Some Hints for Quicker Turn Times

The appraisal profession is evolving at all times. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to present more information or have steps added to their process. All of this is to guarantee their client has the best information possible. To keep up with the always changing requirements, Tri-County Appraisal Group, Inc. is continuously researching new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for quickly. At Tri-County Appraisal Group, Inc. we know that time is important to everybody, so here are some things you can do to accelerate the process on any appraisals ordered with Tri-County Appraisal Group, Inc..

Are you ordering appraisals online?

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

Complete and accurate subject property data is crucial.

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 great information to include with your assignment. Even a list of recent area sales is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may be different from yours.

Feel free to call us at if you have any questions about your property or a job we're working on for you.

Let us know up front of the property's unique elements.

It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how details unique to a property contribute to or detract from what otherwise would be a property's market value. When ordering your report, let us know if there are unique features of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's prone to flooding. While these are things that we will find out on our own, knowing them as early as possible is likely to make your report arrive without delay.

Did you make the homeowner of the home aware of what to expect?

One of the most time consuming parts of the appraisal process is confirming an inspection date with the homeowner. Some homeowners are understandably uneasy with the fact an outsider wants to come in their home, look around, and make numerous notes. With the notion that it will make the house appraise higher, many homeowners feel they must make the place spotless before the inspection. So they reschedule the inspection until the house is cleaned.

Hearing from you -- someone they have been working with on their loan -- a short explanation 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 appraisal inspection time. I encourage you to point them to this website, where we have several pages of useful information for homeowners as well as others regarding the appraisal process. Advise them to call us if they want to familiarize themselves with our staff and services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment without delay!

Easily verify the status of your report on our website.

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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information is available to you online. There's no faster way to track the status of your report.