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. Appraisal Evaluations has strategically positioned itself on the forefront of technology, to provide the highest level of value to our clients.

Data Gathering

The appraisal process is an extremely data intensive process. Appraisers spend the bulk of their time gathering specific information, about the subject property, and general data about the local real estate market. 

Appraisal Evaluations has adopted several tools that assist us in gathering data in the field, including handheld PCs that synchronize our field notes with our office workstations, digital cameras, which enable our field appraisers to capture complete photographic profiles of a property, and ultrasonic/laser measuring devices, which allow us to rapidly yet accurately gather measurements. 

Additionally, Appraisal Evaluations maintains subscriptions to a plethora of web-based data sources for home sales & listings, flood zone, census & zoning information, and building & construction costs. 

The sum total of utilizing these tools is that we can gather MORE data MORE accurately, resulting in more accurate and complete reports, and fewer "call-backs" for our clients.  

Ordering & Status Tracking

Millions of real estate transactions are processed each year in the United States.  Nearly all of them require some sort of appraisal. Technology has allowed Appraisal Evaluations 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 the 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.   Appraisal Evaluations has developed another method.  Our online tracking system allows our clients to shave valuable time off the process of ordering and tracking appraisals; giving its users the ability to not only order appraisals, but track their progress all the way until delivery. No more annoying games of phone tag!
 

Report delivery

Appraisal Evaluations has forsaken the old print-and-snail mail route for a much more efficient electronic delivery system. Utilizing Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) files, we can deliver a complete, multi-page report, complete with digital photos and maps, through simple e-mail or retrieval via our online tracking system.  Now, instead of waiting for the daily mail, or paying for expensive courier services, our clients can simply log into their company email system our online tracking system and retrieve all the appraisals at one time.

Report storage

Appraisal Evaluations complies with USPAP guidelines by storing every aspect of our appraisal files - notes, sketches, supporting documentation and calculations - along with the appraisal, for a minimum of five years.  Rather than storing this data in boxes stacked 5 deep in some rented warehouse, our work-files are optically scanned and securely digitized on searchable media.  This enables us to locate any supporting documentation in an instant. 

Our appraisal files are attached to our database and are accessible via our online trracking system; providing our clients with immediate, virtual access to any appraisal they've ordered 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.  Our disaster recovery plan incorporates multiple backups of our critical data; including multi-location, off-site backups of our appraisal files to redundant servers that sit behind industrial-strength firewalls, with the data being double encrypted using RSA SSL and Blowfish algorithms.