Some Hints for Shorter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is always evolving. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their appraisal process - all to ensure their client receives the most useful information that can be achieved. In order to keep up with the continuously changing requirements, Chesapeake Real Estate Appraisals, Inc is constantly acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Chesapeake Real Estate Appraisals, Inc knows that time is important to everyone, below are a couple of items you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals you order with Chesapeake Real Estate Appraisals, Inc:

  1. Order your appraisals electronically. When you order online, you get automatic 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! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Complete and accurate subject property information is key. 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. Even a list of recent sales in the area is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.

    3. You're always free to call us at (410) 529-3849 if you have any questions about your property or an appraisal we're working on for you.

  3. Let us know up front of the property's distinct features. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how differing elements add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. Let us know up front when you order 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 prone to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as soon as possible makes your report arrive sooner.

  4. Set proper expectations with the occupants. Setting an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most inefficient tasks in the appraisal process. We understand that a homeowner may be apprehensive with a stranger looking in every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making numerous notes. With the belief that it will make the house appraise higher, many homeowners feel they need to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection . So they delay the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

    Coming from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- a little info about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't change their home's value one bit, will help move the process along for everyone. Our website has numerous pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your clients. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment as soon as possible!

  5. Our website is a great resource for verifying 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 is available to you online. It's never been easier to track the status of your report.