Five Hints for Faster Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply more information or have steps added to their research. They do this additional work to guarantee their client gets the best information that can be achieved. To stay current with the always changing requirements, Jim Murray Appraisal Service is always researching new tools and tweaking processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Jim Murray Appraisal Service knows that time is important to everyone, we've listed a few tips you can do to speed up the process whenever you order an appraisal with Jim Murray Appraisal Service:

Order your appraisals online. By ordering online, you automatically get e-mail acknowledgements that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Ordering online is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we received the request.
Confirm that the subject property information is accurate and complete. Being just one number off on the street address can really unnecessarily slow down an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is great information to include with your assignment. 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.


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

Be sure to let us know about the property's unique details. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter home. What takes time is analyzing how unique details 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 details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition put on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible makes your report arrive without delay.
Are you making the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect? One of the most inefficient tasks of the appraisal process is confirming an appointment with the homeowner. Some homeowners are understandably uneasy with the notion that a stranger wants to come in their house, look around, and take numerous notes. One common belief is that they must make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection, with the notion that will make the house appraise for more money . So they choose to not schedule the appointment until the house is cleaned.

Hearing from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- some knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make a significant difference in their home's value, will help move the process along for everyone. Our website has numerous pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. Tell them to call us if they want to become familiar with the staff and our services. And tell them it's in their interest to set the appointment as soon as possible!
Use our website to track 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 is available instantly to you online. It's never been easier to keep track of the status of your report.