I recently met with another appraiser who admitted to me he was still using a clipboard and pen. There are very few people out there still using these; most appraisers have moved on to using a tablet or smartphone, which I definitely recommend if you are still using a pen and clipboard.
A tablet is a more efficient tool than a pen and paper. It can do a lot for your business. What I tend to hear from appraisers who still haven’t switched to a tablet is that their pen and clipboard method works for them, it has worked fine for decades, and they don’t want to change it.
I disagree. It might not seem like it would save you much time, but the slivers of time it shaves off each inspection adds up, and that’s time you could be spending doing other things. If it’s a slow day, you could be using that time for extra marketing. If it’s a busy day, you could be getting your work done that much faster.
Some may argue, “Well it will take me the same amount of time on site (or more) whether I use a tablet or a pen and paper.” That might be true, but the time you save isn’t out in the field. It’s in the office.
When you come back, you have to redraw the lines, go through every room, label each picture, and other menial tasks you could have accomplished at the job site with the use of a tablet using an app. This information can be stored in your work file and report, and be ready to go as soon as you upload it to the cloud. You can have your office working on the appraisals before you even leave the property.
Just give it a try for a little while and see if it helps you improve your efficiency. It certainly has for me and my business.
For more information on this subject, please listen to The Appraiser Coach Podcast Episode:
