AppraisalPort Orders Now Load Automatically Into ClickFORMS

We’ve made working with AppraisalPort even easier and simpler. In the newest version of ClickFORMS, version 2.4.5, we’ve enhanced your AppraisalWorld Connection – it now handles orders from AppraisalPort. When you accept an assignment from the AppraisalPort website, you can download that order.

When you download the order, your AppraisalWorld Connection kicks into action and automatically loads the order into ClickFORMS. If ClickFORMS is not running at the time, it will startup automatically for you. Here’s how it works. (A detailed “How To” document is available on the support page of our website. http://www.bradfordsoftware.com/support/support.html)

When you download the assignment, you will see a dialog similar to the one below. You can click on the Save button to save it to a specific location, or can you can simply click on the Open button to download the file and startup your AppraisalWorld Connection.

After a few seconds, the AppraisalWorld Connection will see if ClickFORMS is running, if not, it will start it. Once it knows ClickFORMS is running, the order will be loaded into ClickFORMS and displayed in a new Report Container. This is what it will look like.

At this point, you have a new digital container for your new appraisal report. An order form has been inserted and the order information pre-loaded. Note the three buttons at the top of the AppraisalPort order form. This is a special form just for the AppraisalPort order and those buttons allow easily start and upload the completed report.

The two buttons on the left (circled in red) allow you to merge a template or previous appraisal into this new digital container. The button on the left is for uploading the report to AppraisalPort after you have completed the assignment. These are shortcuts, you can also upload the report using the standard File/Send To…. function. The idea behind these buttons is make it easier for you to start the appraisal by merging forms with the order form and to upload the report when you’re finished.

If you use AppraisalPort, please take advantage of this new functionality. It will definitely save you time. Let us know how you like it. We may start putting other function buttons in the appraisal forms. Please send all suggestions to suggestions@bradfordsoftware.com.

Mobile Appraising Options Grow

Enthusiasm for mobile appraising is starting to build as more and more appraisers start to consider using Pocket PCs and Tablet PCs in their everyday work. Are you considering the purchase of Tablet or Pocket PC? If so, we have a solution for you. We recommend the Motion Computing M1400 Tablet PC combined with our custom Field Inspection forms to make data collection in the field as simple with voice, handwriting, keyboard, or clicks to input your data. For more information, click here or call 1-800-622-8727.

Mortgages Rates Are Down This Week

Freddie Mac has announced that mortgage rates fell this week. The results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey report that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.74 percent, with an average 0.6 points, for the week ending October 14, 2004, down from last week when it averaged 5.82 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 5.95 percent.

The average for the 15-year FRM this week is 5.14 percent, with an average 0.6 points, also down from last week when it averaged 5.24 percent. A year ago, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.26 percent.

One-year Treasury-indexed adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) averaged 4.01 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, lower than last week when it averaged 4.08 percent. At this time last year, the one-year ARM averaged 3.69 percent.

Home sales are expected to hit record highs this year, aided by low mortgage rates.

Economists said the latest drop in interest rates was due to market disappointment about the latest unemployment report, which showed a lower-than-expected 96,000 payroll jobs were added in September.

“The decline in mortgage rates was primarily due to a weak employment report for September, which suggested economic growth is still a bit subdued. As a result, we expect mortgage rates will continue to stay quite affordable over the next few months, benefiting future homebuyers,” said Freddie Mac’s chief economist Frank Nothaft.

The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 44.5 percent of total applications from 47.1 percent the previous week. The adjustable-rate-mortgage share of activity increased to 34.9 percent of total applications from 33.9 percent the previous week.

In related news, The Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey indicated the overall mortgage applications dropped 9.2 percent last week on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Upcoming Events

Appraisal Technology Conference – Houston, TX

Jeff Bradford will be speaking at the Appraisal Technology Conference being held at the Clarion Hotel in Houston, TX on Oct. 22-23. His educational session titled “Appraisal Software Applications” will be presented on both Friday and Saturday.

For registration information, please contact the Texas Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Association of Master Appraisers at http://www.gccnama.org/.

Appraisal Institute 2004 Annual Fall Conference – San Francisco, CA

If you’re planning to attend the Northern California Chapter of the Appraisal Institute’s 2004 Annual Fall Conference next week, please make sure to stop by Bradford Technologies’ booth #10. We’ll be showing the latest version of ClickFORMS, our  and some of our newest solutions for mobile computing. The conference is being held on Friday, October 22 at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel.

For more information about the conference, please visit the Northern California Chapter’s web site at www.norcal-ai.org and click on the Education/Events button.

MBA’s 91^st Annual Convention & Expo – San Francisco, CA

Also coming up is the MBA’s 91^st Annual Convention & Expo, October 24-27, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Bradford Technologies will be in booth #1048 and we hope you’ll stop by if you’re planning to attend this event. For more information, please visit http://events.mortgagebankers.org/91st_annual.

Tech Tip - How to Get a Clean Sketch Addenda

Sometimes a sketch addenda becomes associated with the wrong sketch program. Here’s how to repair a report and fix the problem. 

1. In your report delete any sketch pages, and then go to File, New, Empty Form Container. 
2. Next go to Windows, and choose Tile Vertically.  Both forms should appear side by side.
3. Click anywhere on your original report so that it becomes the active report. 
4. Now to View, Collapse all pages.
5. Drag all pages from your report into the empty container (click link for instructions)    http://bradfordsoftware.com/support/CF10_Tell_Me_How_HTML/dragapageinonereportinto.html
6. Once all the pages are in the untitled container, close your original container.
7. Maximize your new container with all of your pages, and go to File, Save as, and save it as the original file name.
8. When it asks if you want to replace, say "Yes".
    

Drive safely while you're out inspecting. Don't forget to tell your friends about ClickFORMS.