A Few Suggestions for Shorter Turn Times

The appraisal profession is continuously evolving. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to include more information or have steps added to their data gathering. They do this extra work to ensure their client receives the best data to be had. To stay current with the continuously changing requirements, Di Cicco & Associates is always seeking new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our clients. Since Di Cicco & Associates knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed some items you can do to speed up the process when you order an appraisal from Di Cicco & Associates.

Are you ordering appraisals online?: When you order online, you receive automatic e-mail notifications that the request was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip single-handedly will save the most time! No longer do we have to re-key information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether the order was received.
Verify that the subject property data is accurate and complete.: Being just one number off on the street address can really unnecessarily interrupt an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name are good data to include with the assignment. 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.
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 differing features 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 had a recent addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we would find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on makes your report arrive quicker.
Be sure the homeowner knows the the plan.: One of the most time consuming parts of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the occupants of the home. It's understandable for a homeowner to be apprehensive with an unknown person inspecting every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making lots of notes. Some think they have to make the place spotless before the inspection, with the belief that will increase the value. So they delay the appointment until it is cleaned.

Coming from you -- the person they have been working with on their loan -- a little information 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 go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has lots of 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 meet the staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it's in their interest to set the appointment as quickly as possible!
Are you using our website as a resource to follow 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 and faster to keep track of your report's status.