The followers of this blog and most Portland, Oregon area appraisers know that A Quality Appraisal is a leader in implementing technology with the goal of improving the efficiency, professionalism, and quality of our appraisal practice. For that reason, we are excited to announce that our company has been selected as beta testers for a la mode, inc. appraisal software; leader of the real estate software field. This beta testing includes TOTAL software and our website (www.aqualityappraisal.com) .
One disadvantage that a la mode website users may have noticed is that the Appraiser Xsites do not work well on mobile devices and tablets. That is frustrating given that more than fifty percent of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. In the past, if you clicked on our blog links from a mobile device you might have seen the text, “You’re not seeing everything we have to offer!” across the top of the page (as in the photo below). With that message, half of my blog readers would just move on.
Now, if you click on our beta website, you should see very close to the same thing that you see when visiting our website from a desktop or laptop computer (see photo below). I am happy to report that our beta website is working great and I hope it will be available for all other a la mode software users in the near future.
If you find this information interesting or useful, please subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook. Also, please support us by making Portland real estate appraisal related comments on our blogs and YouTube videos. If you need Portland, Oregon area residential real estate appraisal services for any reason, please request appraisal fee quote or book Gary F. Kristensen to speak at your next event. We will do everything possible to assist you.
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If you are shopping for an appraisal based only on fee, be careful. Perhaps you should also ask the appraiser how many appraisals they do per day. As real estate appraisers who do all of the work necessary to produce credible results, it is frustrating when we hear about others who brag that they can do typical Uniform Residential Appraisal Reports (URAR) in two hours, or many appraisals in one day. Do not misunderstand. We at A Quality Appraisal are innovators who embrace any technology that will increase our productivity. Just take a look at the seminar I taught on Three Steps to Mobile Appraiser. However, we are nowhere close being able to complete a URAR in under two hours.
Today I received an email from an appraisal software company listing one appraiser’s claims as to the time it takes him to complete an appraisal and asking me to guess his software. His appraisal timeline follows the video:
I have the following problems with the above 1:14 timeline:
1. “Running the MLS.” This appraiser says it only takes 15 minutes to pull the comparable data and the market data. It takes our office up to one hour to pull the best comparable sales and the best market data, and sometimes longer for a complex property. Yes, we could run one quick search for comparables and export the same data for our market analysis in under 15 minutes. However, we have a systematic approach to comparable searches that ensures accountability of each search, why we did or did not select comparable sales, and ensures that strong comparables are not missed. Our market conditions data is also carefully controlled to assure that we are capturing the most accurate picture of the micro market that the subject property would compete in. Often, market analysis takes looking at our results, identifying outliers that are skewing the data, and changing the search parameters for a more accurate representation of the market.
2. “For the inspection.” This appraiser says the inspection only takes 22 minutes at the property. I too use a tablet computer in the field and I am very quick. I could, if I rushed, take only 22 minutes at a 3,737 sf home. However, if I did this, my head would be directed at my tablet the entire time, rapidly entering data and most focused on measuring. I would not have much time to ask the owner lots of questions and absorb all of the things that make every property unique. I have been called out countless times as a second opinion on an appraisal and the person showing me the property says something like, “The other appraiser was only here for about fifteen minutes.” My typical inspection takes about 45 minutes and I too am done with page one of the URAR in the field. Since I use a “desktop replacement tablet”, I don’t have the lost time that this appraiser has of transferring to the cloud and moving from one device to the other.
3. “Completing….” This appraiser says it only takes 24 minutes to import three sales and two listings, and then do a final read thru. From what I can see, this is an appraiser who is only focused on form filling. Granted, this is an advertisement for an appraisal form filling software. However, FORM FILLING IS NOT APPRAISING! A completed form does not mean a competed appraisal. In this timeline, there appears to be no time spent on other approaches to value, supporting adjustments (hopefully this software has some automated regression tools), analyzing and explaining data, or reconciling. My staff and I typically spend hours doing this. There also appears to be no time spent communicating with parties to the transaction to verify data and find out the details behind the scenes. Data confirmation can easily take an hour or more, but it is important in a well-researched value conclusion.
Appraisers should be outraged when they hear stories like this of typical appraisals being done in less than two hours. With the current state of poor quality real estate data and the technology available to appraisers today, timelines like the one above are only possible when the appraiser uses the same boiler plated garbage that is said on every appraisal assignment. Advertisement for software or not, appraisers who make statements like this undermine the ability for other appraisers who are doing quality work to obtain a reasonable fee for their time and careful analysis.
If there are ways to complete a credible URAR in less than two hours, I am in. Statistically driven automated tools are the future of appraisal. Unfortunately, “professionals” who produce a report this quickly today do more than just cut corners; they overstep entire components, which affect the credibility of the conclusion. If you think you have received a low quality appraisal, check out my blog post on how to spot and dispute a bad appraisal.
If you find this information interesting or useful, please subscribe to our blog (if the subscription link is broken, please contact us and I can manually add your name to our subscriber list) or like us on Facebook. Also, please support us by making Portland real estate appraisal related comments on our blogs and YouTube videos. If you need Portland, Oregon area residential real estate appraisal services for any reason, please request appraisal fee quote or book Gary F. Kristensen to speak at your next event. We will do everything possible to assist you.
Many appraisers talk about mobile appraising however, that is usually in the context of laser measuring and tablet computers. For the past four years I have also used a tablet computer and laser measuring in the field, but with a difference. My field tablet is my only computer and not an iPad, Android, or other cell phone-based computer. It is a rugged commercial quality Windows tablet (manufactured by Motion Computing) with the power of almost any desktop or laptop, and without operational limitations in the field or the office.
A rugged commercial tablet computer allows appraisers the ability to be comfortable computing in a car, office, or at a property with ready access to all of the same computer tools as the office. With one powerful tablet, appraisers only need one set of software, one place for communications, one computer to purchase, and one computer to maintain or update.
This photo shows a tablet computer docked in my Portland appraisal office simultaneously running three external monitors and using a regular keyboard.
This photo shows the table computer function for an appraiser in the field.
This photo shows the tablet computer docked in the Portland appraiser’s car and ready to respond to clients and direct office staff from the side of the road. Appraisers should not use the computer while driving.
If you find this information interesting or useful, please subscribe to my blog. Also, please support us by making Portland real estate appraisal related comments on our blogs and YouTube videos. If you need Portland, Oregon area residential real estate appraisal services for any reason, please contact us. We will do everything possible to assist you.
At A Quality Appraisal, there is not a day that goes by where we do not think of new ways to improve our systems and appraisal product. We use all of the latest gadgets and methods to improve appraisal speed and accuracy including tablets in the field, laser measurement, top-of-the-line software, multiple monitors, and regression analysis. Even with all of these innovations, we know there are still ways to improve our product.
One area of appraisal that is difficult to improve upon is the human factor. The typical appraisal requires many hours of looking at a computer screen analyzing data. Appraisers in Portland, OR and everywhere experience data overload, exhaustion, and loss of focus. Recently, I found one unique solution that has made me more productive and feeling good after a long day in the office — a treadmill desk.
A treadmill desk is a standup workstation that allows one to walk at a slow speed while working. The health benefits of walking or standing rather than sitting are well documented. However, a common reaction among most people is that walking would interfere with productivity, concentration, and the ability to type. Like with many things in real estate appraisal, perception is not reality.
I’m not comfortable sitting in a chair and I fidget or I get tired. On a treadmill I feel great and rarely lose focus. My brain is free to think while my body is distracted with walking in the same way most of us have ideas while showering or driving.
If you’re looking for a way to do more appraisals that are more accurate or anything else that requires a desk and computer, I highly recommend a treadmill desk. If you’re looking for a Greater Portland Area appraiser who is not afraid to look at a problem differently and make changes to the old ways of doing business, contact us; we’re walking past our competition.
If you found this information interesting or useful, please subscribe to my blog. If you need Oregon or Washington residential real estate appraisal services for any reason, please contact us, we may be able to assist you.
Gary