Some Tips for Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Regularly, it seems, appraisers are asked to provide extra information or have steps added to their process. They do this extra work to guarantee their client gets the best analysis. To stay current with the always changing requirements, Anchorage Appraisal Service is constantly acquiring new tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for in less time. At Anchorage Appraisal Service we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed a handful of tips you can do to reduce turn times on any appraisals ordered from Anchorage Appraisal Service:

Always order your appraisals online. By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail confirmations that the assignment 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 got the request.
Are you providing complete and accurate data about the subject property? There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to unnecessarily slow down an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is helpful information to include with your request. We even welcome lists of recent sales in the area — however, remember that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.


	If you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you, don't hesitate to call us at (907)562-3757

Be sure to tell us about the property's unique characteristics. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. What takes time is 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 characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. These are things we would find out on our own anyway, and knowing them sooner makes your report arrive quicker.
Be sure the homeowner knows the plan. 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 uncomfortable with an outsider inspecting every corner of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. Some think they ought to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, thinking that will make the house appraise higher . So they choose to not schedule the appointment until it is cleaned.

Coming directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they already have a business relationship -- some knowledge 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. Our website has multiple pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your customers. Encourage them to call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment soon!
Why not use our website as a resource to keep track of the status of your report? 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 to keep track of the status of your report.