Appraisal

Keep every assignment organized, from order to revision.

For independent appraisers and small appraisal firms whose appraisers, office managers and trainees spend hours retyping orders, chasing dates, sorting photos and tracking revision requests. Chronosero designs workflows that keep each file organized, while every professional judgment stays with the appraiser.

Workflow demonstration · fictional data
  1. Order receivedOrder #A-7731
  2. Acknowledged & calendaredDue Oct 21
  3. Property data compared2,100 vs 1,940 sq ft
  4. Human review: Appraiser reviews conflict
  5. File organizedPhotos and records

Where the time goes

Everything around the appraisal.

The inspection and the analysis are the work. The hours often disappear into the paperwork that surrounds each assignment.

  • Orders retyped by hand

    The address, due date, fee and contacts arrive in an email or portal and get copied into a log, a calendar and a folder.

  • Property facts that don’t agree

    The order, public records and listing data can show different square footage or bedroom counts, and the difference may not surface until late.

  • Photos with meaningless names

    Inspection photos land as a long list of camera file names that someone has to rename and sort before the report.

  • Revision requests lost in email

    A lender’s question or reconsideration request can sit in an inbox with no clear due date or owner.

  • Clients asking for status

    Questions like “has the inspection been scheduled?” get answered one email at a time.

  • Renewals tracked from memory

    License, continuing education and E&O insurance dates are easy to miss until they are close.

Example workflows

What these workflows can look like.

A few examples of the administrative work Chronosero designs for appraisal offices. None of them touch the value opinion. Each one is shaped around your process during discovery.

Order intake and acknowledgment

Today
An order email arrives, and someone copies the address, due date, fee and contacts into a log, sets up a folder and types a confirmation.
With a workflow
The order details are captured once, a new assignment folder is created, client instructions are shown with the order, and an acknowledgment is drafted.

A person decidesWhether to accept the assignment, at what fee, and what scope.

Due dates and inspection scheduling

Today
Due dates go on a calendar by hand, and inspection times are worked out through several calls and texts with the homeowner.
With a workflow
Report and inspection dates are added to the calendar, rush orders are flagged, and the homeowner receives approved time choices, a reminder and a request for access details.

A person decidesThe appraiser’s schedule, and how to handle a missed or blocked inspection.

Property data conflicts

Today
Order details and public records are checked side by side by eye, if there is time.
With a workflow
Facts from the order and public records are placed side by side with their sources, and anything that disagrees, like living area or bedroom count, is flagged.

A person decidesThe appraiser verifies which information is correct.

Photo filing and completeness

Today
After an inspection, photos are renamed and dragged into folders one at a time, and a missing shot is noticed while writing the report.
With a workflow
Photos are renamed to a standard pattern, filed to the assignment, and checked against the photo list the client requires.

A person decidesWhether a return visit or another photo is needed.

Revision and reconsideration tracking

Today
A request arrives by email and its due date lives in someone’s head until it is answered.
With a workflow
Each request is logged to the right assignment with its due date, relevant files are gathered for review, and it stays on the open list until it is closed.

A person decidesThe appraiser decides how to respond and whether anything in the report changes.

License, education and E&O reminders

Today
Renewal dates live on a sticky note or in last year’s calendar.
With a workflow
License, continuing education and insurance dates are tracked, and the right person is reminded well before each one comes due.

A person decidesThe renewal itself and any coursework choices.

Where the order and the records disagree

Before the inspection, facts from the order are lined up against public records, each with its source. Matching facts are simply filed. Anything that differs goes to the appraiser.

Workflow demonstration · fictional data

Order #A-7731 · data check

FieldOrder formPublic records
Year built19941994
Bedrooms44
Bathrooms2.52.5
Living area (sources disagree)2,100 sq ft1,940 sq ft
Lot size0.28 acres0.28 acres

The workflow doesn’t pick a number. The appraiser verifies the living area and decides what goes in the report.

Human control

Automation organizes the evidence. The appraiser makes the judgment.

Workflows handle the capturing, filing, comparing and reminding. The professional decisions, and anything that bears on the appraiser’s independence, stay with the appraiser.

  • Accepting an assignment, its scope and its fee
  • Which property information is correct
  • Comparable selection, adjustments and reconciliation
  • The value opinion and the signed report
  • Responses to revision and reconsideration requests
  • Anything sent to a lender, client or homeowner

Connection

Your systems, connected.

Appraisal workflows usually connect these kinds of systems.

  • Email
  • Calendar
  • Cloud storage
  • Documents
  • Forms
  • Spreadsheets
  • Accounting
  • Notifications
  • Your other software

Categories shown are examples. Which systems can be connected depends on the software, its access options and your requirements.

Start a discovery

What keeps you at the desk after the inspection?

Tell us about one process your office repeats with every assignment. Michael personally reviews every discovery request.