I had a discussion with a customer this week that called me for an appraisal, that really surprised me. This was a homeowner who wanted to sell their home, and needed an appraisal to set an asking price. They had called several other appraisers and had to leave a message on an answering machine. The appraiser never called them back. It made me think about how I do business and how I want to treat my customers. I came up with 5 things you can expect from me when you order an appraisal, and 5 things you will not get from me when you order an appraisal.
What you will get:
- I will either answer your call immediately or if I am not able to do so, I will call you back within 30 minutes.
- I will set the appointment time up with you at the time you order the appraisal, at your earliest convenience.
- I will show up at the property on time, or call you to let you know why I cannot, because I know your time is valuable.
- If there is a problem with getting the appraisal to you at the promised time I will let you know. I strive to meet my deadlines, however things do come up that can change my plans.
- I will call you to let you know when the appraisal is finished, and the results of the appraisal. I will then send the appraisal to you by email or regular mail.
What you will not get:
- I will not take 5 minutes for the appraisal inspection. It takes time to measure, inspect, and take pictures of your home. Homeowners are surprised at the time I take to do an inspection. An average inspection takes 30-45 minutes. I am told some appraisers only spend 5-10 minutes, which I do not believe is adequate.
- I will not ignore any sales you may have that you feel are relevant and similar to your home. I will consider them and if I feel they are appropriate I will include them in the report. If I do not use them I will tell you why.
- I will not provide a report to you that I do not believe reflects the current state of the market. It is best to use the newest sales even if they are in another neighborhood (as long as the neighborhood is a good substitute for yours). Older sales within your own neighborhood may not reflect what is happeing now.
- I will not provide a biased appraisal to you. An appraisal by a neutral party is the best way to arrive at a list price for a home because it will help you sell your home for the fairest price at the time.
- I will not forget about you after I have finished the appraisal and mailed it to you. If you have questions I will answer them for you.
I hope this information has been helpful to you, and clearly expresses my service policy. Thanks for reading.
If you have any real estate appraisal related questions you can call me at 205.243.9304, email me, or connect with me on facebook.
Great stuff, Tom. Well said.
Thanks Ryan.
That is a great list Tom. It makes me cringe when people tell me that other appraisers only spend 5 to 10 minutes at their house.
Thanks Bryan. I am surprised too by the things some homeowners say about other appraisers. I was told by a realtor that an appraiser called her and wanted her to go out and take pictures and measure the house for him! I could not believe it. This was an appraiser from south Alabama that had an assignment up this way.