Coester Appraisal Group, a nationwide appraisal management company (AMC), has announced a new Smart Phone application, which is currently in beta testing, connects Coester Appraisal Group with both staff and contracted appraisers, as well as with its lender and broker clients. The new application is in HTML5 format, which makes the application compatible with multiple operating systems, including those used with the Apple iPhone and Blackberry, as well as any smart phone using the Google Android operating platform. The application will be available free of charge at www.CoesterAppraisals.com later this year.
Users may use the application to order appraisals, check appraisal status, update appraisals, upload completed appraisals and pay for services through an integrated credit card processing service.
The application features “ping” notifications, which allow Coester Appraisal Group to alert users and deliver messages virtually instantaneously. Once the application is downloaded onto a compatible mobile device, users can set their preferences to dictate the situations in which they will receive notifications. Appraisers may choose to receive notifications for instances like open orders or outstanding conditions. Lenders and brokers may opt for instances that include scheduled on-site appointments, completed appraisals or uploaded appraisals.
The application is part of Coester Appraisal Group’s strategic plan to build and incorporate new technologies that expedite the appraisal process, while also heightening quality, efficiency and user experience for lender/broker clients and for the company’s staff and outsourced appraisers. As part of this plan, the company is also building a searchable database of every appraisal completed by Coester Appraisal Group over the past 30+ years, which will be complete by mid-2011. This database will enable authorized users to conduct customized searches of completed appraisals, which can help them to determine and support “customary and reasonable” fees for appraisals, as mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act.
“One of the reasons our clients and appraisers choose to work with us is because they know we are a tech-savvy, forward thinking company,” said Brian Coester, chief executive officer of Coester Appraisal Group. “They know that we are committed to leveraging technology in a way that helps our clients and vendors. Our app will allow us to get information to appraisers and lenders immediately, no matter where they are. Our thinking is this: if we can’t find the technology we need to further enhance the client or vendor experience, we'll create it.”
For more information, visit www.CoesterAppraisals.com.
