TOTAL Store spotlight: Spark — Now with public records and expanded coverage

Guest post from Brandon Reich, an appraiser, owner of Choice Valuation, PLLC and creator of TrendSheet 4 and Spark. You can find TrendSheet 4 and Spark in the TOTAL Store.

We launched Spark nine months ago with great reviews and feedback but one thing that held some appraisers back was the lack of integration with public records. We recently launched a pretty big update that completely re-vamped the software. In this update we’ve added not only public records but many other much-requested features as well.

We nearly tripled the number of MLS systems covered and if your MLS is not yet covered, we have Spark Lite which you can use until we get Spark working in your area (more on the Lite version in another post). Spark is in the TOTAL Store and you can check it out now at no cost by taking advantage of our free trial.

Spark is a fast and user-friendly tool that was designed with one thing in mind: saving appraisers time. See how it works in this new video:

As you can see, we accomplished the goal of saving appraisers time, but we discovered something else. Not only does our software save you time but it saves you the hassle of typing up your entire grid. Spark reminds you of features about your comps you may have overlooked, and it creates the Property Report which has become one of its most appreciated features.

The Property Report is a PDF report which Spark puts into your digital work file showing you all of a property’s features next to each other (one page per property). It flags discrepancies in red so you can quickly see where MLS and public records don’t match. This report also includes all of the prior transfer history information, mortgage finance history information, and two location maps per property. One map is a magnified image and the other shows a bit more of the surrounding area. We’ve also highlighted all primary traffic arteries in bright yellow so you'll easily notice when a property borders heavy traffic.

Spark is also endlessly customizable from what type of data goes into the bottom three “miscellaneous” lines of your grid, to how you abbreviate Central Air. Every field that Spark puts into your grid is customizable.

Spark also saves you time by adding the entire prior transfer history of your subject property and comps for as many months back as you’d like to your report. No more tedious typing of all that information but you’ll still need to analyze for safe measure. Plus, the Property Report that Spark puts in your work file has all of that CoreLogic public records data in it to help you verify the information.

When used in conjunction with our market analysis tool TrendSheet 4, you also get the 1004MC and neighborhood numbers filled out, a thorough market analysis, and multiple adjustment indicators to help you defend your adjustments and conclusions. Visit our website to learn more about Spark and how it can save you time.

We’re truly excited about the newly updated Spark and other appraisers are too; here are some quotes from appraisers we’ve received since the big update a few weeks ago.

“Far superior, easier to set up and use, and much faster than the competition.”

“I wanted to send a little note and let you know how impressed I am with the new Spark. It really is something special.”

“I love Spark! It’s been a huge boost to my workflow. Keep up the good work. Your products are amazing.”