December 31, 2003
For Immediate Release

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK   -- a la mode recently became the only appraisal software vendor to have every AI Ready™-compliant form available for appraisers to use to do business with the AI Residential Database (AIRD) and AppraisalPort. Appraisal Institute Ready™ (AI Ready™) is an accreditation given to forms software packages by the Appraisal Institute, indicating that those forms comply with the Institute’s residential data storage and transmission standard. The interface used by AI Ready™ provides appraisal document software companies a common application programming interface (API) for translation of their data into the standard format.

a la mode’s industry-leading WinTOTAL software, which is used by more than half the appraisers in the United States, has a 2.5 "compliance level" with the AI Ready™ standard – the highest attainable. None of a la mode’s largest market share competitors have the highest compliance level (even the ones who advertise that they are the only software currently compliant with the AI Ready™ standard).

"Using AppraisalPort and AI Ready™ forms with WinTOTAL’s advanced integration makes delivery much easier, more reliable, and less time consuming, " said David Englund, SRA, an appraiser in Austin, Texas.

"Our status as the only vendor with every AI Ready™ form and our highest-possible compliance level are not the only reasons appraisers prefer WinTOTAL," said Mike Unser, product line manager with a la mode. "WinTOTAL users can import the AI Ready™ order form information directly into the software. We have a dedicated forms team that maps our forms to AI Ready™, as well as creating forms in the AI Ready™ specification that may not have already been in WinTOTAL. And when a new form is added to WinTOTAL, appraisers get it instantly with our Instant Customer Update feature."

Other features in a la mode’s AI Ready™ export warn the user if he or she has forgotten a signature, and prompts the user to fill in fields AI Ready™ requires, but are not available on the standard forms, Unser said.

Vendor compliance and form availability information is available through the AI Ready™ website. Visit http://www.aiready.com/vendormatrix.asp for more information.

About a la mode
a la mode, inc. is the leader in the design, development and support of real estate related software, Internet solutions and electronic document technologies. The company’s flagship product, WinTOTAL, is used by more than 50 percent of the nation’s appraisers, nearly three times the share of its closest competitor. a la mode’s Mercury Network (http://www.alamode.com/mercury) servers delivered more than 15 million electronic appraisals in the past 12 months, making it the undisputed leader in paperless real estate transactions.

More information on the company can be found on the Web at http://www.alamode.com.