Five Tips for Swifter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. On a regular basis, it seems, appraisers are asked to offer additional information or have steps added to their research - all to guarantee the end user is presented with the most useful data possible. In order to stay current with the always changing requirements, Shell PAS Enterprises, LLC is continuously researching new tools and improving processes in order to increase efficiency so we can do more work for quickly. Since Shell PAS Enterprises, LLC knows that time is important to everyone, below are some tips you can do to accelerate the process when you order an appraisal with Shell PAS Enterprises, LLC:

  1. Are you ordering appraisals online? By ordering online, you automatically receive 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 retype information from a fax, and nor will you wonder whether the order was received.

  2. Are you providing complete and accurate information about the subject property? Being just one number off on the street address can really add unnecessary time to an appraisal assignment. Unique identifiers like a tax parcel number, plat map number, or subdivision name is good information to pass along with the request. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — though be advised that professional appraisers must always do their own due diligence on comparable sales, and ours may differ from yours.

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

  3. Tell us up front of the property's unique features. It's relatively easy to appraise a cookie-cutter house. Most of an appraiser's time is spent analyzing how unique features contribute 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 details of the home or surrounding area -- for example, it's had a recent addition built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, and it's prone to flooding. These are things we'd find out on our own anyway, and knowing them as early as possible will likely make your report arrive sooner.

  4. Let the homeowner know what to expect. One of the most tedious steps of the appraisal process is setting an inspection date with the current homeowner. Many homeowners are understandably uneasy with the notion that an outsider wants to come in their home, look around, and make abundant notes. With the belief that it will increase the appraised value, many homeowners feel they have to make the place spotless before the inspection . So they reschedule the inspection until they have cleaned.

    Hearing it directly from you -- a trusted party with whom they are already working -- a short explanation about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't make a significant difference in their home's value, will help move the process along for everyone. Please feel free to point your customers to this website, where we have several pages of relevant information for homeowners as well as others regarding the appraisal process. They can even call us if they want to become familiar with our staff and services. And tell them it's to their advantage to set the appointment soon!

  5. Why not use our website as a resource to follow 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 we complete each important milestone in an assignment, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no easier way to track your report's status.