simsonic
Freshman Member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2007
- Professional Status
- Certified Residential Appraiser
- State
- California
I kept getting the question from other appraiser, especially ones starting out, about the best appraisal software, so I decided to write an editorial about it. you can see more of this at my website www.sdvaluation.com
-Sim
ACI or a la mode? The real estate appraisal process is a detailed one due to the myriad of steps licensed Appraisers go through to complete an official opinion of value. Some of the steps include customer service, order acceptance or rejection, data researching, scope of work consideration, inspection, data confirmation, report writing, data input, sketching, reconciliation, and delivery. For appraisers, writing appraisal reports can be the most time consuming and detail oriented part of the appraisal process. Therefore, choosing appraisal report writing software is a major decision. There are many companies to choose from, including ACI, a la mode, Bradford, Day One, and SFREP. The software provided by these companies vary in ease of use, combined services offered, costs, speed, and feel. After using all of these products extensively, it is safe to say that ACI and a lamode are head and shoulders above the rest. But which one is better? Functionality, getting and maintaining clients, costs, and service are the four categories used to rate ACI and a la mode. Let’s take a look and see how they stack up!
Functionality is the ability of the software to do its job. Real estate appraisal software should be fairly easy to use right out of the box and after the initial learning curve it should save a significant amount of time on each report. Both ACI and a la mode are very successful in this category with templates, quick lists, shortcuts, automatic map downloads, photo importers, invoicing, data importing, merging, and all kinds of bells and whistles. Learning ACI is made easier with the use of eTraining videos and sessions, while a la mode uses tech docs and Webinars. Both are easy to use, however a la mode’s online training set-up is slightly easier to navigate and they have more options available for the user. Having said that, becoming familiar with the software and it’s shortcuts, ACI’s Report is by far the faster loading program. On a similar machine, it boots up twice as fast as a la mode’s WinTOTAL. Once the programs are up and running, they both offer exceptional functionality, which means that both company’s appraisal formssoftware work equally as well as the other.
Getting and maintaining clients is done through the use of web interfaces, marketing, mobile devices, and search engine optimization. ACI 365 “combines appraisal websites and a complete online office management solution. Company websites are built quickly and easily with pre-loaded appraisal content.” On the other hand, a la mode Xsites “couple the modern conveniences today’sweb-savvy clients expect with the back office tools you need to manage your business and an integrated marketing system to drive visitors to your site andconvert them into paying customers.” Both systems work well, but both have needed time to work out bugs like duplicate contacts and order processing. A la mode does a much better job of making sure it’s clients (appraisers) know that they need a web presence. In fact, one of the strengths of a la mode’s Xsite is that they offer detailed lessons in search engine optimization. As of now most active appraiser websites are built and run from a la mode’s Xsite platform simply because it is better, easier to use, customizable, and more integrative with the overall software.
The cost of products from ACI and a la mode are comparable. ACI’s overall package which includes all it's combined services is about 20% less expensive across the board, however they charge extra for signature files and for each computer the software is run on. If you are a single appraiser with one computer this works to your advantage. A la mode’s products are more expensive but you can run one software package on as many computers as you want. So if you have ten assistants, a laptop and a desktop, this works to your advantage. Either way the old saying holds true here: you get what you pay for. A la mode’s software is more expensive because you get more features.
Service is an organization's ability to supply their customers' wants and needs. All appraisers will have to call Customer Service from time to time to deal with an issue. Things come up and something usually goes wrong; Trust me on this one. From first hand experience, I have waited on ACI’s customer service line for over an hour on three different occasions just to change the registration from one computer to another. Their customer service department is poorly staffed; ACI representatives are helpful when they finally answer, but a wait longer than 10 minutes is bad form. On the other hand a la mode’s customer service is incredible. The company bends overbackwards for its customers. They email, call, chat, text and, if you let them, take over your computer remotely to diagnose any problem that you may have. For example, I called in two weeks ago with an issue about scanning work files and before resolving the issue had to hang up because I needed to leave for an appointment. The next four days consisted of an almost zen like clockwork from a la mode’s staff trying to reach me to resolve the issue. That kind of service is almost unheard of.
All in all, I have used both ACI and a la mode for years. I use ACI once in a while because a former supervisor sends me orders under one condition: I write reports for his clients with ACI. I use a la mode for all of my company’s orders. Both are exceptional products. In summary, ACI loads quicker, runs faster, and is less expensive for the single-end user. A la mode is a more complete package from web services to iPhone sketching, is 20% more expensive, offers superior service, and is more adept at marketing. -written by Sim Barhoum, MA, Certified Real Estate Appraiser, California, San Diego Valuation
-Sim
ACI or a la mode? The real estate appraisal process is a detailed one due to the myriad of steps licensed Appraisers go through to complete an official opinion of value. Some of the steps include customer service, order acceptance or rejection, data researching, scope of work consideration, inspection, data confirmation, report writing, data input, sketching, reconciliation, and delivery. For appraisers, writing appraisal reports can be the most time consuming and detail oriented part of the appraisal process. Therefore, choosing appraisal report writing software is a major decision. There are many companies to choose from, including ACI, a la mode, Bradford, Day One, and SFREP. The software provided by these companies vary in ease of use, combined services offered, costs, speed, and feel. After using all of these products extensively, it is safe to say that ACI and a lamode are head and shoulders above the rest. But which one is better? Functionality, getting and maintaining clients, costs, and service are the four categories used to rate ACI and a la mode. Let’s take a look and see how they stack up!
Functionality is the ability of the software to do its job. Real estate appraisal software should be fairly easy to use right out of the box and after the initial learning curve it should save a significant amount of time on each report. Both ACI and a la mode are very successful in this category with templates, quick lists, shortcuts, automatic map downloads, photo importers, invoicing, data importing, merging, and all kinds of bells and whistles. Learning ACI is made easier with the use of eTraining videos and sessions, while a la mode uses tech docs and Webinars. Both are easy to use, however a la mode’s online training set-up is slightly easier to navigate and they have more options available for the user. Having said that, becoming familiar with the software and it’s shortcuts, ACI’s Report is by far the faster loading program. On a similar machine, it boots up twice as fast as a la mode’s WinTOTAL. Once the programs are up and running, they both offer exceptional functionality, which means that both company’s appraisal formssoftware work equally as well as the other.
Getting and maintaining clients is done through the use of web interfaces, marketing, mobile devices, and search engine optimization. ACI 365 “combines appraisal websites and a complete online office management solution. Company websites are built quickly and easily with pre-loaded appraisal content.” On the other hand, a la mode Xsites “couple the modern conveniences today’sweb-savvy clients expect with the back office tools you need to manage your business and an integrated marketing system to drive visitors to your site andconvert them into paying customers.” Both systems work well, but both have needed time to work out bugs like duplicate contacts and order processing. A la mode does a much better job of making sure it’s clients (appraisers) know that they need a web presence. In fact, one of the strengths of a la mode’s Xsite is that they offer detailed lessons in search engine optimization. As of now most active appraiser websites are built and run from a la mode’s Xsite platform simply because it is better, easier to use, customizable, and more integrative with the overall software.
The cost of products from ACI and a la mode are comparable. ACI’s overall package which includes all it's combined services is about 20% less expensive across the board, however they charge extra for signature files and for each computer the software is run on. If you are a single appraiser with one computer this works to your advantage. A la mode’s products are more expensive but you can run one software package on as many computers as you want. So if you have ten assistants, a laptop and a desktop, this works to your advantage. Either way the old saying holds true here: you get what you pay for. A la mode’s software is more expensive because you get more features.
Service is an organization's ability to supply their customers' wants and needs. All appraisers will have to call Customer Service from time to time to deal with an issue. Things come up and something usually goes wrong; Trust me on this one. From first hand experience, I have waited on ACI’s customer service line for over an hour on three different occasions just to change the registration from one computer to another. Their customer service department is poorly staffed; ACI representatives are helpful when they finally answer, but a wait longer than 10 minutes is bad form. On the other hand a la mode’s customer service is incredible. The company bends overbackwards for its customers. They email, call, chat, text and, if you let them, take over your computer remotely to diagnose any problem that you may have. For example, I called in two weeks ago with an issue about scanning work files and before resolving the issue had to hang up because I needed to leave for an appointment. The next four days consisted of an almost zen like clockwork from a la mode’s staff trying to reach me to resolve the issue. That kind of service is almost unheard of.
All in all, I have used both ACI and a la mode for years. I use ACI once in a while because a former supervisor sends me orders under one condition: I write reports for his clients with ACI. I use a la mode for all of my company’s orders. Both are exceptional products. In summary, ACI loads quicker, runs faster, and is less expensive for the single-end user. A la mode is a more complete package from web services to iPhone sketching, is 20% more expensive, offers superior service, and is more adept at marketing. -written by Sim Barhoum, MA, Certified Real Estate Appraiser, California, San Diego Valuation
