Some Suggestions for Quicker Turn Times

The appraisal profession is continuously evolving. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide additional information or have steps added to their research. All of this is to ensure the end user receives the most useful analysis possible. In order to stay current with the continuously changing requirements, Reamer Appraisals Inc. is continuously researching additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Reamer Appraisals Inc. knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a handful of items you can do to decrease turn times each time you order an appraisal with Reamer Appraisals Inc.:

  1. Are you ordering appraisals online? When you order online, you automatically receive e-mail acknowledgements that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. It's the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property? Being just one number off on the street address can really unnecessarily slow down 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 from the area is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

    3. You're always welcome to call us at 231.935.4887 if you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you.

  3. Are you telling us up front any characteristics of the property that might make it distinct? Cookie-cutter homes are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how features unique to a property contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. At the time you order your report, be sure to let us know if there are unique features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition built 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 sooner makes your report arrive more quickly.

  4. Does the homeowner know what to expect? One of the most tedious tasks of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be apprehensive with an unknown person looking in every square foot of their home, taking photos, and making copious notes. A common belief is that they need to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, with the notion that will increase the value . So they choose to not schedule the appraisal inspection until they have cleaned.

    Coming from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- some 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 many pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. Encourage them to call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it's to their advantage to set the appointment promptly!

  5. Use our website to verify your report's status. 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. It's never been easier to track your report's status.