How can you get more orders done?

[terr]

Does anyone have any GOOD ideas on how to get more appraisals done?

I have to many orders and have to turn them away.

What do those that answered completing over 6-8 appraisals a week in the poll do to turn out more appraisals?

Are there any efficiency experts out there.

Serious helpful answers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Terr

 

[Tim Hicks (Texas)]

Work smart. Work long hours. Keep distractions from slowing you down. (i.e. Appraisersforum). It really depends on your experience too. I have pretty much appraised every type (I am now jinksing myself, here comes something new) of property and I don't have to suffer a learning curve on unusual properties. I don't butt my head against the wall looking for comps that don't exist any more, either. I have rarely turned down work in 11 years. I don't think my kids are grown yet, I don't know for sure I hardly see them lately.

Seriously, a DSL line will speed up your entire operation. Embrace all technology. I use internet maps, interflood, alamode IDC center (flood map number, zip codes, census tracts). Hopefully, your entire report is digital (maps, photos, etc.). Don't skimp on a computer either. A pentium 4 is less than $1,000 and a world ahead of my last computer. Windows XP is great, no more crashes. You get the idea, embrace technolgy and keep your nose to the grindstone.

 

[H. Robert Murray III]

Hello,
I can only tell you what works for me.

-work 6 days a week, usually a full day on saturday with 4 to 5 inspections, maybe 6 if they are bunched on one side of town; but here in Houston it usually doesn't work out that way. This Sat I have 5 inspections scheduled and will probably put 200 miles on my odometer, easy.

-schedule appts effeciantly as possible, even if you have to push your weight around. When a home owner, for refi, tells you he can't see you until after work, say 7pm; let him know it might delay the appraisal a week to fit that in your schedule. But you can do it tommorow at 1pm if he is available. Of course you already have an appt on another home a mile away at 2pm.

-Not matter how many you do, turn down some; and don't wast time on lenders you don't know or you know will never use you when it slows down.

-do not accept any reports that you know will be a time theft, unless your fee compensates you accordingly

-get your clients to accept email delivery.

-let your wife know she won't be seeing you much for about a month, but there will be no problem with the mortgage payment for the rest of the year.

 

[Debra]

Hello!

This is what I'm trying to figure out...how to get more done and still have quality work...Thanks! :wink:

 

[Mountain Man]

Like Tim, I do almost everything online. MLS comp search, online deeds to verfy sales, and subscribe to a private company that sells data to appraisers...to correct MLS data :lol: .

DSL is a must. All of my clients now take appraisals by e-mail. Even the little, local bank (finally talked them into it. )

I use J-Fax to receive faxes as e-mail. No more paper faxes or a dedicated phone line. Only print out the faxes I want, IE: AMC status updates get deleted. :wink:

Been so busy lately, my wife and offspring have helped me by doing some running. A true family bizniz.

 

[Bemis Pownall]

my tips

Get a color laser, you'll only have to buy toner 1 every 6 months.

Get broadband, cable or DSL, I have cable plus a back up cable just in case, use it twice this month.

use a digital camera, I date my file jacket the day of inspection-i create a new folder on hard drive with same date(072502) i down load all the photos for that day in that file. I use a rubber stamp on folder jacket(no typos). This reduced tons of strees, knowing for sure were my pics are. Plus I have a ton of memory in camera and delete only every other month, this is a security blanket.

schedule as many as possible on saturday, people are home usually, traffic is typically thinner

I have someone works partime on thursday and friday to schdule for saturday, and schedule smart, far away first and work back towards home, if you happen to get an 8am you can leave the hometead early.

Like said earlier take charge of appointment-remember you are doing them a favor, and encourage Realtors NOT to be there explain that due to low rates your busy and it would be hard to work around their schedule, "just the lock box plz, I'll call if I have a prob."

Pack your lunch and sodas on saturday cuz fast food will not be fast enough and too many fat grams.

Office depot/Staples/Office Max will deliver free to your door and wheel all that legal paper to your office, works for me!

When your done on Saturday drink lots of beer, cuz you will have no life.

 

[Frederick R. Ruffell]

Well here a re a few "tricks" I have seen many other appraisers using , I do alot of review work.
Just take the estimated value that is on all orders and put that in the report first and work backwards.
Use the MLS photos for comps so you don't have to drive them.
Don't bother filling out all the fields on the form: census, legal description, flood info, pud info, hoa info, APN #'s, etc.. are all time consumers so just leave them out.
Grid adjustments?, don't bother with paired sales, regression analysis, or any of that junk. And you don't have to comment on across the board adjustments, or 15% net, 25% gross adjustments, having to think up comments on how to explain what you did is time consuming and makes for big files that take longer to transmit.
Forget the spell checker.

Go out and get 'em tiger

 

[Blue1]

Work 12 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week. Turn down the "nightmare" orders if you can......take orders close to home......as others say. use a digital camera, DSL or cable, and keep good records of all your appraisals.......you may be doing them again in the future and you'll already have your old appraisal. Now...... get off the Forum and get back to work! :lol:

 

[Bemis Pownall]

oh and get a head set

I now have a pinched nerve and my left arm doesnt work, from talking on the phone while typing and driving..

 

[Restrain]

We use teamwork in my office. The boss (my wife Paula) does the appointment setting, giving me 4-5 a day. She runs the comps and has me set up ready to go. I use a laptop in the field and my son-in-law is my in-the-field assistant. So I'm writing in the field as we go between appraisals. Reports almost invariably are cloned from a previous file from the neighborhood - saves time as we don't have to reinvent the wheel-just update it. We use cable internet (DSL not available) so that I'm not waiting for files to be sent. Computer is a recent Pentium, crunches numbers. Working in the same areas, I have many comps already in the system so it's not necessary to reshoot comps. Digital camera saves $$$ and time. Digital maps from Mapblast or Mapquest. The more you can do on-line and digitally, the faster you get reports out. Yes, we work hard, but we work smart. If someone wants something in the back of nowhere, they either pay the $$$ or we don't do it. All I've got to sell is time.