Ideas that save time and money

[Damon Pedersen]

I agree with Larry, in the fact that photos should not be taken out the windshield. I was under the impression that taking comparable photos should also include a spot check of notes, features, etc. of the comparable and not just a drive by quick photo shoot.

Those of you who rely solely on MLS data for information regarding the comparables are begging for a future E & O claim. If you don't believe me, compare the square footage of a recent sale appraisal that you did to the MLS listing sheet. Square footage will in most cases be different than what the appraiser measured. I assume there will be some other differences as well.

I also use a manilla folder. Before I go out to the subject there is my inspection sheet form in the folder as well as data pulled from the assessor's office. Also enclosed is typically 10-15 possible comparables in the immediate neighborhood. After inspection, I sit in the driveway and page through the 15 possible comparables and select the best six or so. Then on the front of the manilla folder I write the subject address at the top and the addresses of the six selected comparable below. Then I go to each comparable sale and take their photo. General notes regarding the comp are put next to, around, or below the address. I also number the selected best comparables in the order in which the photos are taken.
Why do I write the addresses on the front of the folder? So when I get back and download photos I just look at each inspection folder I did for the day and can load in pictures quicker by just looking at the addresses listed on the front of the folder and I never even have to open up the folder and page through MLS sheets, etc. looking for the comp and subject property addresses.

If anyone is buying ink from supply stores for Epson printers, I know of a company that you should check into for great rates on ink cartridges. I have shopped around a lot and have bought the cheaper cartridges that seem to only be half full, but I kept track and these last as long as the ones with the Epson label on them. I have an Epson 880 and I can buy Color and Black at around $14 per cartridge. Email me if anyone wants to check them out.

Damon

 

[Tony in Ohio]

I think everyone has already covered my points, but I do have a minor one, and I think I got it from someone on this forum.

Instead of buying a stamp to mark samples, mailed invoices, etc. I just created a template in word. I simply put the page back in the printer, pull up the appropriate template in print right on top of the original lettering. I use approx. 26 point font and a nice shade of red and it really stands out.

of course a lender just asked me to email my samples and I dont know any way to overlay those. :roll:

 

[Jim McGrath]

Tony, I use templates for different neighborhoods and areas that I do several appraisals in. I save them with the neighborhood data, flood info, etc. It saves a lot of time when doing a new appraisal.

For my printing I use an HP 6MP, and under the properties, paper, it has a watermarks option. This allows me to print anything with a large watermark across it. It has some defaults such as copy, draft, confidential, etc, but you can add your own of whatever you want. This way you can pull up an appraisal and print it and it will have this on every page. And you can make it as light as you want.

Jim McGrath

Instead of buying a stamp to mark samples, mailed invoices, etc. I just created a template in word. I simply put the page back in the printer, pull up the appropriate template in print right on top of the original lettering. I use approx. 26 point font and a nice shade of red and it really stands out.

of course a lender just asked me to email my samples and I dont know any way to overlay those. :roll:

 

[Larry Lyke]

Tony's idea just above is a good one, BUT...

DON'T try a similar thing by feeding Xeroxed copies back through your Laster Printer because the laser printer will attract the unfixed [loose] tonor particles and make the rest of your printing dirty until you have it professionally cleaned.

You've seen laster printing that has a shadowed [dirty] background that signifies that the printer needs cleaning -- Somebody has run a printed sheet or Xerox printed page back through the laser printer.

 

[Anonymous]

Just a few things I have seen here:

1. Everyone seems to have some numbering/filing system for their appraisals. Seems like when I get a call about one and need to pull the file, the client/borrower doesnt know the exact date or their parcel number so I can find the file. I simply file by street address for each year. Most people know their address.

2. Seems like a lot of people are sitting in driveways and parks picking comps etc. What kind of volume do you do? No way I could do that. My time much better spent in the office, after I have seen the properties doing my searches. How do you now the few you printed out are going to be the best there are? I guess in my area, we have so few cookie cutter subdivisions this is impractical. I read one post where a guy said he takes 15-16 comp sheets with him from the subject neighborhood. I dont think we have a subdivision in this area with 15-16 sales per year.

3. Dee Dee: Your truck? what do you drive? Most of the appraiser's around here give me weird looks when I tell them I drive a truck. Its like, hey, you are supposed to be a professional, drive a BMW. Well, the bimmer can't go where I can go and would look awful silly trying to pull my bassboat up a mountain.

 

[Pamela Crowley (Florida)]

Monday I talked to a builder site agent. He said he was an appraiser in California about 5 years ago and did at least 8 full URAR appraisals per day. He was complaining about the lack of information at the property appraisers office here and sympathized with me for the amount of work I need to do.

He used to spend his morning driving to the subjects to taking the photos. Remember, he did 6 - 8 per day!

He then used only the tax records for the subject and the comps info, the subject photos he took (sometimes) and the pictures of the comps apparently from the tax records. Don't know what to put in some of those pesky fields such as floor covering? Well, whatever was in the clone he started with would work. Adjustments? whatever fit to make the number.

Due diligence? Never heard that term. How's that for efficiency? Makes me feel like I'm only beating my own head against a concrete block wall!

 

[Kathy in FL]

OK...maybe I'm stupid (duh!) but I always carry 6-8 comps with me when looking. This is not a time killer...but a time saver for me. I'm in a rural area and our property appraiser's office doesn't keep records (even remotely accurate, anyway) on square footage or even home type. (MH or house? Business? Go look!) Did I tell you his wife is an appraiser? Ya'd think, wouldn't ya?

If I don't have a large number of sales to choose from, odds are, I'll get out and have NOTHING and have to come back home and start over.

My best time saver is a copy machine that will let you put a whole appraisal in and then it feeds through the sheets one at a time all by itself. Of course, I have to stand there and baby it to make sure ALL the pages go through...but I don't have to copy page by page anymore. (Hey! I'm a one girl shop! No big Xerox machine here!)

An attitude tip...I put all of my little "thank you--great appraisal" notes that people send back with their checks on the wall behind my computer monitor. When somebody calls and complains about the horrible appraisal I did for him, instead of getting all depressed (like I used to do) and going through all of that self-doubt we appraisers seem to have in spades, I sit there and read my "happy" wall.

Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

 

[Dee Dee]

Bill,
I drive a 4-Runner. Mountain people don't trust people who drive BMW's... the loan officers and realtors down in Denver like 'em though. :lol:
A BMW wouldn't survive long up here, I need the 4WD and if I were that low to the ground I'd always be stuck or losing mufflers. Besides, have you ever seen the damage that an elk can do to one of those little cars?
Nasty...they go right through the windshield if you hit 'em head on. Nooo thank you! 8O

 

[Charlotte Dixon]

Kathy,
Copy machine? Don't use mine much anymore. I've saved tremendous amounts of money on copy machine and printing cartridges, thanks to sending appraisals via EDI. Many of you have been doing this for awhile, but I just started in November. Plus, I'm getting 3 out in the same amount of time it took me to do 1 appraisal. I just love it! Wish I had done this WAY before now. Thank you cards/letters? I must really be a DuD; In the 14 yrs. I've been appraising, I've never received a card saying anyone loved my appraisal. Twice, with private party's checks, there were notes saying 'thanks', but they would be pretty lonely on a bulletin board. The up side is I've never received a card telling me I'm a DuD!

 

[Mike Garrett RAA]

Children....

A good file is the life blood of any appraiser. My cover page has all the data needed to understand the problem, ie, address, phone numbers, appointment date...a map with the location of the subject and comps. As various parts of the assignment are completed each item is checked off.

I staple the public record on the inside left and the MLS on the inside right, works nicely while typing up the appraisal report. My inspection sheet is a "highlight" the item type sheet, eliminates a lot of writing. I do a CMA on every property and carry it with me as well as the MLS sheets for the comps.

BIG TIP...always have one or two more comps than the minimum in case one doesn't work out.

Best time saver.....get a DSL or cable connection. Can gather data and send reports in a 10th of the time. The first giant time saver was digital pics...now its really fast internet connections.