Five Steps to Shorter Turn Times

Appraising is a constantly changing profession. Each year, it seems, appraisers are asked to supply more information or have steps added to their process. All of this is to ensure the end user receives the best information possible. To keep up with the always changing requirements, Touchstone Appraisal, LLC is always researching new tools and tweaking processes to increase efficiency so we can do more work for you. At Touchstone Appraisal, LLC we know that time is important to everybody, so we've listed some tips you can do to reduce turn times each time you order an appraisal from Touchstone Appraisal, LLC.

Are you ordering appraisals online?

With online ordering, you get automatic e-mail notifications that the assignment was received, and fast, secure .PDF format report delivery. It's the single biggest time saver available to both of us! We don't have to retype information from a fax, and you don't have to wonder whether we got the request.

Complete and accurate subject property information is essential.

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 great information to pass long with the request. We even welcome lists of recent sales from the area — remember, however, 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 appraisal we're working on for you, you're always free to call us at

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

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 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 built on, it's subject to zoning restrictions, it's susceptible to flooding. While these are things that we would find out on our own, knowing them sooner makes your report arrive without delay.

Let the homeowner know what to expect.

Confirming an inspection time and date with the homeowner can be one of the most time consuming parts in the appraisal process. We understand that a homeowner may be uneasy with a stranger looking in every corner of their home, taking pictures, and making lots of notes. With the idea that it will make the house appraise for more money, many homeowners feel they ought to make the place spotless before the appraisal inspection. And will reschedule the appointment until they can get around to cleaning.

Coming directly from you -- someone they have been working with on their loan -- some info about the appraisal process, who we are, and especially that dusting and polishing won't affect their home's value one little bit, and can shorten the time it takes to inspect a home. Please feel free to point your clients to this website, where we have many pages of helpful information for homeowners and others about the appraisal process. Advise them to call us if they want to become familiar with the staff and our services. Remind 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 each important milestone in an assignment is completed, that information can be viewed instantly online. There's no faster way to track the status of your report.