Automate Data Entry?

[Tentcart]

Efficiency in the appraisal process lies in the overall approach to the business rather than form input. There are many other tasks in the overall process that can save you alot of time. I do 600+ reports per year with one part-time assistant. My time is maximized in many other aspects of the business outside of comparable data entry, and I do alot of it. Don't rely on 3rd party data services. Use the most credible/verifiable sources of data and enter it/copy/paste.. etc. btw, don't get offended by the dino trolls. Just step over them and carry on.

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

Along with Spark or Smartexchange or whatever importer you use, learn to use Excel and Total's worksheets along with the csv files for your data sets, and maybe some of your own databases for neighborhoods, and zoning references, and census tract data ... you can pass the grid back and forth between the two programs, reference information from the datasets, and develop whatever semi-customized template of any length you can imagine, that can be pasted into your supplemental addendum with a copy and paste of one cell. Build your template a paragraph/section at a time, and build your databases neighborhood by neighborhood, municipality by municipality, zoning reference by zoning reference, as you do the work. Anytime you notice yourself repeating a process that could be automated, figure out how to add this to your customized spreadsheet. The worksheets have limits, but can also empower you to produce cohesive reports that are detailed and consistent, and allow you to focus on unique commentary relevant to the appraisal problem.

Yours is a very sophisticated and logical approach.

Comment: I interpret regs to require the appraiser to report a description of each comparable. Rather than to create subjective, non-standardized descriptions, I copy/paste the MLS marketing narrative for each comparable into the SCA addendum, with rationale and caveats stated.
Question: Do you happen to know how to automate the copy/pasting of that info for every comp--into the ACI SCA addendum, for example--after the MLS listings have been downloaded to my desktop?

 

[TruJa]

Yours is a very sophisticated and logical approach.

Comment: I interpret regs to require the appraiser to report a description of each comparable. Rather than to create subjective, non-standardized descriptions, I copy/paste the MLS marketing narrative for each comparable into the SCA addendum, with rationale and caveats stated.
Question: Do you happen to know how to automate the copy/pasting of that info for every comp--into the ACI SCA addendum, for example--after the MLS listings have been downloaded to my desktop?

As far as ACI goes, I haven't used it. One advantage of Total or Wintotal is it allows you to link fields in the report to a basic spreadsheet("worksheet") within Total, which you can then copy and paste into Excel if you want (that is how I get the grid into Excel) or you can manipulate values and text within Total's worksheets. You can also do the same in reverse - such as copying your entire grid from Excel and pasting it back into Total after you make changes, adjustments, etc. I don't think A La Mode intended worksheets to be used exactly like this, but this is probably the ONLY reason I use it over other products I've looked into. I'm certain, however, that you could create an Excel worksheet to paste commentary into any addendum that accepts text- I just don't know if you would be able to get the data directly from your desktop software into Excel without this. If anyone knows of any other form software which has integrated worksheets like Total, I would love to know.

 

[Vermonter]

I don't think A La Mode intended worksheets to be used exactly like this, but this is probably the ONLY reason I use it over other products I've looked into.

Shhhhh....if they know something included in the software is helpful, they'll charge more for it

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

As far as ACI goes, I haven't used it. One advantage of Total or Wintotal is it allows you to link fields in the report to a basic spreadsheet("worksheet") within Total, which you can then copy and paste into Excel if you want (that is how I get the grid into Excel) or you can manipulate values and text within Total's worksheets. You can also do the same in reverse - such as copying your entire grid from Excel and pasting it back into Total after you make changes, adjustments, etc. I don't think A La Mode intended worksheets to be used exactly like this, but this is probably the ONLY reason I use it over other products I've looked into. I'm certain, however, that you could create an Excel worksheet to paste commentary into any addendum that accepts text- I just don't know if you would be able to get the data directly from your desktop software into Excel without this. If anyone knows of any other form software which has integrated worksheets like Total, I would love to know.

When I recently mentioned my tentative plan to learn the Python programming language, a few AF peers indicated the virtually any task can be automated using that functionality.

 

[TruJa]

When I recently mentioned my tentative plan to learn the Python programming language, a few AF peers indicated the virtually any task can be automated using that functionality.

If it's something you love to do, and have the right skillset, I think it would be a useful product. Every once in a while, I think I should take this to the next level too, but I think one of the big challenges is that while I can customize my worksheets to my workflow, my data sources, and my reports, I know that appraiser's vary widely in methodology, workflow, and in what they deem important, or the "right" way to do an appraisal, and that there are a wide variety of data sources which somehow need to be reconciled. More of this is inevitable with some appraisers using AI products in their reports. I'm probably going to start using ChatGPT for help when I start redoing some of my databases this summer. I'm still doing the work, but in terms of wordsmithing and being thorough, it looks like it would be a good aid.

 

[ZZGAMAZZ]

If it's something you love to do, and have the right skillset, I think it would be a useful product. Every once in a while, I think I should take this to the next level too, but I think one of the big challenges is that while I can customize my worksheets to my workflow, my data sources, and my reports, I know that appraiser's vary widely in methodology, workflow, and in what they deem important, or the "right" way to do an appraisal, and that there are a wide variety of data sources which somehow need to be reconciled. More of this is inevitable with some appraisers using AI products in their reports. I'm probably going to start using ChatGPT for help when I start redoing some of my databases this summer. I'm still doing the work, but in terms of wordsmithing and being thorough, it looks like it would be a good aid.

It is an interesting perspective of humanity that some individuals continually try to enhance their knowledge and to improve the result of their endeavors, regardless of whether it is necessary, or appreciated, or meaningful. A pal of mine who recently retired from a relatively successful healthcare construction career has been bugging me recently to dumb-down my reports so I will have more time to hang out with him. I'm having a difficult time doing so, although his perspective that to devote substantial effort to details that neither clients, nor regulators, care about is unnecessary, or "stupid" in his words. I have decided, however, to stop improving my resume when I reach 135 years of age.