Small ideas to improve day–to–day efficiency

Jim Simmons, Research Fellow

During the course of my research, working on an appraisal or just thinking about things in general I find I have had some ideas on the subject of appraisal software. Go figure.

Now as a "typical" appraiser I think ..."wouldn't it be nice if only...?" I have written a few articles that focus on a specific subject, and rather grand projects or concepts. As I begin writing this we are not far from the national convention in Las Vegas. I anticipate there will be enough project specific ideas offered to last a good while so this may be my last opportunity to "shoot from the hip". I have accumulated several ideas that cumulatively comprise what I feel are significant, so here goes.

First, add "Round to 500" as an option in the Field Format Option window. In addition to rounding by 10, 100, and 1,000 this seems a logical addition and one I would use in every appraisal.

The next idea can actually be applied to a variety of form settings and may be categorized under the heading "User Preferences" or "Appraiser Personal Database". Each appraiser has an individual style or preferences that make their work unique and software should support (even "learn") those preferences. Each appraiser should be able to have a single area to go to and set their preference for case, font or maybe edit QuickList items, etc. This could be retained in an "Appraiser Personal Database" along with the appraiser's license and personal information. This way the software would "know" how the appraiser wants things done.

The next idea expands on the current premise that each form consists of up to three main sections. The top or Header Section contains the Borrower Name, Client Name, Subject Address, etc., i.e. the normal stuff. Below that is the Body Section which holds the contents of the form, either text and/or graphics. The third area is the Sidebar Section containing the control or markup tools for the Body. All this is basically the way most forms currently look, but here is where the difference in my version starts. Until now the Sidebar has been relegated to QuickLists. While this works fine for forms heavy in text fields it is basically useless with forms using comps, pictures or maps. And it is not needed at all for some forms as I'll explain next.

Forms can be defined in five basic categories:

1. Fixed Text Form – This form is established by authority (pages 4, 5 and perhaps 6 of the URAR are examples of fixed text format in the fact that there is no option for change) and therefore these forms do not need a controlling Sidebar.
2. Variable Text Form – Page 1 of the URAR is well represented here and lends itself well to a QuickList Sidebar.
3. Photo Form – Typical photo pages could have Sidebar controls to crop or lighten up a photo and/or some basic remark balloons or shading tools for highlighting particular areas.
4. Map Form – Maps have a markup Sidebar control instead of having to jump to another application. You could jump to a maps app for extensive markup but for a few simple tasks it makes more sense to stay in the form and just drag and drop features or controls from a Sidebar.
5. Calculated Forms – These forms contain spreadsheet like functions. Examples here might include such forms as used in The Cost Approach and the market grid.

The idea here is not to replace the detailed functionality of the various applications that could be launched and used as needed, but to provide basic "context sensitive" controls in an "in–form" Sidebar. It could (maybe should) be possible to complete an entire report without leaving the form environment at all.

The next idea is also a preference enhancement aimed at the contents function. As one builds a report from a collection of forms there are times when some are used and some are not. If a fourth comp is added then two additional forms are added to the report. A form containing Comps 4, 5, and 6 with a form for the photos for these potential added comps. Unfortunately the added forms are always placed as the last forms in a list of forms. I propose a method to remember the order in a Major Form that any given form has or did have when it was moved there by the appraiser. Maybe as forms are included in a report they have a checkbox next to each form indicating if it is an active or inactive form. Maybe when not in use they are grayed–out. I'm not sure but I just know I like to arrange the forms in a report in a particular order and I have to rearrange them almost every time. I'm just saying I want the sequence of each form to have the same relative position in the report every time. When "active" the form is now ready to complete and does not have to be repositioned in the desired sequence within the report. If attributed to a particular appraiser the form could contain specific metadata controlling the behavior of that form relative to the preference of that appraiser. That information could be retained in the appraiser database previously mentioned.

The last area consists of some ideas I had regarding the "link buttons" in the Athena desktop "Shortcuts" sidebar or the top toolbar in Aurora. These links lead to pages like the WinTOTAL Marketplace, where various vendor add–ons can be accessed (by the way the VIP program will, as it matures, be one of the best features, in my opinion, ever added to WinTOTAL) or Contacts. Anyway, some of these links could be expanded to better serve our needs. A link leading to an area where each appraiser could track progress of their CE would be handy. The Education link in Athena leads to a la mode training but could be opened to CE vendors (if they give us a discount on course fees, an e–coupon perhaps). They could be screened by the appraisers database mentioned earlier to include offerings in only those states where appraisers held a license. There could be a link to edit your resume (Q–sheet). The possibilities are endless but could be narrowed by popular demand.

These are some ideas I had which I feel are relevant to the majority of appraisers on a day–to–day basis.