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Five Tips for Quicker Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Commonly, it seems, appraisers are asked to include more information or have steps added to their data gathering. They do this extra work to ensure their client receives the best data available. To keep up with the continuously changing requirements, BBH & Associates is constantly researching additional tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. Since BBH & Associates knows that time is important to everyone, below are a couple of things you can do to speed up the process every time you order an appraisal from BBH & Associates.

Always order your appraisals electronically.
With online ordering, you automatically receive e-mail notifications that the request 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 re-key information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we received the request.
Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property?
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. Even a list of recent sales in the area is welcome — remember, however, that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

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

Are you telling us up front any features of the property that might make it distinct?
Cookie-cutter houses are relatively easy to appraise. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how features unique to a property 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 details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's recently had an addition constructed, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we'd find out on our own, knowing them early on is likely to make your report arrive more quickly.
Let the homeowner know what to expect.
One of the most inefficient tasks of the appraisal process is setting an appointment with the occupants of the home. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with an unknown person inspecting every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making numerous notes. Not uncommonly they think they should make the place spotless before the appraiser comes by, with the belief that will increase the appraised value. And will reschedule the appraisal inspection until they have cleaned.

Coming directly from you -- a person they are working with on their loan -- a little information 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 several pages of helpful information about the appraisal process for homeowners. I encourage you to share it with your clients. Advise them to call us if they want to meet our staff and learn more about our services. And tell them it benefits them to set the appointment soon!
Use our website to verify your report's status.
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 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.