Appraisal Portals

[Chris von Nieda]

Ok folks,

Here is my 2 cents as a techie with a good understanding of Appraisers and Lenders.

I have a client that is an appraiser who I built a portal for (hopefully my definition of Portal is the same as this topic). It's similar to Appraisal Port I think but only his company uses it.

He recently informed me that email is becoming a problem to transmit appraisals due to file size. His clients are complaining they can't get the emails. Most appraisals are between 1 and 2 megabytes in size in .PDF format. As the former IT Director for a lender I constantly had to have Loan Officers empty their mail boxes because they were out of space. Other attachments contributed to this also but appraisals most definitely did. They didn't realize they had to save the appraisals to the hard drive to resolve the problem.

My solution which I am in the final stages of developing now is to allow him and his staff the ability to upload the completed report in .PDF format to his site (it gets tagged to the original order) so that his clients can then download it. The upload takes about 30 seconds using DSL and their is no file size limitation. When the client down loads it they are prompted to save it to their hard drive. Problem solved!

This does not resolve the problem I am hearing elsewhere on this board regarding hooks to data and importing your appraisal data in to your software etc. BUT, I can tell you this: If you are receiving your orders online (using a database) you have the data already stored in a format recognizable by any software worth it's business card. Even if you have to click a few times to import or export data it's still much faster then entering it.

1 other thing: Someome mentioned putting "hooks" in to data received my email. Most email arrives in a format where this is not possible. There are ways to do it but it requires advanced programming on the senders side to put an email in a format so that data can be extracted from it. It also requires advanced programming on the receivers side.

- Chris

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

File sizes too large? If you have an Alamode Web Site, any lender can order, get status updates and download your appraisal from your web site without worrying about file size. It works better than e-mail pdf's. They are instantly notified by e-mail when the assignment is complete. They log into their own section of your web site and simply click on the pdf like any other site. That way there is no memory problem and they can view and print to their heart's content. I have two lenders that complained about their e-mail memory problems that do it that way now. Plus, they think it is cool to have their own password protected section on my web site and my site e-mails and faxes me notification of my orders.


This is a good set up and any of you alamode users should check it out.


Oh, I have one client that doesn't like using the internet, so he faxes me the order. I log in for him, fill out a minimal order and call him when he can log in to pick up the order. I didn't think I would ever get him converted to pdf delivery.


Sorry, didn't mean to come across as a commercial, but this great for a one man shop.

 

[Carnivore]

Originally posted by Alan Gertner@May 24 2003, 09:31 PM
Craig, I have a couple comments:


Keep in mind you are dealing with many single or small shop appraisers who have good intentions but are technically challenged and prefer not to deal with these type of problems.

-

ALan,

I essentially agree with your comments except this part about technically challenged. I think you and others running around in here peddling software fail to understand one aspect of this picture that means an awful to appraisers. We are in this to make money, fooling around with a system that breaks is not my idea of productivity even though I could work through issues. The information we get from lenders is limited to name phone number and address, plus client name an address. I dont need any more than that. So what time have any of you saved me. Many times that info is incorrect and so I have to play sherlock homes.

I simply fail to see any GREAT benefit to appraisers. None of you have saved me a dime except for those who maintain decent web sites that allow me to updat an appraisal status WHEN THE TIME IS CONVIENENT FOR ME, usually at night ONCE A DAY is sufficient. Any more than that is a waste of time.

This form filling is for lenders. Let them pay for it. It will be too costly for me to even consider as a one man shop.

 

[Bobby Bucks]

Good point Andrew. Actually some days in here the BS level builds to an intolerable level thanks to those "career challenged" non-appraisers who think they understand our business better than we do.....for the life of me I've never understood why they think they'll be successful spamming a chat room with their latest version of reinventing the wheel. Of course if you disagree with them, you're in the dark ages. The ranch is rocking just fine with cable modem and PDF.

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Sounds great for a shop full of monkeys.

Most, not all, but most, appraisers that actually know what they're doing when they work up an appraisal, work alone or in a very small shop with 3 or less appraisers. We don't need or want what you are selling and couldn't care less about 'big volume'. We care about quality first and foremost and being paid well for what we have worked so hard to become. Most of the regular forumites here fall into that category.

Please contact Wayne McKerley, the webmaster of this forum, if you'd like to place an advertisement. Otherwise, please do not attempt to market your product here.

 

[Dave Smith]

Pamela:

You said it better than I could ever hope to.

 

[Chris von Nieda]

You folks have made this an interesting Friday for me. TGIF.

Honestly I owe you all a small apology. I didn't read the "rules" until after I made my posts. (It's a guy thing, like instructions) As soon as I read the part about no advertising I attempted to edit my posts because that was NOT my primary motivation. The system does not allow you to delete your posts, otherwise I would have. So, if it appears I'm plugging myself a bit, I am guilty of that. You have my apologies. I am an extremely hard working small business owner like it sounds like most of you are just trying to find ways to get the word out.

Also, to my fellow Webmaster Wayne: My apologies. This is an excellent site. You should be proud.

I found this site last night. I spent almost 2 hours reading posts because I wanted to further educate myself on one of my clients industries. By doing so I thought that maybe my opinion on a few topics would be appreciated. I used real world examples to illustrate my opinions and ideas and I realize I may have been marketing a little yes. The marketing ends now.

But I am surprised at how many of you seem to have all the orders that you can handle, and 100% satisfied clients and all the time in the world to spend with your family and loved ones while the income streams in. The appraiser I mentioned in my posts works out of his home. He is a "1 man show" like many of you (and me). But he has decided that he would prefer to use the web and technology to increase his business and MAKE MORE MONEY while spending more time at home instead of doing inspections himself and sitting in traffic. My guess is his wife and kids appreciate it. Because he is not using a phone for all of it doesn't mean he is providing bad customer service. It means he is providing more customer service to more customers faster and he is sending more orders to more appraisers and they are making more money. His appraisers update their clients after hour's and weekends. They appreciate that!

To me Pamela that's no Monkey business. It's a smart business man who I have grown to respect.

I will continue to review and visit here because that is the beauty and the power of the web. Lost of free education for all that seek it. I have already picked up a few ideas on how I can help my appraiser do better.


- Chris

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

But I am surprised at how many of you seem to have all the orders that you can handle, and 100% satisfied clients and all the time in the world to spend with your family and loved ones while the income streams in. The appraiser I mentioned in my posts works out of his home. He is a "1 man show" like many of you (and me). But he has decided that he would prefer to use the web and technology to increase his business and MAKE MORE MONEY while spending more time at home instead of doing inspections himself and sitting in traffic. My guess is his wife and kids appreciate it. Because he is not using a phone for all of it doesn't mean he is providing bad customer service. It means he is providing more customer service to more customers faster and he is sending more orders to more appraisers and they are making more money. His appraisers update their clients after hour's and weekends. They appreciate that!

He is a "1 man show"

... he is sending more orders to more appraisers and they are making more money. His appraisers update their clients after hour's and weekends.

Looks like a major contradiction. Seems more like a '1 man show' appraisal management company - NOT an appraiser anymore. I do hope he's not signing those as if he is the appraiser!!!!!!!!

 

[Stone]

Looks like a major contradiction. Seems more like a '1 man show' appraisal management company - NOT an appraiser anymore.

Pam - that is exactly what I was thinking when I read this. He is absolutely not a "1 man show." Not the way it is defined here.