomfortable with an outsider inspecting every corner of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. With the belief that it will increase the value, a few homeowners feel they should make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection and will reschedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

Coming directly 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 clients. They can even call us if they want to become familiar with the staff and our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment soon!
Use our website to keep tabs on your report's status. Phone and fax tag are a thing of the past with up-to-the-minute status updates available online, anytime, 24/7. As we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. It's never been easier to keep track of the status of your report.