Appraisal Service Anywhere In The United States
Appraisal Internet
Sites
By Charlie W. Elliott, Jr., MAI,
SRA
If you haven’t looked lately
there are literally scores of Internet sites dedicated to assisting the
lending community in purchasing an appraisal or locating an appraiser
anywhere in the United States. These sites range anywhere from the
modestly constructed startup appraiser directories, with very little
geographic coverage, to the well-established, well-funded
management-company sites offering full service and sophisticated order
entry and tracking systems. There would be little question that these
sites can be helpful given the easy access to the Internet and the huge
resources offered, but how does one go about selecting a site offering
honest dependable information and service? What factors should influence
our decision-making concerning which sites to use. Within this article
an attempt was made to answer these questions albeit in a general way.
While no recommendations will be made as to specific sites, a sample
listing will be offered of some of the major sites of which the author
is familiar, allowing one to make decision as to which site best serves
his or her needs.
The author through research on the Internet and past experience has
located a number of real estate appraisal sites and has broken them down
into two categories, appraisal service sites and appraiser directory
sites. While there are literally dozens of such sites and no attempt was
made top locate all of them or to render an opinion as to which are
best. Those listed are considered to be among the most interesting and
potentially the most valuable to those searching for appraisal services.
Sites selected are believed to be those, which generally provide
national coverage.
Appraisal Service Sites
Appraiser Directory Sites
No sites were included which
required passwords unless a registration could easily be accomplished
without sending e-mails or otherwise contacting the appraisal company.
Many Appraisal Service Sites researched, especially the larger
management companies offered so many other products and or had so such
going on at their site that it was virtually impossible for a newcomer
to understand what procedure would be required to place an order. These
were not included. Some Appraisal Directory Sites researched were
complicated or confusing leaving the reader wondering exactly what can
be accomplished at the site. These were also excluded.
In an attempt to analyze which sites were best, no attempt will be made
to rate or grade them. A summary of the author’s observations will be
made to provide the reader with a tool to use in making personal
decisions as to which sites are more valuable.
Those qualities considered valuable in assessing a site include:
-
Is it a fast site? If it takes forever
for the pages to unfold and the data to come forth the site leaves a lot
to be desired.
-
Is the site well laid out and easy to
understand. Is it free of clutter, advertisements, excessive artwork and
otherwise unnecessary graphics?
-
Can orders be entered and submitted with
ease or can appraisers be found quickly and easily without having to
scroll through many unnecessary pages?
-
Can a real live person be found to take
care of misunderstandings by telephone? Sometimes too much attention is
directed toward the handling everything electronically. Pardon me, but
there are occasions when a guy or gal needs a real live voice on the
other end of a telephone to provide reassurance and direction when
things go wrong or when there are misunderstandings. Sites that do not
allow for the making of a phone call are to be avoided.
-
Will I be communicated with once I have
submitted or placed my order? Whether it is an order through the site or
to an appraiser found on the site a confirmation of the order is a must.
Do I want to sit idly by allowing time to pass and wonder if my
appraisal fell into a black hole?
-
Does the site provide automatic status of
the order? Does it address delays and complications beyond the control
of the appraiser, which will affect the timely delivery of the
appraisal?
In considerations as to
whether to use an appraisal service or deal directly with an appraiser
the following guidance is offered:
This is an individual decision. An appraisal service will usually be
more important to the busy individual who has a volume of appraisal
orders to fill and who is short of time to follow-up. If these
properties are scattered out over the country it can be nice to get one
stop service for a number of orders. This is especially true when
service is required on a daily basis and when the purchaser is able to
develop a confidence in the company offering the service.
Conversely some of us want to deal directly with the appraiser
performing the work and we are willing to take time to find the
appraiser, negotiate the fee, deliver the instructions, follow-up when
it is late, perform a review of the work, etc.
It is certainly easier and less time consuming to employ an appraisal
service provider to manage the appraisal process. Where direct and
frequent personal contact with the appraiser is a must there is
certainly an advantage to dealing directly with an appraiser. Stated
another way someone is going to incur the time and expense of managing
the appraisal services. In the case of an individual mortgage broker
doing low volume and placing a high value on being involved in the
management process dealing directly with the appraiser may be the way to
go. Those, however, finding themselves with a high volume of work and
not wanting to be involved in the day-to-day process of managing the
appraisal process may very well choose a company capable of managing all
of their orders. Many large appraisal companies have sophisticated
online order-entry and management systems. These allow the purchaser to
become involved in the process while keeping the time involved to a
minimum.
Whether you choose to use an appraisal service site to locate a full
service appraisal management company or use the appraiser directory site
to find an individual appraiser we hope that you find a service provider
from the above lists satisfactory to your needs.
Charlie W. Elliott, Jr., MAI, SRA, is
President of ELLIOTT® & Company Appraisers, a national real estate
appraisal company. He can be reached at (800) 854-5889 or at
charlie@elliottco.com or through the company’s Web site at
www.appraisalsanywhere.com.
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