WinTOTAL Aurora - Hands on Training

Transcription

a la mode Seminar Series
Course Manual
January 27-28, 2007 • Indianapolis, Indiana
WinTOTAL Aurora – Seminar Series
Agenda
First Day Schedule
Seminar Series Course
The following course is a two-day event that covers a multitude of topics –
Time
all related to the basics of completing an appraisal report in the most
Welcome to WinTOTAL Seminar
efficient manner possible. Just as no two appraisers are alike, there are
many ways this course could be taught. In developing this outline, we
9:00 – 11:45
took into consideration the most logical sequence in which topics could be
learned and picked the concepts most likely to be used by the majority of
appraisers.
Topic
The Appraisal Wheel – page 2
WinTOTAL Basics – page 6
11:45 - 1:15
Lunch
Comps, Photos & Maps – page 15
What's in this notebook
This notebook has sections corresponding to each module in our seminar.
1:15 – 5:00
It also has valuable step-by-step sections to help you remember what the
Report Management and Archiving – page 31
Pocket TOTAL – page 40
instructors did without taking too many notes. Remember, this is your
Second Day Schedule
notebook! Write in it as much as you wish.
Breaks and lunch
Time
Topic
8:00 – 9:00
BONUS! Questions & Answers with a la mode
We will take breaks periodically, so you’ll have a chance to stretch. To
avoid us having to cut course material, please return from breaks on time.
Lunch is on your own.
please stay close by.
There are several restaurants in the area, so
That way the instructor can start the afternoon
session promptly.
Business Development – page 47
9:00 – 11:45
XSellerate – page 63
Asking questions during a session
We are here to make sure your questions are answered. However, please
11:45 - 1:15
wait for the instructor to finish a section and ask for questions instead of
just blurting them out.
Appraiser XSites – page 52
Some attendees have found it helpful to write
questions down so they don't forget them for the end of the sessions. It
1:15 – 5:00
Lunch
Order Management and Delivery – page 70
Billing and Accounting – page 78
is also common for questions of a technical support nature to arise,
usually prefaced with “On my system…”
Please reserve these types of
questions for breaks or our friendly technical support staff – available tollfree 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
a la mode, 3705 W Memorial, Building 402, Oklahoma City, OK 73134
a la mode and its products are trademarks or registered trademarks of a la mode, inc. Other
brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
DocRev: Jan1607
Copyright © 2007 a la mode, inc. All Rights Reserved.
WinTOTAL Aurora – Seminar Series Agenda
WinTOTAL Aurora – Keystroke Shortcuts
WinTOTAL Shortcuts
WinTOTAL Shortcuts
In menus, press ALT + the letter underlined in the name of the menu to
open that menu. Thus, ALT + F opens the File menu. Once you’re inside
a menu, press the underlined letter for any entry in the menu to execute
that command. For example, press ALT + F to open the file menu and
then press N (New) to create a new file.
WinTOTAL Keystrokes
F1 – Opens the online help system.
QuickLists
F9 – Shows or hides the QuickList menu.
Note: This also affects the other side menus found in the PowerViews,
such as HoverLinks.
CTRL + F9 (or ALT+0) – Creates a QuickList item for the currently
highlighted field(s). QuickList # must be specified.
ALT + 1, ALT + 2, etc. – Uses the QuickList item for the current field.
Forms PowerView
CTRL + S – Saves the currently open file.
SHIFT + ENTER – Moves you back one field on the form.
CTRL + P – Prints the currently open report file.
TAB – Emulates a typewriter by moving one field to the right.
CTRL + N – Starts a new report.
SHIFT + TAB – Moves the cursor one field to the left.
CTRL + F4 – Closes the current report.
SPACE – In checkbox fields, pressing the Space bar toggles the checkbox
Alt + F4 – Closes WinTOTAL.
CTRL + C – Copies either the field or selected text to the clipboard.
CTRL + X – Cuts either the field or selected text to the clipboard.
CTRL + V – Pastes clipboard contents into selected field at cursor.
PowerView Shortcuts
between clear and filled (checked).
SHIFT + CLICK – Selects multiple, consecutive fields.
Click the first
field, hold down the SHIFT key, and click the last field.
CTRL + CLICK – Selects multiple, non-consecutive fields. Hold down the
CTRL key while clicking fields.
ALT + Down Arrow – Displays any drop down menu associated with the
The following keystrokes are shortcuts to the corresponding PowerView:
current field, such as the recently typed entries or contacts
CTRL + SHIFT + O - Order PowerView
database.
CTRL + SHIFT + F - Forms PowerView
F6 – Overrides the "numbers only" format in the current field.
CTRL + SHIFT + C - Comps PowerView
F7 – Spell checks the entire report.
CTRL + SHIFT + I - Images PowerView
ALT + S – Spell checks the currently selected field.
CTRL + SHIFT + S - Sketch PowerView
F11 – Toggles the Contact and Same as icons on and off.
CTRL + SHIFT + M - Maps PowerView
ALT + C – Opens the Contents window to select forms.
CTRL + SHIFT + W - Workfile PowerView
ALT + G – Signs or removes signature from the current file.
ALT + I – Opens the Map Wizard.
WinTOTAL Shortcuts
WinTOTAL Aurora – Keystroke Shortcuts
WinTOTAL Shortcuts
CTRL + D – Inserts the current date into a field.
CTRL + B – Bolds the highlighted text.
Contents
F3 – Searches for a particular form. Pressing F3 again skips to the next
instance of the form you searched for.
CTRL + I – Italicizes the highlighted text.
CTRL + U – Underlines the highlighted text.
CTRL + K – Completely erases a field.
DEL – Deletes the selected form from the current report.
File Cabinet
SHIFT + DEL – Completely clears the current form.
ALT + D or DEL – Deletes the currently selected file.
CTRL + L – Locks the current field.
ALT + V – Sends the currently selected file to the Vault.
CTRL + M – Opens the Calculator window.
ALT + Y – Opens the Move/Copy dialog box.
CTRL + P – Prints the open report.
ALT + F, then 1, 2, 3, etc. – Opens the most recent reports you had
open.
CTRL + SHIFT + P – Prints the current form.
CTRL + W – Zooms the width of the form to fit your screen.
CTRL + F – Opens the Advanced Find dialog box to help you search for
CTRL + HOME / END – Jumps to the first/last field on the current form.
CTRL + Page Up / Page Down – Jumps to the previous or next form
listed in the Table of Contents of the open report.
a report.
CTRL + P – Opens the File Cabinet’s Print dialog box.
SHIFT + CLICK – Selects multiple, consecutive reports. Click the first
CTRL + SHIFT + A – Opens the Addenda in the split screen view.
CTRL + SHIFT + K – Opens the Worksheet.
file, hold down the SHIFT key, and click the last file in the list.
CTRL + CLICK– Selects multiple, non-consecutive reports.
F2 – Copies the contents of the current field forward to all comps after
the current one.
=0, =1, =3, etc. – Copies data from the comparable number specified.
When used in the first line for the address, it copies the entire
comparable.
== – When used in the top line of a comparable, clears all data and
calculations for the comparable.
WinTOTAL Shortcuts
Hold down
the CTRL key while clicking individual reports.
CTRL + SHIFT + E – Opens the Errors & Omissions view.
Side by Side Comps
You can use any number from 1-9 to open the
corresponding report.
QuickPix
CTRL + T – Opens Camera Setup dialog.
CTRL + P – Loads all previews from camera or disk.
CTRL + M – Marks all previews for downloading.
CTRL + U – Unmarks all photo previews.
CTRL + R– Retrieves photos once previews have been marked.
SHIFT + DEL – Clears all fields typed next to previews.
The Appraisal Wheel
The Appraisal Wheel
Introduction to The Appraisal Wheel
And of course, there are often disputes which have to be resolved.
(Zoning? Contract concessions? Repairs?)
The “wheel” summarizes what you’ve told us over the years about your
world. If you prefer technology applied primarily to the core “Report”
process, you’ll see your hot topics in on the right or “green” side of the
Wheel. If you think it should also help run your “Business”, you’ll identify
with the areas on the left, the “blue” side. (Some activities, like Account
Developing and reporting value

and Deliver, often ring true with both.) Forming the hub is the repetitive
collaboration with clients, consumers, and other industry players.
value and put them in the report.

Your world looks “clean” in a graphic, but in reality it’s chaotic and
unpredictable. That’s why you need a partner who can roll with you, who
During the analysis, which sometimes spawns further gathering of
data, you’re doing the highest-value intellectual work.

listens to you, and acts on what you want — even when what you want
appears contradictory.
Once you’ve got the data, you can start to develop the approaches to
The “boundary zone” spanning the data gathering and the analysis
itself is essentially where you earn your fee.

On all but the most “cookie cutter” properties, that requires
everything from spreadsheets, to integrated adjustment tools, to
regression analysis, to building and replacement cost services.
It all starts with data

Before, during, and after the property inspection, appraising is
Where collaboration fits in… Developing the report is among the most
virtually 100% data gathering.
“heads down” parts of the appraisal process, yet it too requires
Whole assignments can change due to data that you collect.
collaboration – even if you work alone.
Gathering
runs
from
verifying
the
address,
legal
You need to act like a third
party, reminding yourself of items you need to check into, of steps you
description,
need to still complete, fields in the report that need to be revisited,
assessor’s data, taxes, census tracts, and so on, to intensive
and so on. And of course, there’s the review process by an inhouse or
processes such as checking possible comps, doing the onsite
offsite supervisor, or talking to clients about the approaches and what
inspection, drawing the sketch, taking and assembling subject and
they’re revealing.
comp photos, getting street and flood maps, and so much more.

Typing is where you earn the least.
The complete workfile is far more complex than the delivered report.
Where collaboration fits in… Gathering the data involves numerous other
people. You can’t do it without communicating and coordinating with
loan officers, occupants, agents and others.
Rules and regulations aren’t optional
The “status” process

Compliance affects everyone in an appraisal office.
almost always revolves around milestones in the data gathering

Industry regulations and state and federal laws create high-anxiety
timeline. (Has the inspection been scheduled? Has it been done yet?)
The Appraisal Wheel
hoops to jump through every day at every level.
Page 2
The Appraisal Wheel

Client-specific rules affect what forms you use, how you deliver the
Where collaboration fits in… The bi-directional delivery process is, by
report, what words can be in it, and how and when you communicate
definition, collaboration. You have to interact with clients, middlemen,
status.
and others in complex ways. The collaboration method you use often
Internal compliance includes aesthetics in reports, logic, error, and
dictates whether you’re on a client’s preferred provider list or not.
spell checking.
Some client systems require the appraisal data too, so just sending a
PDF isn’t always good enough.
It’s a two way street -- others have to comply with your standards,
your security
requirements, and copyright
protection of
your
intellectual property.
Where collaboration fits in… Compliance centers on the transmission
process, so your collaboration tools have to be up to the task.
The financial side of it all
GLB

You don’t appraise because it’s a hobby. You do it to get paid.
specifically addresses appraisers and communications with consumer

When dealing with intermediaries such as management companies,
information.
enough.
Putting a “can’t view” password on a PDF isn’t good
Even the appraisal orders you get via e-mails that aren’t
password protected, or that aren’t delivered over a secure SSL web
connection, are in clear violation.
Compliance and collaboration are
the invoice often has to be outside the report itself.

Re-inspections can generate multiple invoices for one assignment.

Fee splits between trainees, supervisors, and even occasional ad hoc
referrals, add complexity.
one and the same.

Setting up a good credit card system can be tricky.
Where collaboration fits in… Collaboration involves the obvious issue of
providing the final invoice, which usually gets presented electronically.
Paper or PDF, Internet or in person

Websites with client statements need to be available 24 x 7, with
Whether you print the report on paper and deliver it with a box of
automated reminders when clients fall behind. The invoice starts with
donuts, create a PDF and deliver it via a secure client section of your
the fee, which often is negotiated electronically, sometimes via AMCs.
website, or any combination of methods – it’s all “delivery”.

Then if you have multiple appraisers, or anyone with whom you split
On the basic output level, you need control over the forms and data
fees, they have to be kept in the loop on financials affecting them, yet
printed, including items such as page numbering and showing
limited to only what they have the right to see.
various file and case numbers.

Sometimes you deliver via third party web portals, sometimes via
client or AMC websites, or via your own website, all with different
rules.

Even if you just e-mail it, there are the “we didn’t get it” or “we need
another copy” issues.
The Appraisal Wheel
It’s not going to run itself

An appraisal practice is a service business.

Managing
turn times, efficient
workflow, and
constant status
feedback to demanding clients is a bear, even in a one-man shop.
Page 3
The Appraisal Wheel

At the bare minimum, tracking and managing your appraisal files
business soil, and advertising as just reaping the final crop. Marketing
themselves is the core.
is comprehensive. It’s in every interaction with the public. When the
You need to know at a glance what’s coming and going, and who
phone is answered, the website is hit, the order is acknowledged, the
owes you how much.
status is conveyed, or the report is delivered — every communication
point — you’re marketing. You’re creating perception in the mind of
You still have to manage your with offsite backups and workfile
the client, for better or worse.
storage – because a single storm, fire, or crime can leave you with
no income and no way to get back up and running.
Where collaboration fits in… You can’t manage without communicating and
collaborating. You’re maintaining forward motion on information,
financials, and tasks involving many people – yourself, your clients,
More complex than it seems

staff you might have – and you have to work with them to do it. You

have to schedule and re-schedule appointments, send and re-send
updates and reports, and often juggle several people asking for the
same information over and over.
Few things have changed more in the appraisal world than how
orders are handled.
home buyers and sellers, agents, management companies, and any
The industry has moved from faxes, phone calls to automated
processes centered on the web.

You check multiple websites each day, log in differently for each,
then review, acknowledge, and download orders.

Sometimes the websites are run by the client, sometimes by a
management company, and sometimes by yet another entity
Making the phone ring
between the two.

The appraisal business can be feast or famine.

Those appraisers who engage in true long term marketing fill in the
on “old style” orders, clients demand the type of status updates they
lender-driven gaps with a wide range of clients and non-lender work.
get from automated systems, so your desktop has to integrate with
They market their broad diversity of skills and competencies
your own automated status system.

throughout the year, in every communication medium and contact

Where
Consolidating and automating steps and systems is essential. Even
Where collaboration fits in… Since orders are now mostly electronic (even if
method, using the best possible tools.
they arrive at your desk by more traditional means), the ordering
The appraiser and the firm are positioned as a trusted professional,
process is centered on automation and integration of many different
as an expert, in the industry and the media. They’re perceived as
systems. Your system has to talk to other systems, and to you, on an
leaders. And leaders don’t have to wait for the phone to ring.
ongoing basis. Data has to be exchanged. Status and acceptance has
collaboration
fits
in…
Marketing
obviously
centers
on
communications. To most people, that means “advertising”. But
advertising is the very last step. Think of marketing like fertilizing the
The Appraisal Wheel
to be updated instantly or the order may be rescinded and sent
elsewhere. Desktop and web – whether your own website or those
belonging to other parties – have to be seamlessly synchronized, so
clients are kept in the loop from the order on to final delivery.
Page 4
WinTOTAL Basics
WinTOTAL Basics
The Report Workflow
The Report Workflow

permitting you to view and add detailed information about your
There are two primary places from which to launch a new, blank
appraisal report:
selected contacts.

Appraisal Desktop – Select the folder you’d like your new report stored
in and click the New button in the menu bar. WinTOTAL opens and
presents you with a new report order form.

property.

the format of the numbering, click on the link and set your
preferences in the window that appears.
Order PowerView. Since this screen works like a form, you can build your
own QuickLists and use them to assist in filling out any new order

New Order Options
corresponding
customizations
Options pane on the left.
for
the
in
the
Here’s a brief
description of each of the options:

–
Automatically
adds
IDC
data
to
the
XSite integration – If you have an Appraiser XSite and want to
option and enter your XSite login information in the window that
form that changes to meet your needs. Before you begin filling out your
boxes
data
keep your XSite order list in sync with WinTOTAL, just mark this
In addition, the order form in the Order PowerView is actually a dynamic
order form, customize the form to suit your
FEMA/Census
appropriate fields in your report as you fill out your order form.
request. Also, the order form can be printed just like any other form.
the
Auto Internal Order – WinTOTAL automatically generates an order
number for each new report when this option is selected. To specify
Whichever method you used to create the new report, you’re taken to the
Check
Extended Info – Adds another section to your order form allowing
you to add notes and a wealth of other information about the subject
The Order PowerView
needs.
Extended Billing – Adds a Billing section to your order form to help
you track billing and payment for your report.
WinTOTAL – Click the New button in the menu bar. Or, choose File,
New. WinTOTAL presents you with a new report order form.
Extended Contacts – Adds new sections to your order form
appears.
Filling Out the Order Form
Some features to note as you complete the order form:

As you move through the fields in the order form, the field color
changes to light gray to indicate you’ve been to this portion of the
Order Map – Automatically adds a
form and “touched” these fields. The presence of a touched field
map to your order form as you fill out
indicates you’ve been in that field and hit something on the
the order
keyboard: typed some data, TAB, ENTER, etc.
With directions – If you opted to

include a map in your order form,
checking this option adds directions
from
your
property.
WinTOTAL Basics
office
to
the
subject
In any field that contains the
or
icon, you can select data from
or add entries to your Contacts database.

If you’re not using the Extended Contacts option, a pop-up displays
where you can enter the detailed contact information for your Client,
Lender, Appraiser and Supervisor.
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WinTOTAL Basics
The Order PowerView
display the list of your most recent entries in that field. Or, press
Alt+Down Arrow on your keyboard.

To quickly move around the form, click the section tabs found at the
bottom of the form.

The Status pane on the left also integrates with your XSite and if
you have set up WinTOTAL to work with your XSite, it sends status
messages to your clients in addition to tracking your status changes
as you make them.

When you move into the Form Type field in the order form, you’re
presented with a screen that allows you to change the header labels
used on all of the minor forms in your report. Simply click the labels
you wish to use in the drop-down menus.

In any field that contains the
icon, you can select a date from a
pop-up calendar that appears when you click the icon.

In the field that contains the
icon, you can automatically insert a
location map, flood, and census data into your report when you click
the icon.

In the appointment field that contains the
icon, you can add your
appointments to your XSites calendar to help you maintain your
schedule.

When the
icon appears in a field, click it to designate that the
content of that field is the same as either the Internal Order, Lender
Case, Client File or FHA/VA case numbers entered in the Tracking
section of the order form.

Additional fields have a drop-down menu from which you can choose
additional “Same as” data. The items displayed in these menus
change depending upon the type of information each field might
contain. For example, the Client field can be the “Same as” the
Lender, the Bill to or the Ship to fields.

When the
icon appears in a field, this indicates the presence of a
SmartMerge Forms and Data
Now that the order form is complete and your subject property has been
properly located, you can import data and forms from an existing report
or template.
WinTOTAL also allows you to merge data from individual
sections of forms, as well as the whole form or the whole report. Also,
you can merge data into your report at any time from within WinTOTAL.
Task: Use a Template or Complete Report
1.
2.
Click Merge in the toolbar at the top of the Order PowerView.
If necessary, use the Look for field to locate an appropriate older
appraisal. Or, click on your templates folder in the Folders pane on
the left and select the desired template.
“recent response” entry. Use your mouse and click the icon to
WinTOTAL Basics
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WinTOTAL Basics
The Order PowerView
completed in the order form will be retained in the new merged
report.

If all you want is the forms from the older report, but no data,
choose the Merge in forms only button.

The Clone option allows you to make an exact duplicate of the
older report. Any information you entered in the order form is
overwritten with the data from the older report.
Selecting Forms
Task: Add Forms to the Report
1.
Click Contents in the toolbar.
2.
From the Contents window, use the Find feature to locate the desired
form.
Or, scroll through the available forms in the window on the
left side. Forms are grouped into folders by type. Double-click any
folder to expand it and show the available forms.
3.
To merge in the Entire report mark that option then move on to
step 5 below.
4.
Otherwise, choose the Selected forms in report option. The forms
contained in the selected report are displayed below the file list.
Double-click each form in this box to select or deselect it for inclusion
in your new report.
Hint: You can merge sections of a form in addition to the whole form itself.
For example, if you just wanted to merge the Neighborhood section of
the URAR into your report, you can just double-click the Neighborhood
section in the list.
5.
Finally, click one of the available buttons at the top of the screen to
complete the data merge. You have three options:

Use Merge forms AND data to bring over the older report’s
forms, as well as the data in them.
WinTOTAL Basics
Any fields you’ve already
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WinTOTAL Basics
Formfilling Concepts
3.
The “Most Common Forms and Addenda” holds the forms you use
most often. Its contents can be customized by clicking the Click to
customize link. When you customize this folder, it is renamed to “My
Forms.”
4.
When you locate the desired form, double-click it to add it to your
report, or click and drag it across.
5.
On the right side, the forms currently in your report are displayed.
You can change the order of these forms by dragging them up or
down the list. Or, use the Move Up and Move Down links.
6.
To remove a form from your report, select the form and click Delete.
Note: Do not double-click the form, as that switches WinTOTAL to the
Forms PowerView with that form open.
7.
If desired, you can change the name of a form for the current report.
Select the form and click the Rename link. Type a new name and
click OK. Renaming the form here does not affect the default form
name, but may be reflected in any future reports you create using
2.
header again to collapse it.
this report in the Merge process.
8.
At the bottom of the window you can mark the option to keep the
contents window open even after you click OK.
If you have dual
3.
Click the Expand All button
4.
If you prefer, you can use Jump to forms button to quickly get to any
to open all of the forms at once.
form.
monitors or a particularly large display area, you may want to select
QuickLists
this option.
9.
Click the header of the form you want to edit to expand it. Click the
Click OK to return to the order form.
QuickLists eliminate repetitive typing. They allow you to complete entire
Formfilling Concepts
fields with a single keystroke. Or you can complete entire sections of a
Navigating Forms
you don’t have to scroll through long lists to find the appropriate
report with a simple double-click. And since QuickLists are field-specific,
By default, all the forms in your report are displayed in the Forms
PowerView, scrollable from top to bottom.
Task: Quickly Access a Particular Form
1.
Click the Collapse All button
comments.
Task: Create a QuickList Entry
1.
and type a comment.
to reduce the forms to headers.
2.
WinTOTAL Basics
Place your cursor in the field in which you wish to create a QuickList,
Double-click New in the QuickLists pane or press Atl + 0.
Page 9
WinTOTAL Basics
Adding Files to Your Report
3.
Type a name for this entry and click OK.

Your comment is added to the QuickLists for this field.
Windows clipboard into your report file. In addition to the other
Whenever you
options outlined below, you can indicate whether you’d like to
enter this field, the comment you saved appears in the list. Just double-
send the image to the image optimizer before adding it to your
click the comment in the QuickLists pane to insert the text into the field.
report.
Multi-field QuickLists

You can also create a QuickLists entry that inserts data into several fields
at once.
Document from file allows you to browse your computer for
the file that you want to add.
These fields can be an entire section of a report, or several,

non-contiguous fields throughout the form.
Document from scanner launches your scanner software to
bring in a hard copy of a document.
Task: Create a Multi-field QuickList
1.
Hold down the Ctrl key and click the first field for your selection.
2.
Now, if you want to select an entire section, hold down the Shift key
and click the last field of the section.
Document from clipboard copies the image currently in the

Document from PDF imports any PDF file you specify directly
into your report – even if it’s a multi-page document.
Or, hold down the Ctrl key,
and continue to click all of the additional non-contiguous fields.
3.
Double-click New in the QuickLists pane or press Alt + 0.
4.
Type a name for this entry and click OK.
Use this new QuickLists entry just as you would any other. Multi-field
QuickLists are accessed from the first field selected when you created the
item.
Hint: When you create a multi-field QuickLists item, WinTOTAL knows which
fields you’re using, and where those fields are in different forms.
If
you create a QuickLists item in one form, then use it in another, the
data is still inserted in the proper fields, even if the fields are scattered
throughout the new form!
Adding Files to Your Report
2.
Click the option corresponding to the type of file you want to import.
Task: Add a File to Your Report
3.
WinTOTAL prompts you to select the type of form you’d like to use to
1.
With a report open in WinTOTAL, click the down arrow by the Add
import this data. Choose a form type that suits your preference and
button in the toolbar. Files can be added to your report using one of
then type a title that reflects the file you’re importing.
four methods:
4.
Finally, choose an appropriate image quality using the Quality
settings options at the bottom and then click OK to import your file.
WinTOTAL Basics
Page 10
WinTOTAL Basics
E&O Reviewer
QuickNotes
4.
Click the X in upper right corner of the window to close your note.
WinTOTAL lets you leave electronic “sticky” notes anywhere on any form.
The note is placed in your document, represented by a semi-transparent
These notes display on screen, but do not show up on the printed copies.
balloon.
They make a great teaching tool, as mentors and reviewers can point out
minor items, as well as critical errors.
QuickNotes are available in three levels:
Standard (Yellow)

another location.

To read a note, double-click the balloon.

To change the type of note, right-click on the balloon, then choose
QuickNote Type and select the desired note type.
Needs Review (Red)
Reviewed (Green)

From anywhere in the Forms PowerView, click the note icon of choice

Click the area of the form where you want note to appear.
3.
Type your comments in the text box which appears.
To choose how QuickNotes are displayed in the report, click the
Show QuickNotes icon
(Yellow, Red, Green) in the toolbar.
2.
To remove a note from your report, right-click the balloon and
choose Delete.
Task: Create a QuickNote
1.
If you need to reposition the note, just click and drag the balloon to
and select whether to Hide all
QuickNotes, display only those of one kind, Open all QuickNotes
in the document, or Close all QuickNotes.
E&O Reviewer
Once your report is complete, click the E&O Check button in the Report
pane on the left. This starts the built-in Errors and Omissions tool and
displays the results in a window below your forms. Scroll through this list
to review the results.

Mark the Add to Addendum box to include this report as an
addendum.
Choose the Error & Omissions Results form in the
Jump to Forms drop-down menu to display and annotate this
report.

Select the E&O warnings option to display the specific warnings
grouped by report section. Double-clicking any warning displays that
part of the report in the form window above.

Click Options to set certain threshold values for the E&O checker to
use.
WinTOTAL Basics
Page 11
WinTOTAL Basics
Creating an Addendum
3.
Choose whether you’d like the entire contents of the text field moved
to the addendum, or just the portion that doesn’t fit on the form.
Text Overflow – As you’re typing in any multi-line text field, WinTOTAL
knows how much text can fit in that field. Once you’ve reached that
4.
capacity, the program automatically prompts you to create an addendum.
Select an addendum form – If there’s a particular addendum form you
1.
Click on a multi-line comment field and begin typing.
wish to use, you can simply add the form to the report using the
2.
As you reach the end of the field, you’re prompted to create an
addendum.
Click OK.
Contents feature.
1.
From WinTOTAL, click the Contents button on the menu bar.
2.
Scroll down through the Available forms list and double-click the
folder titled Other Forms & Addenda.
3.
Find the desired addendum form and double-click it.
4.
In the Forms in my report list, double-click the new addendum
form name again to open it for editing in WinTOTAL.
Split-screen addenda – The quickest way to
create an addendum. This method allows you to
view the contents of your forms while you’re
editing your addendum.

In the Forms PowerView, click the Addenda
button on the Report pane.
Creating Tables and Columns
Tables are handy for showing structured lists or creating columns in your
document.
Task: Create a Table in an Addendum
1.
From any addendum form, click the Table Options button, and
choose Insert Table.
2.
Specify the number of rows and columns you would like to see.
Note: There is no way to change the number of rows and columns for the
table once it has been inserted into the addendum.
3.
WinTOTAL Basics
Click OK.
Page 12
WinTOTAL Basics
Once a table has been inserted, you can begin typing text into each cell.
Click and drag the borders of the table to resize each cell. To further
customize the table, with your cursor in the table, click the Table
Options button again and choose either Table Attributes or Cell
Attributes. Select the desired modifications from the window and click
OK.
Task: Insert an Image into an Addendum
1.
From any addendum form, click the Insert Picture button.
2.
Browse to the directory where your image is stored, select the file
and click Open.
3.
Double-click the image to open the Image Sizing window, from
which you can use the slide bars to re-size your photo. To ensure
your photo does not become skewed, make sure the Retain aspect
ratio check box is selected.
4.
To delete a photo, simply click on it and press Delete.
NOTES:
WinTOTAL Basics
Page 13
Comps, Photos and Maps
Comps Database
Comps Database
5.
Click the Search for duplicates box to check your database for
duplicate comps while importing them. If desired, click the Preview
The comps database is your central location for getting the most out of
each duplicate found check box to force WinTOTAL to prompt you
one of your most precious resources. To access your comps database:
whenever it finds a duplicate. You’re then given the option of adding
1.
Click the Comps PowerView button in the menu bar.
duplicate comps anyway. If this option is not selected, any comps
2.
From the Comps pane on the left, click Comps Database.
with matching addresses are entered into the database as duplicates.
Task: Enter Comps from the Current Report
6.
associated with a comp imported as well.
To import the comps from your current report into your database:
1.
In the comps database, click the
2.
Click the WinTOTAL button
3.
To also add the subject property, click the Import the Subject
Add button in the menu bar.
7.
Click OK to begin the import process.
8.
If you selected the Prompt for additional information option, a
dialog box appears for each comp allowing you to enter items like
the neighborhood name, notes, sale date or age. Enter the desired
check box.
4.
Select Prompt for additional comp information if you prefer to
add additional data to each comp during the import process.
Choose the final check box if you’d like to have any photos
data and click OK.
9.
Repeat for each comp, or click Stop prompting me for this
information to discontinue the prompts.
Hint: You can also have WinTOTAL automatically prompt you to import
comps from your current report when you sign it.
Task: Enter a Comp Manually
To add a comp to your database manually:
Add button in the menu bar.
1.
In the comps database, click the
2.
Click the Manually button to open the Add Comparable dialog box.
3.
Enter the data in the fields. Note that QuickLists are available to
insert common terms.
4.
Click the Add link in the Photo pane to select a photo to associate
with this comp. Select the photo from your hard drive and click
Open. You can copy a photo from another location and paste it into
the comp by clicking the Paste link.
Page 15
Comps Database
you can enter specific data that may or may not appear on
certain forms. This data can be used to make automatic
adjustments, but won’t print on the report.
5.

Form fields limits the data to fields found on most major forms

MLS fields limits the date to fields found in most MLS systems
When completed, click OK and your new comp is added to the
database.
Task: Import Comps from Old Reports
To import comps from your old appraisal reports:
1.
From the Comps Database, click the Import button.
2.
Select Import from reports in your File Cabinet, then click Next.
3.
Select the desired folder from the list. Individual reports stored in
that folder appear in the window to the right for reference.
4.
Click Finish to begin the import.
See our “Importing Comps from Old Reports” video at
www.alamode.com/wintotal/videos!
Viewing Comps in the Database
When you first enter the Comps Database, you’re presented with a list of
comps with limited information in columns.

Quickly sort the comps list by clicking a header name

Click the plus sign (+) in front of any comp to view more details for
that property.
Under the Views pane on the left, click All comp fields to
expand the form to allow more data.

Click Summary fields to limit data to info in the Comps grid.

To edit which columns appear, right-click any heading and select
Edit, Column Layout.
Notice that several of the items have additional fields in which
Page 16
Comps Database
Task: Customize your Search Fields
You can choose which fields appear in the
Search tool by clicking the Customize link
at the top of the Search pane.
1.
Double-click the desired field in the
list on the left to add it to your
Search pane. Similarly, double-click
any item in the right column to
Task: Change the Details View
1.
Right-click on any comp and choose Edit, Property Detail Fields.
2.
From the list of available fields on the left, double-click the ones you
remove it.
2.
move items higher or lower in the list.
want to include. Similarly, double-click any item in the right column
to remove it from the detailed view.
3.
Use the Up and Down buttons to move items higher or lower in the
list.
4.
3.
Click OK to accept your changes.
Task: Run a Detailed Search
1.
Click the Detailed link at the top of
the Search pane.
Click OK to accept your changes.
Searching for Comps
Use the Up and Down buttons to
2.
Once again, you can customize which
fields appear in the Detailed Search
Task: Search the Database for Usable Comps
window by clicking the Customize
The Search pane on the left side of the Comps Database contains several
button. Use the steps above to add
common search fields.
the desired fields.
1.
2.
3.
Enter search criteria in any or all of the fields. Use complete
3.
Now, enter your search criteria and
information or partial text. For example, in the address field, either
click Search. The results of your search are displayed in the Comps
enter the full address, or just the street name.
Database window.
In the Proximity Within field, enter the desired distance — in miles
Note: You may need to re-arrange the windows on your screen to view the
— from the subject property. You can enter whole numbers or
Comps Database window. If you have limited screen area, click the
decimals.
Close after search option in the Detailed Search window.
Click the Find Now link to display comps that match your criteria.
4.
Continue to modify your criteria and click Search each time to
narrow your search even further.
Click the Clear Search link to reset your list to show all comps.
5.
When the desired results are displayed, click Close to return to the
Comps Database display.
Page 17
Side-by-Side Comps
6.
Click the Clear Search link at the bottom of the Search pane to
3.
reset search options and display all of your comps.
Modify your map as desired using the Annotate tools in the
Location Map Options pane. If desired, click the Driving tab to
generate specific driving directions to each comparable.
See our “Finding and Placing Comps” video at
Task: Map Comps
1.
In the Comps Database, select any comps you’d like to map by
4.
Click Finish when you’re done.
Task: Insert Selected Comps into a Report
1.
Check the box next to the desired comps.
2.
Click the Place button in the toolbar.
3.
Choose Yes when prompted to place in the report.
checking the box to the left of each property.
Hint: Use the Comps Database search features to display a limited number
of comps that meet your criteria. Then, choose Mark, Mark All from
the menu to select them.
2.
From the menu bar, click the Map button or right-click in the Comps
display and select Map, Selected Comparables from the pop-up
menu.
3.
In the Map Wizard screen, confirm the property addresses and click
Next.
4.
Modify your map as desired using the Annotate tools in the
Location Map Options pane. If desired, click the Driving tab to
generate specific driving directions to each comparable.
5.
Click Finish when you’re done.
Task: Map Comps by Proximity
1.
2.
Right-click on any comp in the list. From the pop-up menu, choose
Hint: Use the Comps Database’s search features to display a limited number
of comps that meet your criteria. Then, right-click any comp and
choose Mark Comps, Mark All from the pop-up menu to select them.
Side-by-Side Comps
Map, then 1, 2, 5 or 10 miles. To enter a different distance, click
One of the most exciting advancements in the Aurora generation of
Custom, type the amount and click OK.
WinTOTAL is the advent of side-by-side comparables. Using this tool, you
In the Map Wizard screen, confirm the property addresses and click
can work with as many comparables as you like, making standard
Next.
adjustments automatically across all of them at once. Some of the
highlights of this new capability include:
Page 18
Side-by-Side Comps

All of the comps in your report are placed side-by-side extending off
Hint: When you add a comp to your report, if necessary, WinTOTAL adds an
the screen to the right. A slider at the bottom of the screen allows
additional comps page to the report. Since additional comps pages
you to scroll over to see individual comps.
include space for three comps, the application may add additional
Thumbnail photos are included at the top of each comp. Hover your
blank comps to the side-by-side view as well.
cursor over the thumbnail and it expands to a larger size.

menu on the left and the recent response menus - designated by the
Comp-specific data is included in
icon in the field.
the header, such as price, gross
adjustment percentage, indicated

Pressing the equal key (=) at the beginning of any field allows you to
value and weighting.
copy information from the corresponding field in any other comp, or
From the header of each comp,
the subject. Thus, if your cursor is in the “Location” field, pressing
you can choose:
=0 copies the contents of the “Location“ field in the subject to the
Location field in the current comp. Pressing =1 copies the contents
Move - Moves the comp to another position in the report.
Clear - Deletes all of the information for the comp,
Remove - Removes the comp from the report.
of the first comp, =2 the second comp, and so on.

Pressing the equal key twice (==) clears the current field.

If your cursor is in the first field of any comp, using either of these
Hint: When you choose to remove a comp, you’re given the opportunity to
equal-sign shortcuts affects the entire comp. Thus, if you press =0,
save that comp in your digital Workfile.
the entire contents of the subject property is brought over to the
Hide - Keeps the current comp in the report, but does not display it.
current comp. Likewise, if you press ==, the entire comp is cleared.
Once you’ve hidden comps, you can re-display them by clicking the

Show desired comps link in the subject property header, then
choosing Show All. Or choose Show Specific, then check the box
for the comp you want to display and choose OK.

The usual data entry keys work for all comps, including the QuickList
Pressing F2 while in the description field of any comp copies the
contents of that field forward to all subsequent comps.

The Tab key moves through the comps from left to right, while the
Enter key moves down through each comp.
In the header of the Subject Property, click:
Show desired comps – Use this link to Show all of the comps in
the report. Or choose Show specific to show or hide any or all of
See our “Working in the Side-by-Side Comps Grid” video at
www.alamode.com/wintotal/videos
the comps in the report.
Move best comps closest – This arranges the comps from left to
right based on the weight calculated for each comp.
Add a comparable - Inserts a new, blank comp.
Detailed View
In addition to the standard comparable grid information, you can now
store additional data about every comp. This data, such as separate fields
for garage and carport, or porch, patio and deck, is included with the
Page 19
Side-by-Side Comps
comp and can be used to make automatic adjustments. However, the
and the comp have a numeric value entered in the field, such as the
data is aggregated and inserted into the proper field on the form’s grid.
Gross Living Area. The amount you enter is multiplied by the

difference between the subject and the comp and the appropriate
Click the Detailed View button at the top of subject property to
adjustment is entered for the comp.
expand the grid in the report and enter additional data.
3.
In the Difference column, enter the threshold amount to ensure
that adjustments below a certain value are not entered. For
example, if the smallest adjustment you want to make is $200, enter
this amount. Now, if the calculated adjustment is below $200, no
adjustment is made.
Automatic Adjustments
The Auto Adjuster allows you to make adjustments across ALL comps in
the report based on just about any field. In addition, you can build sets of
assumptions and adjustments, then save and load them at will.
Task: Create a Set of Automatic Adjustments
1.
Click the Auto Adjuster button in the Subject Property window. The
screen expands to show two columns.
2.
In the Adjustment column, enter a specific value that you’d like
applied to any comparable that differs from the subject property.
Note that this is only applied in those cases where both the subject
4.
In the final column, you’ll see the option to make adjustments based
on text fields. Click the button corresponding to a particular property
feature to open the Adjustment Table.
In the left column, enter the descriptions of the feature you might
use in your comp. In the column on the right, enter a value that
Page 20
Side-by-Side Comps
you’d like applied to any comp that differs from the subject. For
5.
After creating all of your adjustments, click the Save As link at the
example, if in the “Condition” field you would normally use
top of the Auto Adjustments column. Enter a name for this set of
“Excellent,” “Good,” “Average” or “Poor,” enter these values in the
assumptions. Click OK to save the assumptions.
left column (leave the additional fields blank). Next, if you would
6.
normally make a $500 adjustment given the subject was rated
click the Load link at the top of the column. Choose the desired
“Excellent” and the comp “Poor,” put “500” in the Value column to
assumptions set from the list and click OK. All comps in the report
the right of “Excellent.” Likewise, if the adjustment for a “Good”
property versus the “Poor” was $300, enter “300” in the Value field
to the right of “Good.” Now enter the adjustment you’d like to make
In the future, when you’re appraising a subject in this same area,
are automatically adjusted based on your assumptions.
Hint: Your Auto Adjustment assumptions are saved as part of the report.
When you clone an old report, or use the SmartMerge feature, the
for the “Average” property. Finally, enter the lowest value for the
Auto Adjustments are brought along.
“Poor” home, or leave it at zero.
See our “Making Automatic Adjustments” video at
Task: Pull in a Comp from an Existing Report
1.
In the Comps toolbar, click the Old Reports button. Use the list on
the left to browse through your report folders. As you select each
folder, all of the reports in that folder are shown on right. All
addresses (including the subject) from a report are displayed in the
list box at the bottom of the window.
2.
Double-click any of the comps in the list to “mark” it for importing.
Or, you can click the Mark All link at the bottom of the list.
3.
When you’ve selected the desired comps, click Import to insert
them in the current report.
When the auto-adjustment table is used, it compares the text
Hint: If necessary, you can use the search features found at the top of the
entered for the subject and the comp in that field. It then calculates
dialog box to locate the desired report. Just type any information, such
the difference between the values for the two items, and makes the
as the street name, in the Look for field and click Find Now. You can
adjustment – up or down – to the comp.
narrow the search by selecting certain folders from the Search In
Once you’ve completed the Adjustment Table, click OK to save it.
drop-down menu. Or, click the Advanced Find link to enter more
detailed criteria.
Page 21
Images
Images
The image capabilities of WinTOTAL are accessed by opening a report,
then clicking the Images PowerView button in the top right.
In each of the different views, thumbnail images are displayed. You can
view a larger image by simply hovering your mouse pointer over any
thumbnail. The image expands and remains there until you move your
mouse away from that photo.
Retrieve Images with QuickPix
One of the advantages of QuickPix is the ability to preview photos on
your camera or storage device before you load them into your database.
The process for using QuickPix to download images from your digital
camera into your Images Database is:
1.
Load previews of your photos into QuickPix.
2.
Mark the photos you wish to import.
3.
Label the previews with address, descriptions and other notes.
4.
Download the selected images into your database.
QuickPix allows you to first see previews or “thumbnails” of the images in
the camera before taking the time to acquire the whole picture. It
automatically assigns a filename to the pictures it downloads and inserts
them into the WinTOTAL images database.
Task: Import Photos using QuickPix
1.
Open QuickPix, click Previews.
2.
Once the previews are loaded, use the scroll bar on the right to
field drop-down menu is populated with your common photo
descriptions like Front, Rear and Street.
4.
move through the photos. Select the check box to the right of those
images you wish to retrieve. Click Mark All to quickly select all of
the photos you’re previewing.
3.
Once the desired images have been marked, click Retrieve in the
menu bar.
5.
If you’ve decided to use the Albums feature in Aurora, you’re
prompted to give this photo set a name. Type this in the text box
For each photo you mark, complete the Address, Description and
and click OK. If you don’t want these images placed in an album,
Notes fields, as desired. Select the address of the subject property
click Skip, or click the check box to stop using albums.
and any comps from the drop-down menu. Likewise, the description
Page 22
Images
6.
7.
After the photos are imported, you’re returned to QuickPix. You can
5.
The next step allows you to designate certain information to be
now retrieve additional photos from this set of previews into different
placed in the Notes field for each image during import. This can be
albums. The file names of those photos you’ve already retrieved
very useful in finding images with the Images database’s search
appear in the upper-left corner of the preview image.
features. Options are:
When you are through downloading images, exit QuickPix by

might wish to include your initials or office ID.
Retrieve Images with Auto-Retrieve

Unlike the more manual process used with QuickPix, Auto-Retrieve lets
The Append dates to Notes option puts the date that the
images were imported into the database in the notes field.
you bring all the photos on your camera or storage device into the

database at once with a single click.
The Append photo number to Notes adds a sequential
number to each image and adds that to the notes field.
Task: Configure Auto-Retrieve
1.
The Notes field allows you to enter any other data that is not
likely to change each time you import images. For example, you
selecting Exit from the File menu.
Connect your camera to your system, or insert your storage device
into a card reader.
6.
Click Next to continue.
7.
Automatic filenames are generated for each image as it is imported.
These can replace the often cryptic file names that most cameras
2.
Click Get Photos in the toolbar.
3.
The Digital Photos Wizard appears to walk you through the
configuration process. Click Next to begin.
4.
The first step is to configure your camera or card reader.

Select the Photo Source from the drop-down menu.
camera appears in the list, select it.
If your
Otherwise, choose
Disk/Directory/PC Card.

Check the Retain image quality box if you prefer to have you
photos imported without any additional compression.

In the Path to Photos field, enter the drive letter Windows has
assigned to your card or device. If necessary, click Browse to
find your directory.

The final check box tells WinTOTAL that you would like to be
prompted to delete the images from the directory or storage
device after they are imported.

Page 23
Images
apply to photos.
The name is made up of any of these optional
items:

Task: Place a Photo into a Report
1.
pages pane on the left.
Any text filename prefix you’d like to assign. Once again, this
might be the appraiser’s initials or some other designation.
2.
Find the desired photo using any of the following methods.
A two-digit year, a numeric or text month, and the day. These
3.
Click and drag the desired photo over to one of the photo positions
items are taken from the date that the images are imported.

Display the desired form on the right by selecting it in the Image
As you make your selections, note the sample filename at the
bottom of the screen.
8.
Click Finished when you’re done.
9.
The default album name is set to the current date, plus a “Set”
on the right.
Task: Search the Images Database
1.
If you’re not sure of the complete address or street name, just type
a portion of the name. For example, just entering “elm” would find
anything on Elm Street, Elm Avenue, Elmhurst Blvd or Shady Elms
number. Edit this album name and choose OK. Or, choose Skip to
Court.
not put these images in an album. If you prefer not to use albums,
check the I do not wish to use Albums box.
2.
From the Search In drop-down menu, select the field you would like
to search.
10. When the retrieval is complete, you’re prompted to display just the
photos you’ve imported. Click Yes to display your new photos, click
Type an address, street name or other information in the Find field.
3.
Next, click the Find link to the right of the Search In field to begin
the search. The results are displayed in the middle.
No to continue working with your current image source.
11. From now on, each time you click Get Photos, you can click Yes to
reuse these same options.
12. If you asked to be prompted to delete the original files, another
window appears. Answer Yes or No to complete the process.
Task: Add Photo Pages to a Report
1.
2.
3.
Click Add at the top of the Image pages pane to bring up the
Contents screen.
4.
To return to the full list of photos, click Show All in the toolbar.
Automatically, the Available forms list is modified to display the
5.
Alternately, you can sort the images in your database by clicking the
photo pages available in WinTOTAL. From this list, double-click the
headers at the top of any column.
form you wish to add.
time sorts the images by that column in reverse order.
In the Forms in my report list on the right, click and drag the new
form to the desired position in the report.
4.
Continue to add photo forms and click OK when you’re done.
Clicking any header a second
Viewing Images
Unused images – Select this option to display all of the images
displayed in the photos database that haven’t been placed in reports.
Page 24
Images
My Albums – Photo albums are a great way to group images together as
Or, if you’re working with a scanned map or other full-page
you import them into a “session folder.” You can create any number of
document, select either Legal or Letter size.
photo albums and name them by neighborhood, date, property, appraiser
3.
or other criteria. Albums are created during the import process. To view
line drawing or map, the Black and White setting may work well. If
the contents of an album, just double-click on the name.
you only output your documents on non-color printers, then select
Grayscale.
Scan images – This function is used to import images from a scanner
attached to your system.
Images can be photos, maps or other
Next, choose the color depth for your image. If the document is a
4.
Finally, change the image detail to further trim file size. Most digital
documents not available in electronic form.
images contain far more resolution than necessary for PDF printing.
1.
Click Scan images in the Images pane on the left.
Therefore, selecting a Medium detail for photos, or even Low for
2.
Click Source to select the scanner device you wish to use.
3.
Click Acquire to activate the scanner and retrieve the image.
Images on disk – This option allows you to quickly look through any
graphics, can save valuable disk space without sacrificing the quality
of your final report. It will also speed up printing to PDF!
Hint: The Settings button in the Optimize tab allows you to set the
optimization and enhancement settings that you would like to have
directory and use other photos without importing them into your Images
WinTOTAL apply to all of your images automatically.
Database. To view these photos:
1.
Type the directory name into the Path field at top of the screen, or
click Browse to select it from your hard drive, network or attached
storage device.
2.
5.
Task: Enhance a Photo
1.
Slide the Brightness, Contrast, Saturation and Sharpness
controls to the left or right to adjust the appearance.
Use the Find field to search for a specific image by either its
filename or extension. Click the Find link to execute the search.
Click OK to accept and save your changes to the image.
2.
Click the rotated “A” buttons to spin your image to the proper
orientation.
3.
Clicking Equalize Brightness attempts to balance your photo
automatically.
Edit forms – This view shows the photo form. Use this to edit the text
4.
that appears on any photo form.
a rectangle which includes the portion of the image you want to
Task: Optimize a Photo
1.
2.
keep.
Reset the size of your image to Small, Medium or Large,
When you release the mouse button, the image crops
automatically.
In the Images PowerView, double-click any image to open the
Optimizer. Or, select the image and click Optimize in the toolbar.
To crop a photo, first click Crop. Then, on the image, click and drag
5.
If you want your cropped image to have the same height and width
ratio as the original, check Maintain aspect ratio when cropping.
depending upon the size of the photo pages you use in your report.
Page 25
Images
Note: While working in the Image Optimizer, you can, at any time, click the
Restore Image link to discard any changes you’ve made and revert
to the original image.
However, once you click OK, all changes are
saved with the image and are permanent.
Task: Annotate a Photo
1.
To add icons to your image, choose Icons from the drop-down
menu.
Then, choose Color, B&W or Legacy icons.
Select the
desired icon, then click anywhere in the image to place that icon.
Click and drag the icon to move it around.
2.
To highlight an area, first choose Highlight Area from the dropdown menu, then choose the size of the line around the highlighted
area. Then, click the Line color and Fill Color drop-down menus to
select the color for your highlighted area.
Now, click anywhere on
the image to anchor the first corner of your area. Continue clicking
to surround the area desired.
Before drawing the last line, simply
double-click or press A to complete the area.
3.
To draw a line on your image, first choose Lines from the drop-down
menu.
Then, click the Line Color drop-down menu to choose the
color and use the Line Width menu to choose the desired thickness
of the line. Now, click and draw the desired line across the image.
4.
The final option for annotating your image is balloons containing
descriptive text. To add a balloon, choose Balloons from the dropdown menu, then click anywhere in the image. Type the desired text
into the field provided, or select one of the property address labels
Additional Image Configuration Options
In addition to the items in the optimizer, there are a few options you can
select that WinTOTAL applies to all photos.
To access these from the
menu bar, choose Options, Configure WinTOTAL settings. Then click
Images in the Configuration Options window.

Low Resolution Thumbnail Settings – Use these settings to
on the left. Choose a Back Color, Text color and font for the balloon
create smaller thumbnail images for use in WinTOTAL.
and click OK to place it. Once it is placed, click and drag the square
the option to Show photos on forms as thumbnails speeds up the
“handles” to reposition or resize the balloon.
performance of WinTOTAL, though the images may not appear as
Note: When you click another tab to leave the annotations section, all
annotations become permanent and you cannot go back and reselect
or edit the modifications.
crisp.
Turning on
Since this option does not affect the quality of your final
report, you can tweak the size of the thumbnail images using the
Percentage field. Use the Enable Thumbnail Updating option to
Page 26
Maps Overview
have WinTOTAL automatically create thumbnails from your images

Task: Start the Mapping Wizard
on a regular basis: daily, weekly or monthly.
1.
From the Maps PowerView, click New Map.
Create photo Labels - Type the word or phrase you want to use as
2.
Use the check boxes to indicate which items you’d like WinTOTAL to
standard photo descriptions – “Front view,” “Street scene” or “Aerial
retrieve automatically:
image,” for example.

Import comp photos – Use this setting to import any photos
associated with a comparable into your report along with that comp.
From the drop-down menu you can select which of the image sizes
Location map,

Flood, Census and USPS data

Digital FEMA flood map from InterFlood. If this option and the
flood and census options are both selected, you must indicate
you normally use for photo pages in your reports.

whether you want the map retrieved only if the subject property
Image quality settings – These settings allow you to adjust the
is in a flood zone.
amount of compression WinTOTAL applies to photos as they are
You may select any or all of the options.
imported into the database. Slide the control to the left to reduce
file sizes, though this causes some loss in image resolution. You can
change the file format as well, but this is not recommended for most
users.
Maps Overview
Task: Configure InterFlood in WinTOTAL
1.
From the WinTOTAL menus, choose Options, Configure WinTOTAL
settings.
2.
In the Configuration Options window, click Flood.
3.
Enter your InterFlood Account number (or your Appraiser XSite
3.
Add property.
Choose either Black and White or Color maps by marking the
4.
5.
6.
5.
6.
If you prefer to use GPS coordinates for your properties, click
Enable latitude and longitude fields. Enter latitude and longitude
Click Save to retain your settings.
coordinates for any or all of the properties in the appropriate column.
7.
Verify the addresses of all properties. Click in any field to edit the
address, city, state or zip code.
Check the box at the bottom to have WinTOTAL prompt you about
your map colorization settings before downloading each flood map.
To delete a property from the list, simply choose the property to
remove from the list, then click Delete property.
appropriate option and, if desired, change the color of your flood
maps by clicking Change.
Type a new property address in the available box
that’s added to the bottom of the list.
username) and your Password in the designated fields.
4.
Next, if you need to add any additional properties to your list, click
Page 27
Maps Overview
Task: Enhance a Map
1.
Once the location map is retrieved, use the Zoom buttons at top of
the image to move in or out and display the desired area.
2.
Right-click anywhere in the map to re-center the map around that
point.
3.
At this point, you can enhance the map using the annotation tools
found in the Location Map Options pane. Click the Annotate tab
to display these options.

Balloons – To add a balloon to your map, choose the Balloons
option from the drop-down menu in the Annotate tab found in
the Location Map Options pane. Click the location on the map
you would like the new balloon to indicate. Choose to enter one
of your current captions or your own Custom caption, then type
the desired caption in the text box and click OK.
Your new
balloon is placed on the map. Move the location by clicking the
balloon and dragging the square “handle” to a new location.

place that icon. Click and drag the icon to move it around.
Highlight Area - To highlight an area of the map, first choose
the size of the line around the highlighted area from the
Properties drop-down menu.
Task: Get Driving Directions
1.
Click the Driving tab to display these options.
2.
Select the Start Driving Directions from my office check box if
that will be your starting point. Otherwise directions are generated
Then, click the Line color and
from the subject property. If necessary, click the Edit Office link to
Fill color links to select the color for your highlighted area.
update your office location, or enter a temporary address to start
Now, click anywhere on the image to anchor the first corner of
your area.
Continue clicking to surround the area desired.
Before drawing the last line, simply double-click or press A to
from.
3.
Lines - First choose the line thickness from the drop-down
menu. Then, click the Line color link to choose the color. Now,
click and draw the desired line across the image.
Click Get Directions. Directions are displayed in a scrolling window
in the pane. Click Print Directions to output the directions to your
complete the area.

Layers – Use these options to designate the order in which each
item is drawn when your map is displayed.
Symbols – First, choose Color, B&W or Legacy symbols.
Select the desired symbol, then click anywhere in the map to

printer.
Task: Retrieve Flood and census data
1.
The Flood and Census data information displays in the next step,
allowing you to select which of the items you’d like included in your
Page 28
Maps Overview
report.
A green light means the data is valid and has been

the data should be verified independently. A red light indicates that
no data was available.
Selecting a map and clicking Edit reopens the map in the options
screen so you can change any of the options described.
confirmed. A yellow light indicates there may be some problem and

To delete a map, select it and click Delete.
Map Options
If desired, click the Options button in the Map Pages pane to further
fine-tune your map.
These options are saved and applied to all future
maps. Here, you can change:

The Map Style – Select the map color from one of 13 options by
clicking Change. Selecting the Center Map on Subject option
always centers your maps around the subject, though this may
cause your comps to display in unexpected ways.

Balloon Properties – Use these options to indicate how the
balloons display addresses and distances from the subject property.

Property Options – Indicate what kinds of comps (Sales comps,
Listings and/or Rentals) you want included on your maps.
2.
Confirm the Flood and Census data, and click Next. Or click Finish
if no flood map was requested.
Task: Retrieve a Flood Map
1.
When the flood map is displayed, check the drop-down menu at the
top of the map.
Adding a map manually
From the Add Manual Map drop-down menu, choose:

If more than one FEMA map was located for this
subject property, select the most appropriate map from the drop-
Import from clipboard – Use this to copy an image or map from
another page or from the Internet.
First, select the image at its
source and copy it to the clipboard.
When you select this option
from the menu, the image is loaded in the map editing tools
down.
described above.
2.
Now, edit it using the same annotation tools as for the location map.
3.
Click the subject’s location on the flood map to add a balloon for the
find any image or map file. Click Open to retrieve that image into
subject property.
the Image Optimizer.
4.
Click Finish to complete the process.
Once the maps are added to your report, you can edit the text in the map
form by clicking on either the Location maps or InterFlood maps in

Import from file - Select this option, then browse your system to
Import from scanner – If you have a hard copy of a document you
wish to include, select this option to launch your scanner software
and retrieve the image.
the Views pane.
Page 29
Report Management, Digital
Workfiles and Archiving
Report Management, Digital Workfiles and Archiving
The Files PowerView
The Files PowerView
3.
The Files view, often called the Filing Cabinet, is designed to help you
organize and access your appraisal files. The screen is divided into two
major sections: the Folders and Tracking lists on the left and the Files
select it and choose Remove.
4.
Use the Up and Down buttons to re-position the fields in the list.
5.
If desired, select an item in the Displayed Fields list and enter a
new title for the column in the Title text box.
display on the right.
6.
Working with Folders
screen function much the same as most
7.
nested beneath them. If a folder has subfolders, they are shown with a plus next to
them. Clicking on the plus expands the
folder and displays any sub-folders.
1.
Set initial sort direction to ascending or descending.
9.
If you’d prefer not to see the column headings, un-check Show
column titles.
10. Click OK to save your settings.
Once your column layout is set, you can modify the column order
and width by clicking and dragging the title header of the column.
First click on the folder beneath
which you’d like the new folder to

You can resort the list by clicking the title header of any column.
appear. If you want a new top-

Double-click the edge of any column to resize the column to the
level
folder,
click
the
Reports
folder.
Right-click and choose New from the pop-up menu. Or, click the
New link located in the Folders pane.
3.
8.

Task: Create a New Folder
Click Sort by this field if this is the field you’d like your reports
initially sorted by.
Windows folders lists. Top-level folders are
displayed along the left, with sub-folders
Set the initial width of the column by adjusting the number in the
Width field.
The folders displayed on the left side of the
2.
To remove a field, double-click it in the Displayed Fields list, or
In the text box, type the name for your new folder and click OK.
Viewing Your Files
optimum width, based on the contents of that item.
State Lights
The state — or status — of each of your reports is displayed in easy-toread red, yellow, green or grey “stop lights.”
Task: Change Report States
1.
the Ctrl key on the keyboard and clicking multiple files.
Task: Editing Columns
1.
Right-click anywhere in the file list and choose Edit column layout.
2.
Select the desired information from the Available Fields list on the
left. Double-click the item to add it to the Displayed Fields list, or
Select the desired report, or select more than one by holding down
2.
Right-click a selected report and, from the pop-up menu, choose
Report State, then select the desired status color (red yellow, green
or grey) or Clear State.
choose Add.
Report Management, Digital Workfiles, and Archiving
Page 31
The Files PowerView
Searching for files
Task: Execute a Simple Search
1.
Enter your search criteria in the Look for field above the file list.
2.
Select the folders you’d like to look in from the Search In dropdown list.
3.
Click Find Now to display the results.
4.
Click the Clear link to reset your search criteria. This also re-selects
the top-level Reports folder. Since no files are saved in that folder,
you’ll need to select another folder to see any files.
Task: Execute an Advanced Search
1.
Click the Advanced Find link.
2.
Enter data in as many fields as desired.
3.
To expand your search beyond the currently selected folder, check
the Search all folders box.
4.
If you’re going to perform multiple searches, you may keep the
Search dialog box open even after you execute one search. Click the
Keep open… check box at the top of the screen.
5.
When your criteria have been entered, click the Find button in the
menu bar.
6.
If no reports are found that match your criteria, you‘re presented
with a blank Files list. Go back to Advanced Find and try again.
7.
Click the Clear link to reset your search criteria.
Task: Search by Location
1.
Select a file in the list.
2.
Right-click and choose Search within ½, 1, or 5 miles.
Working With files
Appraisal reports found in the Files view can be moved, copied or
renamed as needed from within the Appraisal Desktop.
Selecting files – To select a file in the files list, simply click on it. You
can also select multiple files by holding down the Ctrl key on your
keyboard and clicking multiple files. Or, select a whole range of files by
clicking the first file in the range. Then, scroll down to the end of the list,
hold down the Shift key and click the last file in the range. All files
between these two are selected.
Copying files – Select the report or reports you wish to copy in the files
list. Right-click and choose Move or Copy to from the pop-up menu.
All reports within that radius of the selected file are displayed. Click the
Click Copy, then choose the new folder you’d like to contain the new
Clear link at the top of the list to reset the search criteria.
report and click OK.
Page 32
Printing Reports
Moving files – The simplest way to move a report from one folder to
1.
Click on any folder, then right-click and choose View Recoverable
another is to simply click on a file and drag it to the desired folder. You
Files from the pop-up menu, or choose it from the Options menu.
can also select multiple files and drag them all at once. Or, you can select
All .BZ1 files located in that directory are displayed.
one or more files, then right-click and choose Move or Copy to from the
2.
pop-up menu. Click Move, then choose the new folder you’d like to
contain the new report and click OK.
Renaming files – To rename a file, select the file (you can only select
one), then right-click and choose Rename from the pop-up menu, or
click the Rename button in the menu bar. In the dialog box, type the
new name for your file and click OK.
Note: Renaming a report from the Appraisal Desktop changes both the file’s
Double-click any desired report to recover that file. Or, right-click on
it and choose Recover from the pop-up menu.
The backup file is renamed to an active report and is displayed in the
folder with the text “recovered” added to the file description.
You can
rename the file by right-clicking it and choosing Rename from the pop
up menu.
Printing Reports
description, as well as the name of the .ZAP report file on your hard
Of course you can print a report while it’s open in WinTOTAL, but you can
drive.
also print a report directly from the Appraisal Desktop without having to
Deleting files – Select the report or reports you wish to delete in the
files list and drag them to the Deleted Items folder on the left.
Alternately, you can right-click and choose Delete from the pop-up
open the report first.
Task: Print a Report
1.
select it in the Files list.
menu, or click the Delete button in the menu bar.
Restoring deleted files – Whenever you delete a file from the Appraisal
Use the search features to find the report you wish to print and
2.
Click the Print button in the menu bar. From here, you have several
Desktop, it is placed in the Deleted Items folder. If you’d deleted a file
options:
by accident, simply click on the Deleted Items folder on the left, then

drag the desired file or files to another folder.
Print Engine, from which you can choose which pages and
Task: Recovering Files
As you work on your reports, WinTOTAL automatically saves backup
forms you’d like to print, as well as choose the printer to use.

Auto print report – This option automatically prints the report
based on the settings you’ve chosen for that report in the past.
copies of your files as .BZ1 files on your hard drive. If something
happens to your file, you may be able to recover it from this backup.
Print report – Choosing this option opens the standard Aurora

Print invoice only – If you just need to send out a new invoice,
choose this option. Any invoice form found in the report is sent
to your default printer.

Print reports list – Creates a printout of what you see in the
Files View.
Page 33
Report’s Order Form
Report’s Order Form
To view a report’s order form, first select the desired report in the files
list. Then, click the Order Form tab at the bottom. There are several
things you can do while viewing the order form:

Click the Edit button in the lower menu bar to make changes to the
order. You can type your changes directly in the Appraisal Desktop
view, without opening the report. When you’ve made your changes,
click the Save button, or click Cancel to revert to the original.

Click the Print button in the lower menu bar to send a copy of the
order form to your printer.

To see more of the order form, click the Full Screen button on the
lower menu bar. The form expands to occupy the entire Appraisal
Desktop screen. Restore the normal view by clicking the Split
Screen button.
Task: View a Report’s History
1.
2.
3.
Select the desired report in the files list using any of the search
sign to the left. Click the plus sign to expand the view and show all
features listed above.
contacts that work for that company
Click the History tab at the bottom. A pane opens showing each of
Contacts for all users – If you work in an office with multiple
the changes made to this report, when it was made and by which
appraisers, you can display the contacts from your colleagues’ databases
WinTOTAL user.
as well as your own. Click the arrow on the View button in the menu bar
Click any of the headers to resort the list of changes according to
and select Contacts for All Users.
that column. For example, click the top of the User column to quickly
Contacts for this user – To limit your display to only those contacts you
see all of the users who have changed the report grouped together.
entered, click the arrow on the View button in the menu bar and select
Contacts
Contacts can be viewed in a variety of ways:
Contact for this user only.

at the top of the screen to limit the list to only those contacts or
By Name – Click the Contacts link under Contact View to display all of
your contacts by name.
By Company – Click the Companies link under Contact View to sort
Once your contacts are displayed as desired, click one of the letters
companies that begin with that letter.

Click the header at the top of any column to quickly sort by that
column. Click it again to re-sort the column in reverse order.
your contacts by company. Each company name is displayed with a plus
Page 34
Contacts
Task: Search for a Contact:
8.
When the contact information is complete, click OK to save this
contact to your database.
1.
Type your search criteria in the Look for field above the contact list.
2.
Select the field you’d like to look in from the Search In drop-down
To edit an existing contact, double-click on any entry in your database.
list.
Or select it and click the Edit button in the menu bar.
3.
Click Find Now to display the results.
Select a contact and click the Delete button to remove it from the
4.
Click the Clear link to reset your search criteria and display all of
database.
your files.
Task: Add a New Contact to Your Database:
1.
From the Contact screen, click the Add button on the
menu bar.
2.
When the Contact Details appear, select Company or
Individual.
3.
Next, select at least one option from the Type of
contact check boxes. You can choose as many as you
like.
4.
If you’d like this contact to be viewable only by you, uncheck the Public Contact box. If this is checked, all of
the users on your system will be able to see this
contact.
5.
Now, complete the remaining text boxes for this
individual or company, including the Username and
Password, if you’d like them to enter and retrieve
orders on your Appraiser XSite.
6.
If you’re entering a company, you can also add
individuals who work for that firm. At the bottom of the
window, click the Add link. Complete the individual’s
information and click OK. Use the Edit and Delete links
to modify existing contacts for that company.
7.
Continue
adding
as
many
individual
contacts
as
necessary.
Page 35
The Digital Workfile
The Digital Workfile
WinTOTAL’s digital Workfile allows you to store everything electronically
that would normally go into a physical manila folder.
You can add
content by:

Browsing your system for an electronic file

Dragging and dropping an item from Windows Explorer

Scanning a hardcopy document with your scanner

Using DirectFax to fax hardcopy documents to the workfile
Task: Browse for an Electronic File
1.
In the Appraisal Desktop, select a report file, then click the Workfile
tab at the bottom of the screen.
2.
Click Edit in the Workfile toolbar, then click Browse.
3.
Locate the desired file, select it and click Open.
Using DirectFax
DirectFax works in tandem with your Enterprise Appraiser XSite to
convert all your paper Workfile documents into one electronic file. In
addition, your clients can fax important supporting documents to you.
Task: Use DirectFax to Send Documents to the Workfile
1.
In the Appraisal Desktop, select a report file, then click the
DirectFax tab at the bottom of the screen.
2.
Click Create in the DirectFax toolbar, then print the cover sheet
which appears.
Hint: You can use a tool like Adobe Acrobat to create an electronic version of
the cover sheet, which you can then e-mail to your clients.
3.
Fax all of your documents, with the cover sheet on top, to the tollfree number provided on the cover sheet.
4.
Once the fax has been sent, click the Sync button in the toolbar to
retrieve any faxed docs and add them to the workfile.
Page 36
The Vault
The Vault
Sending Reports to the Vault
Once your workfile is complete, you can send the entire file directly to
your online Vault storage account. Select a report, then click Send to
Vault button in the toolbar. You can then choose to send it immediately
Task: Retrieve Files from the Vault
1.
Point your web browser to http://www.alamode.com/vault.
2.
Click the My Account button.
3.
Enter your Username and Password, and click OK. This will bring
up the Vault Today page. Click the Files button to open a page
or mark it to send later.
showing the files you have stored in the Vault.
4.
Click the checkbox in front of the files you wish to download and click
Retrieve.
5.
A window will pop up, asking you where you would like to save the
file(s). By default, the files will be downloaded to the Vault Restore
folder in the Appraisal Desktop. If you wish to store them
somewhere else, click Browse to define the alternate location.
6.
Click OK to begin downloading your files.
The other option is to configure the Vault to “watch” your system and
automatically back up your appraisal files on a regular basis. From the
Windows Start menu, select the a la mode Vault program group and
choose Configure Vault. Follow the simple configuration wizard to tell
the Vault when and how often to send files.
Note: The Vault knows if a file needs to be uploaded or not and won’t waste
time sending files that have not changed.
Page 37
Exact System Recovery Tool
Exact System Recovery Tool
Exact stores items such as QuickLists, printer settings, passwords,
address books, contact lists and billing information, fonts and background
colors, comps databases, MLS import settings, and so on.
As with the
Vault, open the Windows Start menu, locate the a la mode Vault
program group and run Configure Exact.
Task: Restore Your WinTOTAL Preferences
1.
Start
the
program
from
the
program
group
created
during
installation of the Vault. It’s usually labeled “a la mode Vault”
2.
When the Recovery Wizard window appears, click Next to begin the
configuration of this feature.
Internet connection type.
First, you're going to select your
Select the appropriate method of
connection, and click Next.
3.
Fill in the necessary information, and click Next. The system will log
you into the Vault system to verify your account information and
take you on to the next step.
4.
restore the information that you want to. Simply click the checkbox
The next screen will prompt you for your Username and Password.
Once your account has been verified, you will be given the option to
use either the Easy Recover or the Advanced Recover feature.

The Easy Recover option will simply download the latest upload
of system files and put them onto your system automatically.

next to each of the preferences you want restored, and click Next.
8.
The Recovery Wizard connects to your Exact account, downloads the
necessary files, and restores them in their original location.
Once the download is complete, simply click Finish to close the Recovery
Wizard window. Your appraisal software is now restored and ready for
you to get back to work.
NOTES:
The Advanced Recover option lets you select from the last
seven successful saves of your user preferences.
5.
6.
Select the option you want to use, and click Next.
If you selected the Advanced Recover option, you’re prompted for
which preference file you want to download. Select one (if you have
more than one), and click Next.
7.
The next screen in the Advanced Recover Wizard lets you select
which specific files you want to restore.
This way, you can only
Page 38
Field Data Collection With Pocket TOTAL
Pocket TOTAL Hardware Requirements
Pocket TOTAL Hardware Requirements
Pocket TOTAL is developed for the Pocket PC platform running Microsoft’s
Windows Mobile operating system.
At a minimum, your device should

Bluetooth technology connects your device with other mobile tools
like phones and global positioning systems.

Wi-Fi technology gives you access to wireless networks and public
built to withstand
extremes of
temperature, moisture and hard knocks.

Transflective displays ensure that you’ll be able to use your device in
bright sunshine as well as dark hallways.
have 32MB of memory, though 64MB is recommended to allow ample
room for storing reports. Some other options to consider are:
Rugged devices are specially

Extra batteries and chargers come in handy when you’re trying to
squeeze in one more inspection at the end of the day.
Task: Installing Pocket TOTAL to Your Pocket PC
1.
On your Pocket PC, close any programs that may currently be
running and could interfere with the installation.
hot spots.
2.
Connect your Pocket PC to your desktop computer and start the
ActiveSync utility provided with your device.
3.
Go to WinTOTAL’s Appraisal Desktop and click Pocket in the toolbar.
4.
Click Install from the list of options on the left side of the screen.
5.
Follow the instructions as they appear on screen to register Pocket
TOTAL.
The install program creates an icon for you in your Pocket PC’s Start
menu.
To start Pocket TOTAL, simply tap Start, Programs, and then
the icon for Pocket TOTAL.
Pocket TOTAL Report Manager
The Report Manager is a virtual file cabinet for your reports. Just as in
WinTOTAL, you should create additional folders to store reports and
templates.
Task: Create a New Folder
1.
Bring up the Report Manager window. It loads when you first start
the program. It can also be accessed while in a report by tapping
the File menu and choosing Open.
2.
Tap the Folders menu and choose New.
3.
Type the name of the new folder, and tap OK.
Page 40
There are several other items you can use in the Folders menu to
Simply move or copy any file you wish to transfer to the other system
manage your folders.
into the Synchronized folder and it will be transferred next time you
These operations work on the currently selected
folder.
connect - even if WinTOTAL isn’t running.

Use the Rename
option to give a
folder a new
name.

The Delete
function removes
a folder and all of
its contents.

The Refresh
function is
supplied for rare
situations when a
Creating New Files
There are several ways to start a new report in Pocket TOTAL.
Starting files in WinTOTAL - This is the recommended way since you
can clone a template and already have portions of the report pre-filled.
Create it just as you would any other request. When you’re done, drag
the file into the Synchronized folder.
Creating new files in Pocket TOTAL - Once you have started Pocket
TOTAL, simply tap File and then New to start a new report. Or, tap the
new document icon in Pocket TOTAL’s toolbar. You’re prompted for the
report name, the form type and folder for the report. When this report
gets back to the desktop, you will need to add any supporting forms.
report may be
Copying existing Pocket TOTAL files - You can copy an existing
copied into a
Pocket TOTAL report by highlighting it and using the Copy command
folder in a
from the Report Manager’s File menu.
background
templates stored on the Pocket PC.
operation.
Exporting a report from your XSite - Access your XSite through your
Task: Move and Copy Reports
1.
Tap on the file you wish to move or copy.
2.
Tap the File menu and choose Move or Copy.
3.
Once the File Move or Copy dialog appears, select whether you
hand-held device.
Then, select the destination folder from the drop-down list.
5.
Tap OK.
The “Synchronized” Folder
When you installed Pocket TOTAL, a Synchronized folder was created in
your WinTOTAL File Cabinet and in Pocket TOTAL’s Report Manager.
While viewing the Order Details, you can click the
Pocket TOTAL link and the order information is sent directly to a new
Pocket TOTAL file.
Note:
WinTOTAL and Pocket TOTAL will always synchronize files that are
stored in either system’s Synchronized folder.
want to move the file or copy it.
4.
This is handy if you have
Task: Load an Existing File
1.
If the Report Manager is not currently in view, tap File, then
Open.
2.
To get to the correct folder, simply tap it with the stylus.
3.
Double tap the file you want to load.
Page 41
Shortcuts in the Report Manager

QuickLists
are
defined,
The File menu contains a Most Recently Used list of the last four
you’ll see them in a pop-
files used. This is a quick way to get to a current project.
up window, or you’ll see a

To delete a file, tap it once. Then click the X button in the toolbar.

To delete a folder, highlight it and then either go to the Folder
menu, and click Delete or click the folder with the red X button in
button
Note: The “reports” and the “synchronize” folders can not be deleted.
Typing Into Fields
the
QuickList is there. Simply
tap an entry to use it.
To
the toolbar.
indicating
choose
whether
the
QuickLists show up as a
button or a list:
1.
Tap
File,
then
There are several different ways to “type” information that isn’t already
Options to open the
in a QuickList:
options dialog.
Character recognizer, Block recognizer (old Palm-
style), Transcriber (best, but takes practice), and Keyboard (slow, but
2.
reliable).

At the bottom of the
dialog,
tap
Show
Moving through fields - Use the blue arrows to move between
Button or Show List,
sections. Tap on the down green arrow to move to the next field.
then tap OK.
Tap on the up green arrow to move to the previous field.
You
Jump to sections - This menu takes you quickly to any section of
entries on your Pocket PC by using your stylus to tap and hold a text
the form, and is the fastest way to get around.
entry. When the window pops up on your screen, simply tap QuickList +
Visible fields list - Tap this drop-down (located between the blue
to add the text entry to your QuickList.
and green arrows) to filter your list of fields to cause the green
arrows to move through All Fields available in the form, all Critical
Fields which you must get while on site or the Empty Critical
Fields only.
QuickList
Cut, Copy and Paste
The ability to Cut, Copy and Paste is provided in the Edit menu to
speed your data entry.
You may also access these functions by using
Copy or Paste into.
QuickLists are the key to the effective use of Pocket TOTAL.
Pocket
TOTAL’s QuickLists work in a manner similar to the way they work in
When the program is installed, your WinTOTAL comments
are transferred over automatically.
add
your stylus to tap and hold the text (or the empty field) you’d like to Cut,
QuickList Comments
WinTOTAL.
may
When you get to a field where
Critical Fields
Critical fields visually indicate fields that haven’t yet been completed.

Instead of clicking in a field to enter data, the green arrows at the
lower right of the screen will skip you to the next critical field.
Page 42
Digital Photos on a Pocket PC

The Critical drop-down configures how the green arrows operate,
moving to All Fields, Critical Fields, or Empty Critical Fields.
Placing Photos
While
in
the
Photos
Critical fields may be customized through an application on your desktop.
PowerView, tap the image
Further, entire forms can be customized to fit your workflow with our
and
Pocket Genie utility.
Preview
Digital Photos on a Pocket PC
make
sure
is
Show
marked.
Double-tapping the preview
opens up the image in the
Pocket TOTAL has the ability for you to read images from a Pocket PC
Pocket PC’s browser, so you
camera or your card’s internal memory. You must have:
can see it in more detail.

A camera that stores images on media compatible with your Pocket
Just
PC, such as a Compact Flash (CF) or Secure Digital (SD) card.
when
close
the
browser
you
are
through
viewing the image.

The camera should be configured to save images in the JPEG format.

Finally, you’ll need a Pocket PC with a CF, SD or some other slot that
To place an image in your
reads what your camera takes.
You may need to purchase an
report, tap on the drop-
inexpensive adapter for your camera’s memory card in case the slot
down menu and choose the
on your Pocket PC is for a different type of media.
page, then click the image
Reading Images From the Memory Card
When you switch to the Photos PowerView, the Image Folder label
displays the last used image directory.

On the left side of the screen the image files in that directory are
displayed. If the Image Folder is not correct or no image files are
in the directory, click the camera icon, choose Folder/Card and
select the correct folder.

You may find that you need to back up several levels to get to the
additional drive representing your memory card. To do so, click the
from the list and then click
the arrow.
Synchronizing Images Embedded in Pocket TOTAL Files
When images are used in a Pocket TOTAL report, they will only be
synchronized one time - inserted into appropriate photo pages in the
report.
Additionally, the images on the Pocket PC take precedence over any
images already in the report.
After the file is copied to your desktop
system, the images are removed from the file on the Pocket PC.
plus (+) sign to expand the folder list.

Many digital cameras store digital photos in directories on the card.
For example, the Kodak digital cameras allow you to create photo
Note: For your convenience, all photos are automatically added to your
photos database.
albums and subsequently put each photo in the album in a separate
directory.
Page 43
Freeform Notes and Drawings
Freeform Notes and Drawings
Use Pocket TOTAL’s FieldPad PowerView to do quick free-form
sketches of the inside walls of a property, special buildings on the land or
other items you’d like to make quick drawings of to use later. There are
several ways to use the FieldPad:
Standard text/keyboard entry - Tap the blue T to move into standard
text/keyboard entry mode. Then, tap the bottom right arrow to choose
your method of text entry. Once you have finished entering your text,
click the pencil icon to return to drawing mode.
Free-form drawing - Use your stylus as a pen to begin drawing in the
FieldPad. You may change the width and color of the lines you draw by
tapping the color button just to the right of the T icon.
Selecting, moving and resizing drawings - You can select or
“highlight” your drawing by tapping the icon that looks like a dotted
square (the third icon from the left). Once selected, your drawing will be
surrounded by a box made up of squares and circles. These are called
“handles.” Tap and hold one of the square handles on the corner of the
drawing, and then drag your cursor across the screen to rescale your
drawing.
Tap and hold one of the circle handles and then drag your
cursor across the screen to resize the drawing from that side only. (In
this case, the drawing will not be rescaled but will be resized
disproportionately.) To move the drawing, tap once in the center of the
“highlighted” drawing, and drag your cursor.
Undo and redo - You can use the icon on the far left to undo your
previously drawn lines. Each time you tap it, it will undo one line. Use
the icon to its right to redo your previously drawn lines. Each time you
tap this icon, it will redo one line.
Zoom in and zoom out – Just tap the magnifying glasses at the bottom
of the screen. Tap the icon with the plus (+) sign to zoom in. Tap the
icon with the minus (-) sign to zoom out.
Capture Voice Notes
Pocket TOTAL uses audio capabilities native to the Pocket PC to record
WAV files right into your report.

Multiple files may be recorded into the same inspection.

The WAV files are created using simple “voice” quality.
Since this
format takes very little storage space, you can record several hours
of notes, if needed.

To save space, the audio files are removed from the PPC after the
file is copied over to the desktop.

The audio files are playable through WinTOTAL’s Workfile.
Page 44
Capture Voice Notes
Task: Make an Audio Recording
1.
Tap PowerView on the Pocket PC and select VoicePad.
2.
Tap the red Record button.
3.
Speak into your PPC’s built in microphone.
4.
Tap Stop.
5.
Preview the recoding by tapping the Play button.
Task: Sync with WinTOTAL
To configure your synchronization options, do the following:
1.
When in a WinTOTAL report, click Tools, then Configure and then
Pocket. The Configuration Options dialog will display.
2.
Click Synchronization options in the Pocket pane, if it is not
already displayed.

“Synchronize On Connect” is the default option. It causes your
desktop and Pocket PC to synchronize files each time you
connect, regardless of whether WinTOTAL is running or not.

“Synchronize Manually” suppresses synchronization until you
click the Synchronize button in Office Manager.

The option to Always delete corresponding reports from
the Pocket TOTAL Synchronized folder... is useful because
it keeps you from having to repeat the process of moving files
out of the Synchronization folders on both the Pocket PC and
WinTOTAL.
3.
Click OK after you have selected the desired options.
NOTES:
Page 45
Business Development
Where Is Our Industry Headed?
Where Is Our Industry Headed?
There’s not just one “future”. There will be two distinct and simultaneous

Marketing is an ongoing process that is part of everything you do

Imagine Mercedes and Hyundai come out with a new $100,000
luxury sedan.
paths:

Some (the majority) will stay as they are now, in a lender-centric
business with a reactive approach, waiting for the phone to ring with

Which would you be more
Remember that marketing is about impressions. That pays off over
time.
orders they didn’t “generate” in any way.

The cars are identical.
inclined to buy?
Every impression either adds to or detracts from your
marketing.
Others will diversify, take control of income generation and markets
served, using a proactive and professional approach to their
business, with higher profits and satisfaction.
The Basics of Marketing
Marketing starts with defining what you do
Hint: How (and even if) you market yourself will determine which road
you’re on!.
Appraiser’s Perfect Day!

Do you just provide a report with a number?

Do you provide a professional service? What kind?

Is what you “do” only a subset of your capabilities?

Orders come in via fax and out via EDI

Do you have a particular “niche”

No clients call for status

Define three or four things that set you apart from your competition

Checks arrive or cash is left in an envelope at the inspection

No occupants present except for when there is cash at the door

You go about your business with no distractions or human interaction
and insert that in everything you do as often as you can.
Now, define your clients
This may sound great, but it’s not a good marketing strategy!
What is Marketing?

To what group of people are you marketing?

Who decides to use your services?

Are there different types of clients?

For each kind of client, what are they looking for in a solution? What
\Mar^ket*ing\, n. The business activity of presenting products
or services to potential customers in such a way as to make
them eager to buy.
pricing
and
hits their “hot buttons”?
Finally, define your competitors
Marketing includes such matters as the
packaging
of
the
product
and
the
creation
of

not yours. They have to choose a service, so what sets you apart?)
demand by advertising and sales campaigns.

Advertising reaps the crop; marketing fertilizes the soil

Just because results aren’t immediate doesn’t mean that marketing
is just a bunch of “fluff”!
Who or what is your competition? (From your clients’ perspective,

How does your competition beat you and how do you win, for specific
clients and products/services?

When someone mentions your competitors, what image comes to
mind?
Page 47
Differentiation Defines You
Differentiation Defines You
Define Clients and Their Needs
Regardless of what you do or sell, how is it demonstrably different from
Your business may have a lot of good qualities, but that doesn’t mean
the competition?
every client wants to hear about them all at once. Pick their hot button

Use your own “Principle of Substitution” knowledge – would someone
pay more for your service than someone else’s if there’s no
and make that your primary message.

consumer or attorney
difference? (Recall the $100,000 Hyundai)

Make a candid “comps grid” of your services.

Differentiation vs AMCs, vs AVMs, vs AVMs + inspections, vs other

The level of differentiation defines your profit

“The only”, “the first”, “the largest”, etc.
Differentiation and Added Value
Decide where you add value, and differentiate on those items

Differentiating on irrelevant items wastes “marketing bandwidth” –
your customer only has a limited amount of time and effort they can

What are those core things you always want to impress on your
Differentiate Your Service Level

Don’t assume the client knows where you add value or differentiate

What would it take for them to switch to a competitor?

Ever had a bad day? Does your client care? What impression did you

You are your own customer service department!

Be a “secret shopper” and call to see how your staff treats customers
and prospects.
(We do that all the time, and we also call our
competition.)

Invest in customer service and phone training courses and books.
Characteristics of Good Service
Ask them. It will tell you where you add value now and differentiate
Responsiveness
in their minds, and where you don’t

Don’t take all day to get back in touch

Answer the phone when it rings
Do you
leave?
Examples of differentiation: Technology, Mobility, Communication,
Service, Speed, Experience
Think of the best customer service you’ve ever received.
provide that level of service?
from others – they may not. If you don’t tell them, they won’t know.

In general, poor service is the reason most people leave a vendor or
service provider.
clients? If you’ve got 15 seconds with a client, what do you want
them to remember?
Modern business practices and technology - regular users of
appraisals
spend on listening.

Years and years of experience - clients with a larger stake in the
outcome
appraisers, vs REALTORS® doing BPOs, etc.

Low hassle - especially important for regular users of appraisals,
but not for a FSBO necessarily
Differentiation is the single biggest issue confronting appraisers today

Fast turnaround time - traditional lender, but probably not a
Page 48
Differentiate Your Technology
Why Should You do This?
Proactive status

Good news or bad, we all feel more comfortable when we know
In addition to capturing and keeping clients, having a marketing focus
what’s up
has other positive effects on your business.
Politeness

your last appraisal”
Follow the golden rule even when others aren’t

Respect

Your clients don’t know if you don’t tell them – Technology adds
credibility
Banks are far behind appraisers – be "leaders" to them, not "led by
them."

Phone calls aren’t viewed as interruptions

Spend more time appraising and less time hassling

Clients that go out of their way to use you
Hint: It’s not just about more business – it’s better business and peace of
mind
New Mindset Makes it Work
Never buy any new technology without telling your clients what it is
and how it affects what you offer them.

Send newsletters to clients letting them know you invest in
technology

Tell your clients why you know the technology best.
Switch your mindset – you must learn to think like a salesperson!

If you don't,
someone else with other interests will.
Someone probably told them early on those weren’t good
technologies!

Hold face to face seminars with your clients to show them tools like
online ordering

Have you thought about offering discounts and bundles, and going
for a “close”?

Note: Remember clients that wouldn’t take digital photos, digital signatures
or PDF’s?
Less dependency on a few key clients and protection in case you lose
a client (beyond your control, of course)
Differentiate Your Technology

New clients approach you regularly because they saw your materials
or were referred from an existing client
Don’t expect others to always understand your processes or follow
instructions

Respect means you don’t have to worry about being “only as good as
Think like your target or actual client, and what motivates them to
“buy” (and it’s not easy).

If you don’t want to think like a salesperson, hire someone who will
and give them a clear plan.
Mindset: Expense vs. Investment
Show them your website, but deliver donuts so they remember your
“Expense” mindset will make it solely an expense – no aggressiveness.
face.

Use technology like capital – leverage it for additional income.
In this high-tech world, remember most of your clients are still “in

Don’t “cut back” to buy something.
sales” and value personal interaction.
Figure out how you’re make
more money and profit
Page 49
Mindset: Have a Marketing Budget
Think about new applications and workflow constantly.

Small individual gains of a minute here and a minute there add up
Mindset: Prepare For Growth

over time
That leads that client to another appraiser – they may not even
consider you next time!
Hint: Take time to “sharpen the saw”
Mindset: Have a Marketing Budget
Set it up as a percentage of sales and as a flat dollar amount, and use
the larger of the two
Must be significant enough to make a difference

Gauge it by how many extra appraisals (or other products) you’d
have to sell to break even
Spend when things slow down, not the opposite
You can do well without marketing when things are booming (though
we don’t recommend it)

Remember: Fear the customer that makes up over 25 percent of
your business. What would happen if you lost them?

Anticipate new clients and have a plan to deal with them before they
actually arrive.

Outsource. Don’t ever turn down a job because you are “too busy.”
When things turn down, you have to create income, not wait for it to
magically drop in

Resist the urge to “hunker down”

You’re either growing your business or killing it – the middle ground
called “stable” is a myth

Suddenly, you HAVE landed the biggest lender in town!
What will
you do now?
Summary

You’re probably not as differentiated as you think right now, which
means there’s great opportunity to do so

Remember that many marketing efforts take some money but it is a
long overdue expense that helps your business in the long run.

Technology’s role is no longer cost-cutting, but opportunity creation
and client retention

WinTOTAL, XSites and XSellerate team to provide just such a tool
Mindset: Do Some “Networking”

It’s easy to be an island and forget there are other people out there
solving the same problems you do every day.

Form relationships with other real estate professionals to attract
referrals

Appraisers across the nation communicate on the WinTOTAL forum.
It is absolutely free.
Contacts & Scheduling
There are well over 1000 members of the
group. Some people post daily, while others simply “lurk”
http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/Total2000UsersGroup
Page 50
Appraiser XSites
Appraiser XSites
My Office – More Than Just a Pretty Face
My Office – More Than Just a Pretty Face

you can download the XSite Order Manager application to help you
The Toolbar – The toolbar at the top of the screen is displayed
throughout the site, putting every function at your fingertips at all times.
Move your mouse pointer over any of the buttons and a drop down menu
appears listing other functions.
Search My Office – Locate any contact, appointment or appraisal order
in your system.
XSites Network – This panel gives you access to a wealth of real estate
resources throughout the country.

If you’re not already using the Aurora (5.0) version of WinTOTAL,
integrate your orders with your XSite.
Appraiser Community – Tap into a wealth of real estate information,
including a periodic newsletter from a la mode and daily news updates
from Inman News.
Notifications – The Notifications pane notifies you about upcoming
tasks, past due reports and a wealth of other information about how your
XSite is helping you manage your business.
Today’s Schedule – What’s on the agenda for today? This week? What’s
Use the Find a Real Estate Professional tool to locate another
at the top of your To Do list? Click the Today’s Schedule tab and you’ll
Appraiser, an Agent, Lender or Inspector in any county in the United
see a complete rundown at a glance.
States (and a few other international locations).
Getting Started – If you’re new to Appraiser
XSites, this tab provides a collection of tools to
help you get started.
Task: Open the XSite Wizard
From the My Office screen, click the XSite
button in the toolbar.

Beginners can follow the Wizard through all
of the steps necessary to launch your site by
clicking the Next button after completing
each step.

More experienced users can click items in the
Design, Content and Extra Tools menus
on the left as a shortcut to the tool you need.

Always click the Save or Next button after
making
changes
to
ensure
that
any
modifications are saved.
Appraiser XSites
Page 52
Appraiser XSites
Themes and Preferences
Themes and Preferences
To remove either of these items from your site, just click Remove your
Task: Select a Theme
logo or Remove your image.
1.
From
the My Theme screen (step one of the Wizard), click the
image for the desired Theme Family.
2.
Click Choose this theme to lock in your choice.
Task: Add Your Logo
1.
1.
2.
2.
Next, click Upload your logo.
3.
Browse to the graphic file on
3.
4.
4.
preview to the left. Use your mouse
Select the font color by clicking the colored box and choosing a
shade from the palette. Note that on dark backgrounds you may
want to use white or some other light-colored text. If necessary, the
background of the text box will change so you can still see the text.
5.
Choose the font style and size you desire from the appropriate dropdown menu.
Finally, click Upload.
You’ll now see your logo in your site
Use the buttons above the text box to turn on Bold, Italics or
Underline by clicking the appropriate button.
your PC that contains your logo,
select it and click Open.
Type your company name in the large text box.
Hint: To insert a line break in your company name, press Shift-Enter.
Click the Include my logo
check box
Before you start modifying text, ensure that the Include my
company name check box is selected.
From the Family page scroll down and click on the variation that
best suits your needs.
3.
Task: Modify Your Company Name
6.
Repeat these steps for your Secondary header text.
7.
On the sample screen at the top, you’ll see how your text looks on
to drag it to the desired area of your
your XSite’s header.
site header.
name and secondary header exactly where you want it.
Task: Include a Photo
1.
Note: If you’re using a custom logo file with your company name in it, you
Click the Include my photo
can turn off the text by simply un-checking the Include my company
check box.
name check box.
2.
Now, click Upload your photo.
3.
Browse to the photo on your PC. You can use any standard graphic
format, such as .gif, .png, .bmp, or .jpg. Select the file and choose
Open.
4.
Use your mouse to position your company
Finally, click Upload.
Appraiser XSites
Task: Change the Header Background
1.
Click Change your image.
2.
The Upload Your Header Image window opens, and includes two
tabs:
The first lets you choose a new header from the collection
provided with your XSite. The other lets you upload one from your
local PC.
Page 53
Appraiser XSites
Content Editing
3.
To use a Provided Header graphic, first select the file names in the
list to see a preview, then click Upload.
4.
To use a graphic you’ve created, click the Upload a Header tab.,
then click Add New File Browse to the saved image on your PC
and click Open, then Upload.
5.
Background Image links, you’ll see a note providing the best image
size for the theme you’ve chosen.
Click the Header Animation link
found in the Extra Tools menu.
Click a template in the list on the left.
3.
Select the music you'd like to have accompany your intro from the
list on the right. To hear a sample, click Play.
4.
Enter the 5 messages you want to “fly” in during your intro.
5.
Choose a background color by clicking the color button and choosing
6.
To see how your intro looks, click Preview My Intro.
Content Editing
section, select the various options for
site. Luckily, your XSite comes filled with professionally written, relevant
the
content. But you can take that one step further by writing your own
type
Animation
of
animation,
target,
content and dropping it onto an attractive web page. Here are some hints
As you choose an animation tool,
to building the best content for your site.

One of the benefits of an Agent XSite is that you can have a website
Fly
up and running in no time using our provided pages. Just mark the
animation, a box appears allowing
ones you want and move on to the next step. Realize, though if you
you to select where you want the text
use only our provided copy, your site won’t seem very personal.
example,
if
you
choose
the
to “Fly in” from.
5.
2.
They say “Content is King” when it comes to building an effective web
the
additional options appear below. For
4.
Click Use basic intro options.
Settings
Under
direction, effect, and timing.
3.
1.
one from the palette.
Bonus Task: Animate header
2.
Once you’ve decided on the animation, just click Save.
Task: Turn on a Basic Intro
Select your uploaded file and click OK.
Note: Each XSite Theme has a slightly different image size. Below the
1.
6.

The single most important change you can make to your XSite is to
For a Target, you can choose either
modify the home page. While your XSite includes a few different
the Entire Word, which animates
styles, you must change your home page to reflect your own
your company name as one block, or
business. Not only does this improve the impression of your site to
Each Letter, which animates each
visitors, but it also is critical to gaining preferable rankings from
letter separately.
search engines.
To see how the options you’ve chosen
will
look,
click
the
Preview
Animation button to see it in action.
Appraiser XSites

Make sure your company name is used instead of pronouns
whenever possible. It sounds more natural and will also help your
Search Engine ranking.
Page 54
Appraiser XSites
Content Editing

Be sure to specifically state why you are different than other
appraisers. Differentiate yourself and your services.

problems. Don’t just talk about yourself all the time.
You can choose a “template” for the page by selecting one from the
Pre-written content drop-down menu.

At any time, you can revert to the previously saved version of your
content by clicking the Revert button.
Talk about the needs of your client and how you solve their
Task: Turn On Content Pages
If you’ve enabled the multilingual features of your XSites, the dropdown menu allows you to select which language you’re going to edit.
Read your website aloud (or have someone read it to you) and see if
it sounds like something you would say. If it doesn’t, rewrite it.

Keep paragraphs and sentences short and to the point. Use bullet
points whenever possible.

Pointers on Editing Text

To start from a clean slate, click the Blank Page button.

The bulk of the screen is taken up by the page editor itself. You can
1.
Click the My Content button in the Content menu.
begin typing information in the window, edit existing text, or copy
2.
Click the Provided Pages tab.
and paste items from other sources.
3.
Scroll through the list and click check the box for any pages you’d

function.
like to include on your site.
4.
Above the text editor, you’ll see rows of buttons, each with its own
These are similar to the buttons found in most word
processors. To learn what a certain button does, just hover your
Repeat this process in the Mortgage Calculator and Video Pages
mouse over it.
tabs.
Task: Open a Page For Editing
1.
2.
Click the name of the page – “Home” for example – to open it in the
XSite Content Editor.
Task: Create a New Web Page
1.
2.
Click the Your Custom Pages tab.
3.
Click Add New Page to open a blank page in the Content Editor.
4.
At the top of the screen, give your new page a unique Button Name
and a Web Address by filling in the text boxes.
5.
Now, add content to your page by typing it in the text editing
window, or by copying information from an existing web page or
Task: Add a Link to Text
1.
Open any page in the Content Editor.
2.
Select the text you’d like to turn into a link, then click the Hyperlink
Manager icon in the toolbar (a globe with the chain link).
3.
Type the web address of the page you’re linking to in the URL field.
4.
From the Target menu, select how you want the link opened:

Same Window replaces your entire XSite “shell” with the
contents of the new page.

New Window launches a new browser window and puts your
XSite in the background.
word processing document. Click Save Changes when your done.
Appraiser XSites
Page 55
Appraiser XSites
Content Editing

Frame keeps your header and colors, but loads the content
Task: Create a link to download a file
below it.
1.
iFrame keeps your XSite header and navigation panes and
2.
Select the text or graphic you’d like to turn into a link, then click
loads the content in a small, scrollable window.
Document Manager in the toolbar.
3.
Click Insert after selecting the desired file from your file library.
Task: Insert Images
1.
2.
Place your cursor at the spot in the text where you’d like to add a
photo or other graphic and click the Image Manager icon in your
toolbar.
3.
You’re presented with a list of files you’ve uploaded to your site.
Switch to the Upload Image tab if you have a photo on your
computer you’d like to add to your site.
4.
Click on the photo name on the left, then click Insert.
Images can be scaled to fit on your page and moved once in place by
dragging and dropping. Here are other things you can do with an image:

make the image larger or smaller.
Task: Add a Link to the Menu
1.
From the My Content page, click on the Your Custom Pages tab.
2.
Click the Link to External Page button.
3.
Type a Button Name and Web Address for your link.

“constraining” the height to width ratio.
Now, type the URL for the website with which you want to link in the
You can also choose how
close you want text wrapped around the image as well as Image Alt
Note that
link on your site, not the site’s URL.
5.
Right-click an image and choose Set Image Properties to set a
border on the image or explicitly specify a width/height while also
Text that appears when you hover over the image.
the Web Address will be the text that people will use to access this
4.
To scale an image, first click it, then, drag the “handles” in or out to

To delete an image, click it and then press DEL on your keyboard.
Bonus Task: Add Buttons
URL text box and choose a destination window for your link.
1.
Complete the rest of the items on the Custom Page screen, then click
2.
Place your cursor at the spot in the text where you’d like to add a
Save Changes when you’re through.
Appraiser XSites
button and click the File Manager button in the toolbar.
Page 56
Appraiser XSites
Content Editing
3.
Scroll through the list of Clip Art to find the button you’d like to use.
Most of the clip art buttons start with “blue-“ or “white-“. Select a
Task: Creating Fly-Out Menus
1.
button and click Insert.
4.
Secondary Navigation area.
Click the image you just inserted, then click the Hyperlink Manager
2.
When the Secondary Navigation button that you want to turn into a
icon in the toolbar. Fill out the hyperlink options as you would for
fly out menu turns dark, drop the button item and it automatically
any other link.
creates a fly out menu.
Task: Upload Documents to the File Library
1.
Click and drag one button item on top of another button item in the
3.
Click the File Library button in the Extra Tools menu of the XSite
To view the items in your fly out menu, simply click the + symbol
and the menu items within it are displayed below that button item.
Wizard.
2.
Click Add New File, then Browse.
3.
Locate the file on your hard drive - this may be a PDF, a JPG, MP3 or
any file type you wish to have accessible on your XSite – select it
and click Open.
4.
Click Upload to place this file in your library.
Task: Add Dynamic Content
1.
2.
Scroll down to the Other Page Options section and check the
Dynamic Content check box.
3.
Next, click the Customize button to the right of the Include
Dynamic Content check box.
4.
A new window appears and shows you a list of the available dynamic
tools.
To
include
any
dynamic
tool,
simply
check
the
box
corresponding to each tool that you want.
5.
When you’ve picked all the tools you’d like, scroll down to the
Organize your Dynamic Content section of the window and
reorder their order of appearance from top to bottom by choosing
the tools you would like to appear from the drop-down menus.
6.
Click Save when you’re done.
Appraiser XSites
Page 57
Appraiser XSites
Advanced Site Management
Task: Create a Site Footer
2.
1.
From the Content menu, click Site Footer.
2.
Click the check box for as many contact items you’d like included in
your XSite’s CertMail. Then enter your preferred Password in the
corresponding field.
Click the check box for Site Navigation, then click Customize.
3.
ease logging from a mobile device with limited input options.
your footer; your Client Login page, for example. Click Save.
Task: Add Graphics to a Custom Footer
4.
1.
Click Site Footer in the Content menu of the XSite Wizard.
2.
Click the check box in the Build Your Own Site Footer section,
If you have an e-mail address for your mobile device, enter it in the
Mobile E-mail field. You can also enter a numeric Mobile PIN to
Select the pages from your site that you’d like to have included in
If you chose your XSite’s CertMail, you can type an E-mail Friendly
Name to display when you send e-mail from CertMail.
5.
Using your XSite’s CertMail, you can also setup E-mail Forwarding
to forward copies of your e-mail to another address.
then click Customize.
3.
These items are used to log into all XSites
functions.
the footer.
3.
Enter Your E-mail Address or create a new one if you chose to use
In the Content Editor, type any text you desire, using the buttons in
6.
Next, choose the appropriate Time Zone from the drop-down menu
and indicate whether you want your XSite to adjust for Daylight
the tool bar to modify the look of the text.
Savings Time by checking the box.
4.
Click the Image Manager button.
5.
Locate the desired image from your File Library, select it and click
7.
Finally, using CertMail, you can create a “catch-all” account that
receives all e-mail sent to your domain regardless of whether your e-
Insert.
mail address is misspelled. To do so, simply check the Make this
my Catch-all account box.
Task: Creating User Accounts
Information section of the profile.
1.
From the My Office drop-down menu, click User Management.
2.
The User Management window appears listing all of the user
Note: This feature does not catch e-mail for other CertMail accounts you’ve
created, and due to its nature can sometimes attract more SPAM email.
accounts you’ve established. If this is the first time you’ve accessed
this function, you only see your primary admin account (the one you
Click Add User to create a new user.
Or, click the link for any
existing account you’d like to modify.
XSite Login & E-mail
1.
8.
When you’re finished, move to the User Information section of
your user profile.
received when you bought your XSite).
3.
Then continue on to the User
Choose whether you want to use an external e-mail address or your
User Information
In this section, complete as many fields as desired. Only the First Name
and Last Name fields are required. The additional data is used to create
an entry on the Staff Profiles page in your XSite.
XSite’s CertMail.
Appraiser XSites
Page 58
Appraiser XSites
1.
Choose an appropriate Type for this user from the drop-down menu.
2.
Click the Change link next to the Portrait field to upload a picture
of this user. Click Browse, then select an image file from your hard
2.
then click Done to return to your profile.
3.
To enter your E & O Information, simply click Edit beside the E & O
Information section and enter your policy information.
drive. Click Open, then Upload to see your image. Click OK when
you’re done.
Be sure to click Add to the left of your information to save your info,
4.
When you’re finished click Save.
Online Ordering Profile
Once again, a feature exclusive to your admin profile, the Online
Ordering Profile section of your user profile allows you to control the
same options previously located in your XSites Network profile.
To change your Out of Office status:
1.
Click Edit beside the Out of Office section of your profile.
2.
Then, enter the dates you are leaving and returning in addition to
any notes or comments you would like to issue to your clients.
3.
3.
Use the Change link beside the Bio Text field to include a formatted
document, like a resume.
The Page Content Editor screen opens.
From here you can type data, using the rich word processing
4.
notification automatically upon the date you leave.
To change the types of status notifications you’d like to receive:
commands found in the buttons, or copy and paste your text from
1.
Click Edit to the right of the Notifications section.
any word processor. Click OK when finished.
2.
Check the boxes that correspond with the types of notifications you
would like to receive including order notifications, daily status
To complete your user profile, click Save.
reminders, and contact information request notifications.
Note: You must click Save to keep your changes. If you open a different
user account or leave the profile without clicking Save, your changes
are lost.
Credentials and E & O Information
If you’re editing your admin account, you can also add your license and
E&O information to your profile.
1.
When you’re finished click Save to post the Out of Office
Click Edit beside the License Information section and then enter
your license information into the window that appears.
Appraiser XSites
3.
When you’re finished, simply click Save to save your changes and
return to your user profile.
User Privileges
Click the check boxes beside each of the privileges you’d like this user to
have on your XSite.
Note: If you’re editing your “Admin” profile, the only option that’s available
is the Online Ordering privilege.
Page 59
Appraiser XSites
Online Properties

Accounting and Order Management – View and work with online
orders received through your XSite.
4.
your staff directory.
access to your XSite’s invoicing and accounting tools.

Online Ordering – This option controls whether a user can receive
5.
orders directly through the order form on your site.

Payments and Credit Card Processing – If this user is going to
In the menu at the top of the Editing – Staff Profiles screen, check
the boxes next to the staff members that you want to include on
This permission also grants
Use the up
and down
buttons to move the staff members
higher or lower in the list.
6.
In the text editing window below, create the text that you’d like to
manage your credit card payments or log payments from clients,
appear beside your staff photos. Once again, you can use the word
mark this option.
processor tools found above the text field, or copy and paste from

Vault – Mark this option to give a user access to your Vault.
your favorite word processor.

Wizard – Users granted this privilege can use the XSites Wizard in
My Office to change the look and feel of your XSite.

User Management – If you’d like to allow other site users to
administer your User Management to offload some of the work,
check this option.
7.
When your page is complete, scroll down and click Save.
Online Properties
Task: Creating an Online Property Listing
To create an Online Property Listing:
1.
From WinTOTAL, with the desired appraisal report open, choose
Tools, Property Presentation Wizard.
2.
In the login screen, enter your XSite Username and Password,
then click Next.
3.
The Additional Information screen appears, allowing you to enter
specific information about the property which may not be included in
the appraisal report, but would be beneficial in marketing this
Creating a Staff Profiles page
property to buyers. Fill out any or all of the fields for which you have
information and click Next.
Once you’ve set up profiles for the members of your staff, you can add a
Staff Profiles page to your site. To do so:
4.
Next, type a Property Description and click Next.
1.
From My Office, click XSite, Wizard.
5.
On the next screen, you can specify how much, if any, of the report
2.
Click My Content in the Content pane on the left.
3.
In the Provided Pages tab, scroll down and check the box next to
pages, instead choose Print specific pages.
Staff Profiles, then click the page’s title.
continue.
Appraiser XSites
you’d like included on the site. To include a PDF of the entire report,
mark the Print the entire report to PDF option. To select certain
Click Next to
Page 60
Appraiser XSites
Online Properties
The client completes this form to grant you permission to display the
report. Click Next to continue.
9.
The wizard now generates the report. If you opted to include only a
portion of the report, the standard WinTOTAL Print screen appears
allowing you to select which pages are printed. Make your selections
and click OK.
10. Once the report is generated, you’re prompted to preview the site.
Click the link to open a window and ensure that the information is
correct.
Click Next to continue, then click Finish to complete the
process.
Now that the report is complete, you have to return to your XSite to
enable it. Before doing so, you should contact your customer and ensure
that they received the electronic End User Agreement and are willing to
accept the terms. They’re prompted to visit the site online and complete
an acceptance form.
Once this is done, you’re ready to launch the
property report on your XSite.
6.
Now, you’re given the option of uploading any photos from the
report to your XSite.
Simply check the boxes for the photos you
wish to include. If you have additional photos from your inspection
1.
From My Office, click XSite, Wizard.
2.
Click Online Properties in the Content pane on the left.
3.
The reports you’ve uploaded from WinTOTAL are displayed in the
Online Properties window.
that aren’t included in the report, click the Add additional photo
the home owner has not yet completed their acceptance form. Once
this step to add additional photos. Click Next to continue.
Now, select the XSite you wish to upload this report to from the
Your XSite drop-down menu.
In the Path to presentation box,
type the URL which you’d like the homeowner to use. For example,
you might type the property address.
8.
Complete the Client’s Name and E-mail Address fields to
automatically generate a Disclosure Agreement form. You may also
want to enter the client’s physical address into the fields provided.
Appraiser XSites
If
your site’s “File Not Found” message is displayed, this means that
link. Find the photo file on your hard drive and click Open. Repeat
7.
Click Preview to look at the site.
they do so, the site should display properly.
4.
Check the box to the left of the property name to turn this page on
and off. Click Delete to remove it from your site. If you need to
adjust the URL address you entered earlier, click Edit URL.
Your customer’s property is now available online to assist in marketing
their home. Keep in mind that it is not viewable from your XSite, unless
you choose to add the link to either a menu item or to a custom page.
Page 61
XSellerate
XSellerate
What is XSellerate?
What is XSellerate?

XSellerate is designed to help you sell and resell your services to
new and existing clients.

update the ads that are included or change the groups that receive the
campaign.
Getting Around XSellerate
It contains pre-made e-mail ads and allows you to create or
The XSellerate main page is segmented into three panes:
customize your own pieces.
My Campaigns - This pane shows all of the campaigns you've created,
It can be set to automate much of your ongoing marketing.
and their current status. Click on any campaign in the list and you can
XSellerate Basics
see at a glance which recipients are getting that campaign, which ads are
included in it and whether there were any errors.
The Campaign Lifecycle
Settings - This section of the home page gives you access to set the
Stage 1: Organizing Your Contacts
various options for how XSellerate works.
To begin planning your campaigns, first decide which groups of contacts

campaigns are created.
you’ll be targeting. You can send campaigns to individuals, but making
them part of a group is more effective.

Clicking Lead Capture takes you directly to the Client Data
Capture section of your XSite Admin tools.
campaign, they automatically start receiving that same campaign.
your forms feed into.
A great way to plan your marketing campaigns is to surf through the

To create a new
ad from a blank
Just click the Ad Library button in the XSellerate drop down menu.
slate, click the
Stage 3: Creating and Executing Your Campaigns
Create
Creating a campaign is a simple three-step process:
Ads
link.
1.
Select the recipients or groups.
2.
Enter the ads that make up the campaign and designate when they
Introduction
should be sent.
displays
Start the campaign.
simple help tips
3.
Stage 4: Care and Maintenance
After you’ve created your campaigns, you need to ensure that your
campaigns are kept up-to-date. You may need to reuse an old campaign,
XSellerate
Here, you can create
new forms, add them to pages on your site, or change which groups
Stage 2: Planning Your Campaigns
extensive list of pre-built marketing pieces included within XSellerate.
The Ad Library link takes you to the repository of pre-defined and
custom ads.
Hint: Whenever you add a contact to a group — either manually or through
a Client Data Capture form — that is being targeted by an XSellerate
Click the Settings link to configure the defaults for how new

Clicking
on
on
some
getting
started
with
XSellerate.
Page 63
XSellerate
Working With Ads
Current Campaign Activity - The main portion of the XSellerate home
Creating and Editing Ads
page is devoted to providing you information about what and how your
To create a new ad, you can either edit an existing ad or start a new one
campaigns are doing. The default view (This week) shows which ads are
from scratch. Whenever you edit one of the pre-built ads that came with
scheduled to be sent Or, click one of the previous time periods to see
XSellerate, a new copy of that ad is created with your changes. The
which ads were sent, and any errors that may have been generated.
original ad is retained in your library for future use.
Working With Ads

click the Create Ads link in the Settings menu.
At the heart of XSellerate are the individual pieces you send out - the
ads.
Think of these like e-mail templates you keep in a library.
XSellerate comes pre-loaded with hundreds of ads which you can edit to
To create a new ad from scratch: from the XSellerate Home page,

To create a new ad based on an existing ad, select it in the Ad
Library and click the Edit link in the Ad Preview pane.
meet your needs, or create your own ads from scratch.
Editing and creating an e-mail ad using the built-in web editor is a lot like
To view the ads, click the Ad Library link in the left pane. All of the ads
using a word processor.
are listed in the scrolling window in alphabetical order, with a small
thumbnail of each image.

As you click on each ad, a more detailed description is displayed in
the Ad Preview pane at the bottom of the screen.

Click the Filter link to open the Show Content window. From here
you can select one or more filters to limit the items displayed in the
Ad Library. For example, you may only want to view those ads
appropriate for past clients.

Toggle between the thumbnail view of the ads and a "description
view" by clicking the button found in the upper-right corner of the Ad
Library.

Icons with a "stacked paper" look denote a pre-built, multi-ad
campaign. Click the icon and all of the ads contained in that
campaign are displayed in the Ad Preview pane.

Ads you create yourself are shown in the lists with a standard blue
icon.

To get a better look at an ad, click the Preview link found in the Ad
Preview pane. A separate window opens and shows you how the ad
should look in your customer’s e-mail.
XSellerate
Page 64
XSellerate
Building Campaigns
Here are some tips when using the Ad Editor:

with text when the ad is sent.
Use the Ad Description field at top of the editor to name your
Now just follow the steps in the wizard:
Step 1: Select Recipients
1.
On the left side is the list of available contacts, broken up by
Contact, Groups or Type of Contact. You can display each collection
to select the appropriate ads when you’re creating your e-mail
by clicking the header.
To learn the function of a particular button, hover your mouse
momentarily over it.

3.
document. Be as descriptive as possible, as this will make it easier
Campaigns.

Enter the description for this campaign in the text box and click
Continue.
When you first open an ad in the editor, you're warned about text
enclosed in brackets {}. These are special codes that are replaced

2.
Note: Only those contacts with an e-mail address entered appear in the list.
2.
To include an individual contact or group in your campaign, select a
it in the left window, then click the green arrow button. Or, just
The Merge Fields drop-down has 3 sections of controls that allow
double-click any item to move it to the Selected Recipients list.
you to auto-fill personalized information in your ads.
Continue adding individuals or groups using this same process.
Contact Fields are those that pull information from your Contacts
database when you send the ad. This allows you to customize your
communications using your contact’s name and other personal
information.
My Fields list includes information about yourself and your company
that is stored in your XSite.
Date Fields allow you to insert codes that are replaced by the
current date whenever the ad is sent out.

Click on any of the items in the drop-down menu and select the
desired information field from the list. In your document you’ll see
the field name denoted in red surrounded by brackets such as
{#FirstName#}.

When you’re through writing your ad, scroll down and click Save.
Building Campaigns
3.
Selected Recipients list on the right and click the red arrow button.
Task: Create a New Campaign
1.
From the XSellerate Home page, click the New Campaign link
under My Campaigns.
XSellerate
If you need to remove a contact from the list, select it in the
Or, just double-click it.
4.
Click Next when you’re ready to move on.
Page 65
XSellerate
Building Campaigns
Step 2: Content & Delivery
3.
Click By Interval to set your campaign to deliver ads according to a
Now you’re ready to start inserting the ads that make up this campaign.
particular spacing. For each ad, enter a specific interval in the Wait
At this point, you should already have your ads created, modified and
Days text box. When you activate the campaign, each ad is sent
stored in the Ad Library.
that many days from the current date. If you'd like the ads to be
spaced out evenly, just enter an amount in the Send ads every #
To insert an ad into your new campaign, just select the desired item from
Days text box and leave the individual Wait Days boxes empty.
the Ad Library list on the left and click the green arrow.
Hint: You can filter the list of ads to just display those you’re created or
4.
edited. Click Filter, then My custom content, and click OK.
Click By Date to have your ads delivered on a specific date,
regardless of when the campaign is activated or a contact is added.
Once all of your ads are inserted into the campaign, you need to schedule
For each ad, enter the day you'd like the ad delivered, or use the
when you'd like each ad to be sent.
calendar tool to select it.
1.
Click the Schedule Delivery link.
2.
At the top of the Schedule Delivery screen, first choose whether
5.
mail when the campaign is sent. You can edit this by clicking in the
Subject text field for any ad and typing whatever you prefer.
this campaign's ads will be delivered on specific dates, or spaced out
at regular intervals.
The last task is to edit the Subject line that accompanies each e-
6.
When you’ve configured all of the ads for your campaign, click Save,
then click Next to continue.
XSellerate
Page 66
XSellerate
Building Campaigns
Step 3: Review & Send
2.

If you're done working on the campaign for now, but are not ready
Note: You must select a recipient before adding an XSellerate ad to your e-
to activate it, just click the Finish button.
mail message.
If you're happy with your campaign and are ready to start sending
variable information fields you included when you built the ad.
the ads, click Activate Now, then click Finish.
Likewise, this method only works for sending an ad to one contact.
Task: Edit an Existing Campaign
3.
editing any of the settings you selected earlier. Or, you can create a new
4.
campaign by simply copying or "cloning" an existing campaign.
From the XSellerate Home page, select any of your campaigns in
the My Campaigns pane.
2.
From the fly-out window, click Edit to open the current campaign in
This allows the program to automatically fill in the
Click the Use XSellerate Content link just above the message
content window.
Once you’ve created a campaign, you can fine tune it at any time by
1.
Before doing anything else, click the To: button and select a
recipient from your contacts database.
The final step in the process is to review your campaign and activate it.
When the XSellerate Ad Library appears, scroll through and select
the desired piece to send, then click Add to mail message.
5.
The ad’s contents are added to your CertMail message, ready for you
to edit. Click in the edit window and modify the message as desired.
When you’re ready, click Send to deliver your ad.
the Campaign Editor.
3.
Click Activate or Deactivate link to enable your campaign, or stop
it.
4.
Use the Add recipients or Add an element link to quickly jump to
that section of the Campaign Editor.
5.
Rename allows you to modify the name of your campaign.
6.
Click Clone to make an exact copy of the current campaign and
open it in the Campaign Editor. Follow the wizard to modify the
original campaign and create a new one.
Task: Send an Individual Ad
XSellerate customers who also use CertMail have the additional capability
of sending any XSellerate ad to a single contact. Rather than creating an
entire campaign to send a Get Well card to an ailing colleague, just open
up your CertMail Webmail client by clicking the CertMail icon in the
toolbar.
1.
Log in if prompted, then click the Compose button.
XSellerate
Page 67
XSellerate
Marketing to Homeowners
Marketing to Homeowners
The only time most homeowners think of an appraisal is when they’re
Task: Create Appraisal Reminder Labels
1.
XSellerate.
buying or selling their home. And too often this only happens after
they’ve made or accepted a sales offer. These same homeowners
From the Appraisal Desktop, click Tools, Export Address Data to
2.
When prompted, enter a date range for the reports you’d like to
include and click OK.
represent a prime market to which you can direct your marketing efforts.
Only the addresses from the reports you
completed during that time period are exported to XSellerate.
Whether you realize it or not, you’ve got a database of every homeowner
for whom you’ve ever completed an appraisal report: your WinTOTAL
3.
Type in your XSite username and password and click Login.
reports database. Using WinTOTAL in conjunction with XSellerate let’s
4.
If you’d like to use one of the provided sample letters, click the link
you create instant mailing labels for a mail campaign. We’ve even
below the image. The document opens in Adobe’s Acrobat Reader,
included some sample letters and a postcard to get you started.
from which you can print it.
Note: Note: You must have an Enterprise level XSite, with XSellerate, for
Hint: Rather than use the sample documents “as is,” you can instead
this system to work.
customize them to more accurately reflect your business and your
services. From Acrobat, just copy the text you want into a word
processor. You’ll have to clean up some of the formatting, but the
result will be a much more effective marketing piece.
5.
Click the Preview and Print Labels button.
6.
In the window that appears, choose the desired Avery® label type
and preferred printing options.
7.
When you’re ready to print your labels, just click the Print icon in
the Label Preview pane to send them to your printer.
XSellerate
Page 68
Order Management and Delivery
Online Ordering Setup
To take full advantage of your XSite’s order management tools and to
prep the site to begin receiving orders, you need to complete the
following tasks:
1.
Create your Fee Tables, outlining the various products you offer and
how much you charge for each.
2.
Assign Fee Tables to specific customers.
Hint: You can create multiple fee tables and assign them to different clients.
For example, you might have a table with discounted fees for your
best customers.
3.
Build your Fee Split tables to indicate how much the appraisers in
your office earn for each appraisal.
4.
Assign these Fee Split tables to each appraiser in your office.
5.
Define your Coverage Area, so clients searching the XSites Network
for an appraiser will be able to find you.
6.
Set up your Billing Options to indicate how you’d like to get paid.
To begin, click Business Management in the main XSite toolbar, then
click Options in the Navigation pane on the left.
Task: Create and Edit a Fee Table
1.
From the list of links below the Navigation pane, click Client Fees.
2.
Click Default Fees, then click Edit.
3.
To add products to your fee table, click Add at the top of the list.
4.
Choose a product from the drop-down list and then indicate your
average turnaround time, fee, and any fee notes you’d like to share
with your client as they place orders through your online order form.
5.
When finished, click Save. Repeat this process until you have added
all of your products to your Default Fee Table.
6.
7.
If you want to create other fee tables for special case scenarios, click
Add in the Client Fees screen, type a name for your new fee table,
and click Save.
Your XSite creates a new fee table based off of the products and fees you
just defined in your default fees list. Now, just click each of the products
in the list and change the fees or turnaround times as necessary.
Task: Assign Fee Tables to Specific Clients
1.
Click Client Options below the Navigation pane.
2.
To the right of each client, choose the appropriate fee table for each
client until you have assigned your custom fee tables to all the
appropriate contacts.
Task: Define Your Appraiser Fee Splits
1.
Click Appraiser Fees below the Navigation pane.
2.
When the Appraiser Fees screen loads, click Add to create a new
fee split table.
3.
Using the drop-down list, select each of the products you wish to add
to this fee table and then click Add.
When finished, click Back to return to your fee list.
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4.
When finished, choose whether to split the fee by percentage or
2.
5.
Once you have completed your fee split table, click OK.
6.
Repeat this process to create any additional fee split tables as
necessary.
Now, click Add at the bottom of the screen to add states and
counties to your coverage area.
dollar figure and enter the fee split amounts in the fields provided.
3.
A list of all the states in the US and all the provinces in Canada
appears. Click the link corresponding to the state of your choice.
4.
When the list of counties appears, simply check all of the counties
that apply to your coverage area. Use the Select All and Clear All
buttons at the bottom of the window to quickly select or deselect all.
5.
When you’ve selected all the applicable counties in the state or
province of your choice, either click Add at the bottom of the screen
to continue adding counties in other states or provinces or click
Done to return to your completed list of counties covered.
Task: Assign Your Fee Split Tables
1.
Click Appraiser Options below the Navigation pane.
2.
The list of appraisers you’ve set up for your office appears. Choose
the appropriate fee split tables for each appraiser using the dropdown lists on the right.
Task: Define your coverage areas
1.
Click the Coverage link below the Navigation pane.
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Creating Online Orders
Task: Update the Billing Options
1.
Click the Billing Options link below the Navigation pane.
2.
To edit anyone of the selections below simply place a check mark in
each corresponding check box.

Client Accounting – By enabling Client Accounting, your clients
will be able to log in on the front end of your XSite and see what
invoices they have due and what payments they have made to
you.

Credit Card Payment – This will require all new Clients to pay
via a Credit Card.

Acceptable Payment Methods – Select one of these check
boxes to specify to your clients the payment methods you
accept.

Client Specific Billing Options – At the bottom of the screen
you also have the option of requiring payment from certain
Creating Online Orders
customers. The top section allows you to indicate those
Once you’ve completed the setup, you’re customers can begin placing
customers that must pay before they can retrieve their reports
orders on your site. Of course, you can create new orders as well. You
from your XSite. They can do this either using a credit card at
have the choice of either:
the time of delivery, or by sending in a payment.

Entering the orders on your XSite or,

Entering orders in WinTOTAL and synchronizing them with your
Customers
included in the lower section are required to pay by credit card
for all appraisal orders.
XSite.
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Delivering Reports
Task: Create an Order in XSites
1.
From your XSite’s Business Management tools, click Orders in the
Navigation pane on the left.
2.
When the Orders screen appears, click Create a New Order below
the Navigation pane.
3.
Now, fill out the order form and click OK when finished.
Task: Create an Order in WinTOTAL
1.
From the Appraisal Desktop, click New in the toolbar.
2.
You’re taken to the Order PowerView.
Note: You must check the XSite Integration item in the Options pane on
the left for this and future orders to by synchronized with your XSite..
3.
Choose a Client, Lender, Bill To, and Ship To contact from the
available fields and continue filling out the order with information
about the property as necessary.
4.
When finished, click Save in the toolbar and continue working with
the report or close it as necessary.
When you save and close this report, it queues this order to upload to
your XSite. At any time, click the net.X Connect button in the Appraisal
Desktop to begin the synchronization process.
DirectFax Ordering
If your clients are not ready to embrace online ordering, you can provide
them with a DirectFax order form. When they use this form to fax in an
appraisal request, the order appears automatically in your online order
management system.
Task: Include DirectFax Order Form on Your XSite:
1.
2.
When the Orders screen appears, select the checkbox in front of the
DirectFax Links? Option.
Delivering Reports
Task: Deliver a Report Through Your XSite
1.
With your report open in WinTOTAL, choose Deliver Report, Using
XSite plugin linked to this report.
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Delivering Reports
2.
The Aurora Print Engine appears, allowing you to select which
message for your client. If you choose not to use one, then the
forms in your report you want included in the final document. Select
Wizard generates a generic message. Click Next.
the forms you’d like included in your report — and set any other
3.
4.
5.
7.
prompted to complete the necessary fields with your client’s
Now you’re presented with the XSites Delivery Wizard. Click Next to
information. Click the drop-down menus to see the automated
launch the process.
information available for each field.
Every time you run the Wizard, the first task it performs is checking
8.
You can also insert text directly into the e-mail message that is sent
for the latest plugin updates. Once this is finished, click Next.
using information from your report. Click the Include standard
The next step in the Wizard presents you with the results of an
message text check box, then click the Edit standard message
text link.
Errors and Omissions review of your report. Confirm that the report
is acceptable, and click Next. You can click the E&O Details button
6.
If you chose to create a custom e-mail message, you you’re
options necessary — and then click OK.
9.
Type the standard message you’d like included in the e-mail
to get more information about the errors that may have been found,
message that accompanies the link to your report. Then, from the
or click View PDF to check the PDF file you created in step 3 above.
list, click the check mark for the any of the report items you’d also
If you do find a problem that needs to be corrected, click Cancel to
like to insert in the message. Finally, type your “signature block” in
leave the Wizard and return to WinTOTAL.
the final text box and click Save. Now, each time you send a report,
The next step gives you the option of creating a customized e-mail
this standard text is automatically inserted into the message. Of
course, on each report, you can easily edit the default text.
Click Finish to complete the report and deliver the message.
Sending WinTOTAL Reports through E-mail
Task: Send a WinTOTAL report to another Appraiser:
1.
With your report open in WinTOTAL, choose Deliver Report,
WinTOTAL Report using Outlook or regular e-mail.
2.
Now, complete the Delivery Information screen.
3.
When sending a WinTOTAL report, you have the option of excluding
some information which may not be appropriate to share with
another appraiser, such as your WorkSheet or Invoice, or to reduce
the size of the file you’re going to send, like Photos or the Digital
Workfile. Check the corresponding box to NOT send these items.
4.
Click the Finish button and your report is attached to an outgoing email message from your default e-mail client, whether that’s
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Delivering Reports
Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express or any other MAPI-compliant email tool.
5.
Click Send.
Note: Remember that when you send a report this way, the recipient has
full control over the file. If they have a copy of WinTOTAL, they can
load this report, remove your signature (if it is signed), edit the
content and otherwise modify the report. While they cannot re-apply
your signature, they can do just about anything else.
Task: Receiving WinTOTAL reports via e-mail
1.
When someone sends you a WinTOTAL file, it appears in your e-mail
application. Open the e-mail like any other.
2.
From the e-mail message, click (or double-click, depending upon
your e-mail application) the
attachment
and
choose
Open.
3.

Select the desired report in the lower list and click the Replace
If this is a file for a new
button to overwrite the file on your system with the new file you
report — rather than a file
received.
that you originally created

Click the New button to save the incoming file as a new report.
and is now being returned
You’re then prompted for which Folder you’d like the new report
—
saved in. Choose an existing folder from the list and click OK.
a
window
appears
allowing you to select which

Click the Cancel button to close the dialog box .
WinTOTAL folder you’d like
to store the report in. Select
the folder from the list and
click OK.
4.
If this is a copy of an existing report, the Update WinTOTAL report
Hint: If you’d like the received report to open automatically in WinTOTAL
after either replacing a report or starting a new one, make sure the
Open Report check box is selected.
window opens, showing details of the report you just received, as
well as any existing reports in your WinTOTAL files that matches the
Your report is saved on your system and, if you chose, opened in
new one. At this point, you can:
WinTOTAL, ready for you to edit, review or deliver.
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Delivering Reports
Task: Deliver a Report Through SureReceipts:
1.
9.
Print Engine. Select the forms you’d like included in your report —
Deliver Report, Using WinTOTAL SureReceipts.
and set any other options necessary — and then click OK.
Or, if this is
your default delivery method, just click Send in the menu bar.
2.
10. The report is created and uploaded to the SureReceipts server, and
your customer is sent an e-mail containing a link to the report.
The SureReceipts Overview appears explaining the advantages of
this deliver method. If you’d prefer not to see this screen in the
11. When your customer receives the message and clicks the link to
future, click the check box in the lower-left corner and click Next.
3.
Now,
complete
the
Delivery
Information
screen.
You
retrieve the report, you are notified via e-mail.
can
automatically fill in most of these items based on the customer
Hint:, The report remains on the SureReceipts server for a week. Your
customers may re-access the report during that time, using the same
information from your report. Click the drop-down menus to see the
automated information available for each field.
4.
For the address fields, you can choose a recipient from your
WinTOTAL Contacts database. Click the To: link to open the Select
e-mail link. Each time the report is accessed, you are notified.
Task: Deliver a Report to a Vendor Using an XSites Network
Plugin:
1.
Recipients dialog box. Double-click the appropriate contact to add
you’ve configured this as your default delivery method, just click the
You can also insert text directly into the message that your customer
sees when they retrieve a report. Click the Include standard
Send button in the menu bar.
2.
message text check box, then click Edit standard message text.
6.
Type the standard message you’d like included. Then, from the list,
click the check mark for any of the report items you’d also like to
insert into the message. Finally, type your “signature block” in the
final text box and click Save.
7.
There are two other options to add automated text to your message.
Click either the Acrobat download instructions or XSite Order
Manager Information to automatically insert text into your
message that explains these useful tools to your customer.
8.
With your report open in WinTOTAL, from the menus, choose
Deliver Report, Using any XSite Order Manager plugin. Or, if
that person to your Message Recipients, then click OK.
5.
Now, click the Finish button and you’re presented with the Aurora
With your report open in WinTOTAL, from the menus, choose
From the list of plugins, select the vendor that ordered the report
and click Next.
3.
The Aurora Print Engine appears, allowing you to select which forms
in your report you want included in the final document. Select the
forms you’d like included in your report — and set any other options
necessary — and then click OK.
Once the report is created, the XSites Network plugin you chose
launches. At this point, depending upon the vendor, the steps to
complete delivery may be slightly different. Consult the WinTOTAL user
guide for specific steps on completing delivery of your order.
If you use WinTOTAL’s digital Workfile feature, you can have a copy
of the PDF file automatically added to it. This ensures that you
always have an exact copy of the report you send to your customers.
Click the Save PDF to report’s Workfile check box to enable this.
See our “Uploading Completed Reports to Your XSite” and
“Sending reports using Plugins” video at
Page 76
Billing and Accounting
Day-to-Day Billing in WinTOTAL
Day-to-Day Billing in WinTOTAL
When you’re ready to deliver your invoice, you can include it in the PDF
Extended Billing Option
report as a PDF a second time and including just the invoice in the PDF
In WinTOTAL’s Order PowerView, check the Extended Billing box in
the Options pane.
This adds a section to your order form that allows
you to record invoice data such as bill dates, dues dates, miscellaneous
fees and partial payments.
Hint: While you can also add an invoice to your report and edit it directly, by
adding the Extended Billing section to your order, you’re able to edit
the invoice data on the fly in the Appraisal Desktop without opening
and unsigning your report.
that you send to your clients or send it separately by delivering your
instead of the entire appraisal.
Posting Payments in WinTOTAL
Task: Mark a Partial Payment
1.
In the Appraisal Desktop, find the report for which you received a
partial payment. When you find it, click to select it.
2.
Click Report’s Order form in the Views pane on the left.
3.
Once the order form appears below the list of reports, click Edit in
the toolbar and scroll down the order form to the Extended Billing
section.
4.
Record your partial payment in the available Payment fields in the
Extended Billing section and click Save when finished.
Your partial payment is recorded in the invoice and order form for that
report.
In addition, if you have tied WinTOTAL with your XSite,
WinTOTAL updates the billing data for this report on your XSite so you
Task: Invoice a Client using WinTOTAL
1.
Click Contents in the toolbar from either the Order or Forms
PowerView.
2.
Scroll down to the folder labeled Invoices and click the + symbol
can use the advanced billing and reporting tools there to continue
managing the report as necessary.
Task: Mark Payment in Full
1.
beside it to expand the list of invoices you can chose from.
3.
Find an invoice that suits your needs and double-click it to add it to
Hint: Press and hold Shift while you click reports in your Files list to select
a list of contiguous reports.
your report.
Hint: Using an Automatic invoice helps you save time by inserting
information from your order and report into the appropriate locations
on your invoice, and will be required if you plan to use online billing
In the Appraisal Desktop, find the report(s) that you wish to log a
full payment for and click to select them.
Press and hold Ctrl while you select
reports to choose a variety of unrelated reports.
2.
Right-click any file(s) that you’ve selected and choose Mark as Paid
from the menu that appears.
with your XSite.
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Online Billing
3.
When the Mark report(s) as Paid screen appears, record the check
3.
The Order Details screen appears outlining the specifics for your
number and date for the full payment you’ve received and click
order. Now click Billing in the toolbar at the top of the screen and
Mark As Paid when finished.
choose Invoice from the drop-down menu.
4.
Fill out the remaining details for your invoice and click Save.
5.
Once you have completed your invoice, you can preview it before
sending it, send it directly to your client, print it to a PDF or save it
in your XSite by clicking on the appropriate buttons.
Task: Create and Send a Stand-Alone Invoice
1.
From your XSite’s Business Management tools, click Invoices in the
2.
When the Invoicing screen loads, click the Create a New Invoice
link that appears below the Navigation pane.
3.
Fill out your invoice including any payments or fee splits that may
pertain to the order in question.
Full payments are recorded in your invoice(s) and order form(s). As with
4.
sending it, send it directly to your client, print it to a PDF or save it
partial payments, if WinTOTAL is linked with your XSite, the billing data
for these reports is updated on your XSite as well.
Online Billing
Task: Create and Send an Invoice From an Existing Order
1.
2.
When the Orders screen appears, double-click any order you’d like
to invoice.
Once you have completed your invoice, you can preview it before
in your XSite by clicking on the appropriate buttons.
Task: Enter Client Payments
1.
2.
When
the
Invoices
screen
appears,
click
the
Enter
Client
Payments link below the Navigation pane on the left.
3.
In the screen that appears, choose a client from the available dropdown menu.
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Dashboard
4.
Enter a date range for the orders you want to see.
5.
Click Display Orders to see a list of orders for that appraiser.
6.
Mark the orders for which you want to log the appraiser as paid and
the amount they were paid for each one.
7.
Finally, click Pay Items to mark them as paid.
Note: This is an accounting entry only and doesn’t actually “pay” the
employee and put money in their bank account.
Dashboard
Your XSite’s Business Management Dashboard provides an overview of
your present business situation.
Using the Performance section of the
Dashboard in your XSite’s Business Management tools, you can track the
4.
5.
A list of the outstanding invoices for that client appears below. Enter
progress of your business against prior days, weeks, quarters, or years.
a check number, date, and amount in the fields available.
The default time ranges for comparison are This Year and Last Year to
Finally, mark each of the invoices you wish to apply the payment to
help you compare this year’s performance against last year’s.
by checking the corresponding boxes. By default, your XSite fills in
This screen also displays, at a glance, you’re top customers and how
full payments for each invoice you mark until the full payment has
been used.
If you need to alter those payment amounts for each
invoice, do so in the payment amount boxes on the right.
6.
much your customers owe you – including past due amounts!
Task: Change Time Ranges
1.
Click Apply Payments when finished.
Click the time range link for the item you’d like to change.
For
instance, if you want to view the percentage of new orders today vs.
All payments invoices which are paid in full are marked as paid in your
new orders yesterday, you would click either the This Year or Last
XSite and WinTOTAL and any partial payments are automatically logged
Year link in the Period column of the Performance section.
in the invoices you selected.
2.
Task: Pay an Employee
1.
When the Select Period window appears, click the current time
frame from the Compare: drop-down menu and the time period
you’d like to measure against from the vs. drop-down menu. For
Navigation pane. Then, click Pay Employees just below it.
instance, to compare your company’s performance this month
2.
Enter the check number and date.
3.
Select the employee from the drop-down list. Only employees you
have included at the bottom of an invoice form with an amount due
against last month, you’d choose This Month in the Compare: field
and choose the previous month in the vs. field.
3.
Click OK to update your performance comparison in the Dashboard.
will show in this list.
Page 80
Reporting
Reporting
7.
Report Sorting tab and choosing the fields you’d like to sort by or
Task: Run a Management Report
1.
You can sort and group the data in your report by clicking the
group by, using the respective drop-down menus.
From your XSite’s Business Management tools, click Reports in the
2.
Click any of the links beneath the Navigation pane to filter the list
of reports that appear.
3.
Finally, click Run to the right of the report you wish to launch. The
report compiles and you’re presented with an Adobe Acrobat version
of the results.
Task: Create a Management Report
1.
From your XSite’s Business Management tools, click Reports in the
2.
Click any of the links beneath the Navigation pane to filter the list
of reports that appear.
3.
Now, click Create a New Report. Or, if you prefer, you can click
the Copy link to the right of an existing report to use that as a
starting point.
Alternately, click the Edit link beside any existing
custom report to edit it.
4.
In the Report Data tab, use the arrows in the center of the screen
to add any of the available fields on the left to your report.
5.
6.
When you’re finished adding fields, use the up and down arrows to
8.
Finally, click the Report Summary tab and add a summary to your
the right of the Fields in Report column to prioritize the fields in
report such as a Subtotal by Amount Due or an Average by
your report.
Order Turn Around time for your reports.
Next, click the Report Filter tab and add any filters you desire to
summary and indicate which field you wish to average or subtotal
control the results of your report.
using the appropriate fields.
For instance, you may want to
limit your report to generating results for the current month. To do
9.
Just click Add a new
When you’re finished, click Save.
so, you’d simply add a filter, choose Invoiced Date from the dropdown Criteria box, choose Between in the adjacent drop-down, and
then pick the first and last dates of the current month from the final
boxes.
See our “Designing Custom Business Reports” video at
Page 81
Late Payment Notices
Task: Set Up Late Payment Notices
1.
Click Business Management in the main toolbar, then click
Notices on the left.
2.
In the Campaign Options section, use the field provided to enter
the number of days late a client must be to receive a late payment
notice.
3.
Next, type in a minimum amount the client must owe in order to
receive a notice, and a frequency (in days) with which you want the
late notice reminders to go out.
days prior to any late notice going to your client. The staff member
you select should be one who can preview these notices to ensure
that they should go out on the specified date.
4.
In the Campaign Recipients section, find and select all the clients
to whom you wish to deliver late payment notices or just select all
clients. Click the green arrow to move the selected clients into the
Selected Recipients list.
Hint: Some appraisers remove all “good” clients from the list of Selected
Recipients to ensure that they never get a late payment notice. If
you feel that it would not benefit your business relationship to send a
late notice to clients who usually pay on time, just remove them from
6.
When finished, click Save to activate your late notice campaign.
Task: Access Pending Notices
1.
From your XSite’s Late Notices tool, click the Pending Notices
tab.
2.
The Pending Notices tab shows a list of all overdue notices due to
go out within the next 3 days.

column.
the Selected Recipients list by clicking their names and then clicking
the blue arrow.
5.

notices. As the admin of your XSite, you always receive a notice 3
If you want these notices to continue going out, just leave them
as they are.
Finally, in the Campaign Notification section, choose another staff
member (if any) that you wish to notify about pending late payment
To preview the notice, click the date in the Next Notice Date

If you want to discontinue the notices for a client, click the
Remove link beside the notice you wish to discontinue.
Page 82
Note: Once a client has been removed from the Pending Notices list, no
further overdue notices will be delivered to him/her. If you wish for
the client to receive overdue notices in the future, you add them back
into the list of Campaign Recipients in the Notice Setup tab.
Task: View Client History
1.
From your XSite’s Late Notices tool, click the Client History tab.
2.
Now review the information for any or all clients.

Click the plus sign beside a client’s name to expand the details
for that client.

Click the date in the Next Notice Date column to preview the
next late payment notice with the current amount overdue.
Keep in mind that if this amount increases before the notice is
delivered, the overdue amount in the notice will also increase.

3.
Click the Invoice # for a client to view an overdue invoice.
If the Next Notice Date is listed as Add, the client is overdue, but
has not been enrolled in your overdue notice program. To add them
to the overdue notice program, click Add.
NOTES:
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