A Few Tips for

 Quicker Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Often, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their research. They do this additional work to ensure the end user receives the best data available. To stay current with the always changing requirements, Integrated Assets is always testing additional tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since Integrated Assets knows that time is important to everyone, here are a few tips you can do to decrease turn times every time you order an appraisal from Integrated Assets.

Are you ordering appraisals online?

With online ordering, you receive automatic e-mail notifications that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. This tip single-handedly will save the most time! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether we got the request.

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

Having just one number incorrect on the street address can really unnecessarily delay 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 — remember, however, that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

You're always free to contact us if you have any questions about your property or an appraisal we're working on for you.

Are you telling us up front any elements of the property that might make it unique?

It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique characteristics contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When you order your report, let us know if there are unique details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's predisposed to flooding. These are things we'd find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner is likely to make your report arrive faster.

Do the occupants know what to expect?

One of the most tedious steps of the appraisal process is confirming an inspection date 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 photos, and making numerous notes. With the belief that it will make the house appraise higher, some homeowners feel they ought to make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by. So they choose to not schedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

Coming from you -- someone they have been working with on their loan -- a little 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 shorten the time it takes to inspect a home. I encourage you to point them to this website, where we have lots of pages of relevant information for homeowners and others describing the appraisal process. They can even 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 quickly!

Our website is a great resource for following 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 each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information can be viewed instantly online. It's never been faster and easier to keep track of the status of your report.