Some Hints for Swifter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving continuously. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to present more information or have steps added to their research. They do this additional work to ensure their client gets the best information to be had. In order to stay current with the continuously changing requirements, ASAP Appraisal Group is always acquiring additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. At ASAP Appraisal Group we know that time is important to everybody, so here are a couple of items you can do to lessen turn times on any appraisals ordered from ASAP Appraisal Group.

Are you ordering appraisals online?

By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.

Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?

There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily interrupt 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 may differ from yours.

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

Let us know up front of the property's distinct details.

Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how unique features add 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, it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them early on makes your report arrive sooner.

Did you make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?

One of the most tedious steps of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the current homeowner. It's understandable for a homeowner to be apprehensive with an unknown person inspecting every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making abundant notes. With the idea that it will increase the value, some homeowners think they have to make the place spotless before the inspection. So they choose to not schedule the appointment until it is cleaned.

Hearing it directly from you -- the person they've been working with on their loan -- a little bit about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't affect their home's value one little bit, and likely decrease the appraisal inspection time. I encourage you to point your customers to this website, where we have several pages of useful information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. Have them call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment as soon as possible!

Easily follow the status of your report on our website.

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. It's never been easier to keep track of your report's status.