5 Steps to Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their process - all to guarantee the end user is presented with the best data possible. To keep up with the always changing requirements, Associate Appraisers of America is continuously researching additional tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. At Associate Appraisers of America we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed a few items you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals ordered from Associate Appraisers of America:

Always order your appraisals online. With online ordering, you get automatic 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! We don't have to re-key information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we received the request.
Are you providing complete and accurate information 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. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.


	Feel free to call us at (714) 897-3334 if you have any questions about your property or an appraisal we're working on for you.

Be sure to let us know about the property's unique features. Cookie-cutter houses 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 characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's predisposed to flooding. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them sooner will likely make your report arrive sooner.
Set proper expectations with the homeowner. Setting an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming parts in the appraisal process. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with an unknown person looking in every square foot of their home, taking pictures, and making lots of notes. Some think they have to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, with the notion that will increase the value . So they reschedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

Coming directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- a little bit 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. Please feel free to point them to our website, where we have lots of pages of relevant information for homeowners as well as others about the appraisal process. Advise them to call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment as quickly as possible!
Use our website to keep tabs on your report's status. No more phone and fax tag. Up-to-the-minute status updates are 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 and faster to keep track of the status of your report.