Staying safe during appraisal inspection 6 easy steps
The appraiser’s work is so important to the financial well-being of America, it can’t be overstated. Many of the site visits that you will be conducting are for home equity loans or refinancing. Many people are using this financing as bridge loans to get them through the pandemic. Without your site visit, the loan isn’t going to occur!
While your undertaking this important work you need to stay safe, keep your family safe, and keep those homeowners safe. As of Tuesday, April 28th, 2020, according to CDC, there were 26,512 new cases of coronavirus in the United States, that day! So we’re not out of the woods yet.
As many of you know, Francis X. (Rich) Finigan is an environmental expert as well as a real estate appraiser and educator. Calypso Continuing Education™ is an EPA accredited training provider. We won’t belabor our credentials. We have developed the following to help each and every appraiser stay safe while they embark on inspections of residential properties. The recommendations are based on good environmental practices and source documents regarding this pandemic from CDC, WHO, and OSHA.
- Send the attached questionnaire to the residents of the properties you are about to inspect. Send it a few days before your inspection to ensure that the residents haven’t been out of the country in the last 14 days, have not had a fever in the last 14 days, haven’t been diagnosed positively with the Covid 19 virus, etc. If all the questions are not answered satisfactorily, reschedule the appointment for a future date. Also, I would strongly recommend consolidating as many inspections in a single day as possible.
- Conduct any interviews about the subject property remotely i.e., by telephone, email, text, or other modes of communication.
- Before entering the subject property put on your PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Follow the guidance in the videos and graphics attached to ensure proper usage of your PPE.
- First, don (put on) your N-95 or other respiratory safety protection (face mask).
- When you get outside the door, you are going to enter, don your protective equipment before entering the subject property.
- Before you touch the doorknob of the house you don your disposable nitrile gloves. We do not recommend latex coding gloves because some people have an allergy to them.
- Once inside the subject property do not touch anything. Take photographs with your smartphone and capture your measurements as efficiently as possible.
- When you leave the subject property doff (take off) your PPE outside your vehicle in the following manner:
- First remove your booties by rolling them from the heel to the toe, dirty side in. Do not reuse them. Dispose of them in a trash bag.
- Second, doff your gloves as shown in the attached video gripping the cuff of one of the gloves pulling it off and crumpling it in your still gloved hand. Then gripping the cuff of the gloved hand, that’s holding the crumpled glove pull it directly over your hand trapping the contaminated side and crumpled glove inside like a little bag. Do not reuse the gloves. Dispose of them.
- Whenever you are working around contamination, the last thing you take off (doff) is your respiratory safety. Grip the bands that hold your mask on and remove it from your head folding the side that was next to face against each other to prevent cross-contamination from the outside of the mask. You may continue using an N-95 until one of the three D’s exists: deteriorated, damp, or visibly dirty. Clean your hands with hand sanitizer immediately rubbing them together for about 20 seconds. Yes, you know the drill, happy birthday twice. See the graphic below.
- When you get home, go directly to your laundry room take your clothes off, and put them in the washer. Launder them normally.
Recommended Questionnaire
Ask the resident to please, answer the following questions honestly, after due consideration. Thank them for their cooperation.
Have you in the past 14 days:
- Traveled to or from one of the affected countries or regions listed as a Level 3Travel Health Notice on CDC.gov?
NO Yes
- Been in contact with a novel coronavirus/ COVID-19 infected person?
NO Yes Not Sure
- Have you been to a health care facility (hospital, walk-in clinic, emergency room) where people infected with novel coronavirus/ COVID-19 are treated in the past 14 days?
NO Yes
- Have you had the following symptoms: feel uncomfortable, especially with respiratory symptoms (cough, fever, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing)?
NO Yes
- Do you feel unwell, especially with respiratory symptoms (cough, high temperature, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing)?
NO Yes
If you answered Yes to any of the questions above, access to ( OFFICE ADDRESS ) or our appointment outside the office (SUBJECT PROPERTY) will be postponed until such time answers to all questions are a definitive NO or alternative options have been developed. If you answered Not Sure to question # 2, let’s have a discussion to clarify. Thank you.
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