Christine Stinchcomb joined the Cobb County Assessor Management Team in June 2021. She oversees the commercial property appraisal division, manages contractors associated with the county’s computer assisted mass appraisal (CAMA) system (Tyler Technologies), and leads a team of seven Geographic Information System (GIS) division employees responsible for processing deeds and mapping changes. 

Christine chuckles at having an onboarding “honeymoon phase” that lasted less than a month before receiving a memo from the Director / Chief Appraiser addressing issues with the deeds processing workflow. The existing system and manual workflows were not operating effectively, which contributed to frustrations among both internal and external stakeholders. 

Christine describes the deeds processing workflow before implementing Just Appraised as involving a lot of manual hand-offs, leading to confusion and inefficiencies. The county lacked the necessary technical system to modernize the process. 

The old process was as follows:

• All PT-61 data was forwarded from from the Clerk of Superior Court to the state to be verified. 
• Once verified, the data was returned through the Department of Revenue, which would release the data on a weekly basis.
• The GIS team would then pull the PT-61 data and associated instruments into the CAMA system and process the information.
• Administrative staff identified the instrument’s locational district and forwarded the data to the mapping team for further parcel verification. If mapping issues arose, staff was required to manually update spreadsheets, keypunching by hand all necessary changes.
• Once the parcel was fully identified and the mapping changes were adjusted, the information was sent back to the administrative staff to complete the processing of the instrument.
• Once the PT-61 data and instrument were completed by the GIS staff, the deed was transferred to the appraisers for review and valuation.
• Only PT-61 data documents were pulled, which often resulted in deed instruments like Rights of Way, Correctives, Affidavits, Quit Claims, and Civil Actions being overlooked.

Christine went on to say, "I was excited to dig in with the Just Appraised team and  explore the available options to configure a solution to streamline our workflow.”

Christine first came across Just Appraised seven years ago. Over the years, she encountered the flagship Deeds Automation product multiple times at conferences, and each time, she recognized its potential. After seeing its capabilities firsthand, she knew it was the right solution for the county. Christine then collaborated closely with the Just Appraised implementation team, diving into the details, to ensure they could tailor a workflow that perfectly aligned with the county’s specific needs and goals.

The Just Appraised Deeds Automation product works as follows:

• Automated import of deeds and recorded documents from the County Clerk’s office.
• Automated Parcel matching to the CAMA system.
• Field extraction and population into the CAMA with 95%+ accuracy, shifting the focus from manual data entry to data review.

The new workflow after the Just Appraised implementation is as follows:

• Documents are now sent directly from the County Clerk's office to the GIS team.
• GIS team reviews the instrument and PT-61 (if it is a sale) and confirms the associated parcel. Parcel Match gives power back to the department to complete transfers without hand-offs to other teams.
• Direct access instruments are automatically linked to the PT-61, when applicable, allowing the GIS team to process instruments in the correct order.  
• All instruments that impact ownership and mapping are now received and processed efficiently.

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The impact of adopting Just Appraised was substantial. Not only did the team gain valuable efficiency, but they also freed up capacity to focus on more strategic initiatives. Beyond the operational improvements, the feedback from Christine’s staff has been overwhelmingly positive. "Everyone loves Just Appraised,” Christine shared. “It’s easy, effective, and gives them the personal autonomy to finish the task.”

Christine highlighted the mailing address validation feature in Just Appraised as a game changer. The system validates addresses through the USPS, which has significantly reduced the volume of returned mail. Christine noted that in 2021, approximately 12,000 documents were returned. Since implementing Just Appraised, that number has dropped to an estimated 2,000 – an impressive improvement in both efficiency and accuracy. 

Christine went on to say, “I realized the power of working with modern technology when, on a whim, I logged into Just Appraised and was able to transfer a deed directly from my phone. That’s pretty impressive!”

Christine's final reflections on her decision to bring in Just Appraised can be summed up as follows:

“In Assessor’s offices, it can be more challenging to secure funds for administrative tasks because it is harder to demonstrate the return on investment. With Just Appraised, however, the ROI is clear. Our division recognizes that their role is the first step, and if that step is flawed, it can impact the entire process. With Just Appraised, we now have a tool that streamlines and simplifies the workflow.”