Why hire a technically advanced appraiser

Appraisers are, by far, the most technical agents in the real estate world. By necessity, they have been drawn into the digital world at a pace not seen by their colleagues. The appraisal process is one that lends itself to technology, which ultimately results in shorter turn-around times, thorough research capabilities and quality appraisal reports.

Ordering
Millions of real estate transactions are processed each year in the United States. Almost all of them require some sort of appraisal. Technology has allowed New York Realty Services to reduce the amount of work our client's need to order, track and receive appraisals. In the past, the primary mode of interaction between an appraiser and his clients was the telephone and fax machine. Clients would send requests via fax, and then often follow it up with a phone call to make sure it was received. Tracking the progress of the appraisal meant more phone calls - a disruption for both the client and the appraiser.

New York Realty Services has a better method. Using tools like this web site - complete with the ability to order appraisals on-line - allows clients to shave valuable time off the process of ordering and tracking appraisals. Technologies like these are advancing this concept even further, giving users the ability to not only order appraisals, but track their progress all the way until delivery. No more annoying games of phone tag!

Data Gathering
The appraisal process is a data intensive process. Appraisers spend a lot of their time gathering both specific information about the subject property and general data about the local market and developing trends. Once again, technology has significantly advanced to assist in this process. In the past, the home inspection process was time consuming and difficult. Our digital appraisers have several tools that can aid in gathering data in the field. Tools like laser directed measuring devices are making the measurements more accurate. Appraisal software, floor plan sketching programs and digital cameras also allow our appraisers to get the report done and delivered to the client in a shorter time than it once took.

On the other side of the data gathering coin is the general data. The Internet and customized comparable sale databases have revolutionized the ability of our appraisers to retrieve relevant data quickly. Where once an appraiser would spend hours finding the right location maps to photo copy, the modern appraiser gets his maps with a few mouse clicks, complete with location markers. Standardized addressing, accurate postal coding, census tract information, are all at their fingertips. This ensures that the final report is as complete and accurate as possible, requiring fewer call-backs and revisions.

Report delivery
Modern appraisers have forsaken the old print-and-snail mail route for a much more efficient electronic delivery system. Utilizing Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) files and AI Ready technology, our appraisers can deliver a complete, multi-page report, with digital photos and maps, through simple e-mail or Appraisal Port.  Now, instead of waiting for the daily mail, or paying for expensive courier services, appraisal customers can simply log into their company email system and retrieve all the appraisals at one time. Without wasting and paper printing the appraisal, it can be routed to the appropriate individuals in a matter of seconds.

Digital Workfile
One of the purposes of an appraisal is as a legal document reflecting the subject property as of the date of value. Appraisers are required to keep their reports for 5 years, allowing them to recall any appraisal at any time to either defend the valuation or to be used in other legal proceedings.

By storing every aspect of the appraisal - notes, sketches, supporting documentation and calculations - along with the appraisal, we are able to retrieve that report at any time within the five years and recall just what that report was about. And this data is not stored in boxes stacked 5 deep in some rented warehouse. Instead, the digital appraiser uses technology to electronically include all supporting documents as part of the appraisal file. These files are stored securely on searchable media where the appraiser can find them in a fraction of the time required in the past. This helps appraisal clients by giving them immediate, virtual access to any appraisal they've ordered within the past 5 years.

These are just a few examples of how we are improving the business workflows of our customers. Investing in the right software, services, and hardware allows New York Realty Services to deliver reports quicker, more efficiently and with higher degrees of accuracy.

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