Technology,
Tools and Appraisals
The appraisal industry has a documented
history that goes back to ancient times. A Biblical reference
(Leviticus 27:14-15) talks of methods to evaluate a home
that was to be given over to the clergy.
They used the latest tools of their day
to account for the donation. One can imagine the scribe labouriously
carving letters and numbers into a clay tablet as the priest,
official appraiser of his day, made studied evaluations.
By the time the appraisal profession arrived
in North America, homeland of Bahamian appraisal procedures,
great advances were being made in general
technology almost every year. As "Pricers" in the
banks and thrift organizations, these early appraisers were
among
the first to harness such modern contraptions as the typewriter,
adding machines, and the ball-point pen.
Today appraisers still arrive very quickly
at the cutting edge of technology in an effort to increase
efficiency and service. The office of the modern appraiser
is a combination statistics house,
document
production
facility, and data assembly centre.
Of course the personal computer sits at
the hub of this, but more significant is the quality of the
software utilized by leading professionals.
With automated valuation models and appraisals
management programs, our appraisers are able to quadruple
their output offering dramatic decreases in critical turnaround
times, high-integrity data aggregation, and well-formatted
reports of the highest clarity.
The use of specialized email tools and
internet communication is also commonplace, with instant
messaging drawing professionals together for convenient but
powerful "mini" meetings, even when separated by
continents.
Information processing utilized to develop
highly accurate complex analyses of real estate data is handled
by applications
that use the power of programs like Microsoft Excel as a
foundation, then go even further.
The digital camera now makes it very easy
to take a picture, review its quality in the field, then
import it to appraisal reports and background profiles. Now
commonplace,
appraisers were among the first to recognize the time savings
of digital photography, shaving days off picture processing
turnarounds in report generation.
Probably the most important "tactical
weapon" is the internet and various industry intranets,
its commercial cousins, used by the modern appraiser
to research the newest information - how a similar appraisal
was conducted in a distant area, the latest developments
in software-based tools - and to gather current comparatives
used for relevant models.
Let's not forget the cell phones with their
immediacy to the internet and to the company database. Advances
are so rapid in this area of technology that soon, with
simply a cell phone, the appraiser will be able to create
most
of
the raw
data
notes in the field, then immediately
upload
them to
the office system where the information will be stored and
waiting in draft report form for further refinement.
But what does this gadgetry mean
for the client, you ask? In a phrase, tremendous advantage.
If your appraiser
is well-equipped,
you can count on much more. Increased levels of service, more
informative reports, a thoroughness that comes with standardizing
at a high
level, and well-prepared reports are some of the most immediate
benefits.
You can also rely on better communications
with your appraiser during the assignment, with better telephone,
digital fax and email procedures, in the office and
out in the field.
Best of all, you will find that you simply
get more for your money, and after all, achieving high value is
the name of the game in receiving appraisal services.
So if you happen to notice your Appraiser
candidate reach for his clay tablet and stylus
as he prepares his
letter of appointment, you may want to keep your options open! |
