diff --git a/src/Data.cpp b/src/Data.cpp
index 1c5595140..b1167ef0b 100644
--- a/src/Data.cpp
+++ b/src/Data.cpp
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ namespace ranger {
 
 Data::Data() :
     num_rows(0), num_rows_rounded(0), num_cols(0), snp_data(0), num_cols_no_snp(0), externalData(true), index_data(0), max_num_unique_values(
-        0) {
+        0), order_snps(false) {
 }
 
 Data::~Data() {
@@ -264,6 +264,8 @@ void Data::orderSnpLevels(std::string dependent_variable_name, bool corrected_im
     // Save order
     snp_order[i] = order(means, false);
   }
+
+  order_snps = true;
 }
 
 } // namespace ranger
diff --git a/src/Data.h b/src/Data.h
index 355b7d23a..9668e607b 100644
--- a/src/Data.h
+++ b/src/Data.h
@@ -73,16 +73,13 @@ class Data {
     }
 
     // Order SNPs
-    if (snp_order.empty()) {
-      return result;
-    } else {
+    if (order_snps) {
       if (col_permuted >= num_cols) {
-        return snp_order[col_permuted + no_split_variables.size() - 2 * num_cols_no_snp][result];
+        result = snp_order[col_permuted + no_split_variables.size() - 2 * num_cols_no_snp][result];
       } else {
-        return snp_order[col - num_cols_no_snp][result];
+        result = snp_order[col - num_cols_no_snp][result];
       }
     }
-
     return result;
   }
 
@@ -200,6 +197,7 @@ class Data {
 
   void setSnpOrder(std::vector<std::vector<size_t>>& snp_order) {
     this->snp_order = snp_order;
+    order_snps = true;
   }
 
 protected:
@@ -228,6 +226,7 @@ class Data {
 
   // Order of 0/1/2 for ordered splitting
   std::vector<std::vector<size_t>> snp_order;
+  bool order_snps;
 };
 
 } // namespace ranger