5 Tips for Shorter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is continuously evolving. Every year, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to guarantee the end user receives the best data possible. To keep up with the continuously changing requirements, North Star Appraisal Services is continuously testing additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since North Star Appraisal Services knows that time is important to everyone, below are a few items you can do to speed up the process when you order an appraisal with North Star Appraisal Services.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: With online ordering, you automatically receive e-mail notifications 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 re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Confirm 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. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — 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 distinct characteristics.: 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. Let us know up front when ordering your report if there are unique features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive quicker.
Did you make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?: One of the most inefficient steps of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the occupants of the home. Some current homeowners are justifiably uncomfortable with the thought an outsider wants to come in their home, look around, and take abundant notes. Many commonly think they have to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, with the idea that will increase the appraised value. So they delay the inspection until the house is cleaned.

Coming from you -- a person they've been working with on their loan -- a little knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't change their home's value one little bit, and likely go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. I encourage you to point them to this website, where we have multiple pages of useful information for homeowners as well as others regarding the appraisal process. Encourage them to call us if they want to familiarize themselves with the staff and our services. And tell them it's to their advantage to set the appointment as quickly as possible!
Easily follow the status of your report on our website.: 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 is available to you online. It's never been easier to track your report's status.