A Few Steps to Faster Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer more information or have steps added to their process. They do this additional work to ensure the end user is presented with the best data available. In order to stay current with the constantly changing requirements, Hughes Appraisals, LLC is constantly researching new tools and improving processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for our customers. Since Hughes Appraisals, LLC knows that time is important to everyone, here are some things you can do to hasten the process on any appraisals ordered with Hughes Appraisals, LLC.

Are you ordering appraisals online?
With online ordering, you automatically receive e-mail confirmations that the request 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 manually enter information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.
Make sure that the subject property information is accurate and complete.
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. We even welcome lists of recent sales in the area — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours might differ from yours.

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

Tell us up front of the property's distinct elements.
Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique features add to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique elements of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them early on makes your report arrive earlier.
Let the occupants know what to expect.
Confirming an appointment with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming steps in the appraisal process. Some homeowners are justifiably apprehensive with the thought an outsider wants to come in their house, look around, and make lots of notes. Many commonly think they should make the place spotless before the inspection, with the idea that will make the house appraise for more money. And will delay the appraisal inspection until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming from you -- the person they've been working with on their loan -- some info about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't increase their home's value one little bit, and can go a long way toward trimming the time it takes to inspect a home. Our website has many pages of relevant information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you 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 to their advantage to set the appointment quickly!
Use our website to keep track of 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 can be viewed instantly online. There's no faster way to track the status of your report.