5 Suggestions for Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide more information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to ensure their client is presented with the best information possible. To stay current with the always changing requirements, Appraisals by Kana is constantly acquiring new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since Appraisals by Kana knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a few items you can do to accelerate the process whenever you order an appraisal from Appraisals by Kana.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: With online ordering, you receive automatic e-mail confirmations that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the request.
Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property?: 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 area sales is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.
Be sure to tell us about the unique characteristics of this property.: It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. What takes time is analyzing how elements 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 elements of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's predisposed to flooding. These are things we will find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as early as possible is likely to make your report arrive faster.
Let the occupants know what to expect.: Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most tedious parts in the appraisal process. It's understandable for a homeowner to be apprehensive with an unknown person inspecting every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making copious notes. One common belief is that they should make the place spotless before the inspection, with the notion that will increase the value. And will choose to not schedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

Coming from you -- a person they've been working with on their loan -- some info about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make it more likely their sale will close, and can decrease the time it takes to inspect a home. 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 become familiar with our staff and services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment promptly!
Why not our website as a resource 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. There's no faster or easier way to keep track of your report's status.