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Why hire a technically advanced appraiser
You know us. The people with pounds of silicon hanging from their belts. Every new gadget that has hit the market in the past 10 years has done time around our waists. Call us geeks. Call us nerds. Call us what you will, but by all means, give us your appraisal business. Why? we're glad you asked.
We are, by far, the most technical agents in the real estate world. By necessity, we have been drawn into the digital world at a pace not seen by our colleagues. The appraisal process is one that lends itself to technology. And technology has paid significant dividends to us. These dividends are shared with our customers, in the form of shorter turn-around times and a much better final valuation report.
Ordering
Let's start at the beginning. Millions of real estate transactions are processed each year in the United States. Almost all of them require some sort of appraisal. Technology has allowed savvy appraisers to reduce the amount of work their client's need to order, track and receive appraisals. In the past, the primary mode of interaction between an appraiser and his clients was the telephone and fax machine. Clients would send requests via fax, and then often follow it up with a phone call to make sure it was received. Tracking the progress of the appraisal meant more phone calls - a disruption for both the client and the appraiser.
But we have a better method. Using tools like this web site - complete with the ability to order appraisals on-line - allows you to shave valuable time off the process of ordering and tracking appraisals. Technologies like a la mode's net.X network are advancing this concept even further, giving its users the ability to not only order appraisals, but track their progress all the way until delivery. No more annoying games of phone tag!
Data Gathering
The appraisal process is nothing if not a data intensive process. We spend a lot of our time gathering both specific information about the subject property and general data about the local market and developing trends. Once again, technology has stepped in to help us. In the past, the appraiser's walk-through home observation has been the time consuming and difficult. To top it off, appraisers then had to come back to the office and transcribe their field notes into the appraisal file itself. No longer.
We now have several tools that aid us in gathering data in the field. Starting with tools like a la mode's Pocket TOTAL, we are eliminating the duplicate data entry problems of the past. We will soon have the Leica Disto Laser meter to ensure that measurements more accurate. And software like Apex's PocketApex allows us to sketch the house rapidly. All of this means that we can get the report done and delivered to you in a fraction of the time it once took.
On the other side of the data gathering coin is the general data. The Internet has revolutionized our ability in some areas to get quality data in a fraction of the time it once took. Where we once spent hours finding the right location maps and then rubbing on decals, we get maps with a few mouse clicks, complete with location markers. And flood maps? Likewise just a few clicks away using services like a la mode's FloodSource. Standardized addressing, accurate postal coding, census tract information, are all at our fingertips. This ensures that the final report is as complete and accurate as possible, requiring fewer call-backs and revisions. A real money saver for you.
Report delivery
The report is done. Now how do we leverage our investment in technology to improve the delivery process? We have forsaken the old print-and-snail mail route for a much more efficient electronic delivery system. Utilizing Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) files, we deliver a complete, multi-page report, complete with digital photos and maps, through simple e-mail. Now, instead of waiting for the daily mail, or paying for expensive courier services, you can simply log into your company email system and retrieve all the appraisals at one time. Without the time consuming waste of paper printing the appraisal, it can be routed the way you want it in the blink of an electron.
We are now leveraging a la mode's net.X network to not only order appraisals, but also to manage the delivery process. In thi system before an appraisal is ever delivered, this cutting edge technology reviews the report and ensures that it meets certain guidelines. Have enough comparables been used? Has we included a statement of limiting conditions? These items can be checked automatically and we are notified of the deficiency without you ever getting involved. Now, when the final report is received, you can be sure the appraisal meets all the basic criteria. Once again, costly follow up and revisions are avoided, lowering your cost of doing business.
Digital Workfile
It would be wonderful if we could complete a report, deliver it and never worry about seeing that document again. But one of the purposes of an appraisal is as a document outlining the condition of the property at the time of appraisal. So we must keep reports for 5 years, so we can recall any appraisal at any time to either defend the valuation or for other uses.
Here again, we leverage our investment in technology to improve service. By storing every aspect of the appraisal - notes, sketches, supporting documentation and calculations - along with the appraisal, we are able to retrieve that report at any time within the five years and recall just what that report was about. And this data is not stored in boxes stacked 5 deep in some rented warehouse. Instead, we use a la mode's Digital Workfile to electronically include all supporting documents as part of the appraisal file. These files are stored securely on a la mode's Vault, where we can find them in a fraction of the time required in the past. This helps you by giving us immediate, virtual access to any appraisal you've ordered within the past 5 years.
These are just a few examples of how we are improving the business workflows of our customers. Investing in the right software, services, gadgets and gizmos allows us to deliver reports quicker, more efficiently and with higher degrees of accuracy. All of which helps keep our costs down, and save you time and money.
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