A Few Suggestions for Faster Turn Times

Appraising is an always changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to present more information or have steps added to their process. They do this additional work to guarantee their client receives the best data available. To keep up with the always changing requirements, All City Appraisal is always researching additional tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for faster. At All City Appraisal we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed a few things you can do to lessen turn times on any appraisals you order with All City Appraisal.

Always order your appraisals electronically.

When you order online, you get automatic e-mail acknowledgements that the order was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. Online ordering is the single biggest time saver available to both of us! No longer do we have to manually enter information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we got the request.

Complete and accurate subject property information is crucial.

There's nothing like being one number off on the street address to add unnecessary time to 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 — though be advised that professional appraisers are lawfully required to do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

If you have any questions about your property or an assignment we're working on for you, don't hesitate to call us at

Are you telling us up front any characteristics of the property that might make it distinct?

Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. What takes time is analyzing how differing characteristics 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 characteristics of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's prone to flooding. These are things we'll find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as early as possible will likely make your report arrive more quickly.

Let the occupants know what to expect.

One of the most time consuming tasks of the appraisal process is confirming an inspection date with the current homeowner. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with an unknown person looking in every corner of their home, taking photos, and making lots of notes. Having the thought that it will increase the appraised value, many homeowners think they need to make the place spotless before the inspection. So they put off the appointment until they have cleaned.

Hearing it directly from you -- the person they are working with on their loan -- some knowledge about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't change their home's value one little bit, and likely shorten the appraisal inspection time. Our website has many pages of useful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. Please feel free to share it with your customers. Encourage them to call us if they want to meet the staff and learn more about our services. Remind them it benefits them to set the appointment without delay!

Our website is a great resource for keeping tabs on your report's status.

Phone and fax tag are a thing of the past with 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 easier to track your report's status.