The Appraisal Process: What you Need to Know Before and During an Appraisal

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It behooves the client to know about the ASA Appraisal Process before scheduling an appointment. Appraisers charge for their time, beginning from when they leave their office. As the property owner you can take steps to minimize the appraiser’s time on-site in order to minimize your cost. Here are some simple tips:

Gravity Latch ca.1790

1. Read all about the Appraisal Process beforehand.
2. Be available on time at the time of appointment.
3. Provide a safe, distraction-free, well lighted space for the appraiser to perform examinations.
4. Remove hanging objects from the wall.
5. Remove prints from their frames.
6. Remove anything that is inside a piece of furniture and around it.
7. Arrange like objects together and by category.
8. Clean and make ready all objects.
9. Have ready copies of all documentation on an object like invoices, prior appraisal reports, insurance scheduling, any family history on an object written down, etc.
10. If litigation is involved, have your attorney call the appraiser because your attorney will be the client, not you.
11. Clients can expect to pay a retainer before the appraisal begins if it is a significant property assignment. Payment in full will be made before the final report is released to the client. For limited appraisal reports of lesser properties full payment is expected at the time of examination.
12. If your appraisal report is intended for estate planning, charitable donations, settlements, or insurance scheduling, you must engage an appraiser certified in the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Only a certified USPAP appraiser can satisfy the requirements of Trust Officers, the IRS, the Courts, and Insurance Underwriters.
13. If you have specific questions that were not covered above, do not hesitate to ask. Mr. Grove can answer most questions about the Appraisal Process immediately. Email him at mark@mgrove.com or call (540) 435-7357 mobile.

NOTE: Physical limitations (i.e. #s 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, etc.) experienced by the appraiser on-site during the cataloging  exercise of the Appraisal Process will be noted within the Report under the section Limiting Conditions, as stipulated by The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

The Rules of the Appraisal Process Required by Law

Appraisals are performed in accordance with Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) as promulgated by the Appraisal Foundation and subscribed to by the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), the Appraisers Association of America (AAA), and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Click on USPAP for a little more on its history. All appraisers must adhere to the USPAP rules of engagement. That includes, besides Personal Property Appraisers (PP: e.g , tangibles that can be physically moved), Real Estate Appraisers, Business Valuers (RP: e.g. Citibank, AIG, etc.), Gemologists (G&J: gems & jewelry), Machinery & Equipment Appraisers (M&E: yachts, aircraft, bulldozers, Exxon Valdez, etc.).

BE ADVISED: Any object that is appraised by Mr. Grove cannot be bought by him, or in his interest, in perpetuity, due to the inherent creation of a conflict of interest. Confidentiality is assured by law.

Courtroom Drama Impartial Consultations

Silver Appraisals

Expert Witness and Consultations for Attorneys Representing Defendants or Plaintiffs: Mr. Grove is not your client’s advocate – you are. He advocates only for his own opinion as the facts merit. Objective opinions of value made by Mr. Grove shall be substantiated by credible market research and analysis. Subjective opinions are based on 31 years of practical experience and they shall be plainly identified and stated succinctly. No opinion shall be shaped to fit the needs of any client for any reason whatsoever, period – no exceptions. Be prepared to hear what you do not want to hear if the facts support a conclusion that is opposite of your objective. Furthermore, his conclusions will be identical regardless if the case is for a defendant or for a plaintiff. Any attempt by retaining counsel to prejudice the impartial opinion(s) of Mark C. Grove or his associates will violate the Retention Agreement. Be advised right now, clearly, if you seek a hired gun, go somewhere else. If you want to know the facts, you’ve come to the right place. If you are honest and realistic, you’ll be glad that you’ve finally found your ethical equal.
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No-Drama Impartial Appraisals

Decoy Appraisals

Appraisals for Private Clients Not Involved in Litigation: Mr. Grove is not your advocate. He advocates only for his own opinion as the facts merit. Attempts on the part of a client to influence Mr. Grove’s opinions of value conclusions will be rebuffed. Every effort will be made to limit your expenses as long as the required due diligence is not impinged. About two thirds of prospective clients do not need a written appraisal report and you will be advised of this as soon as it becomes evident. Also, you will be advised as to what should and should not be scheduled for insurance coverage or some other intended use. Some objects are simply not worth the expense of having them appraised and then paying the insurance premiums. However, you may overrule recommendations and insist to be scheduled as you wish. And for your information, reports often include tips in the footnotes pertaining to restoration, market strengths and weaknesses, contact information of key individuals, and resources for repair and replacements, etc. These valuable tips will save you time and frustration and they are based on Mr. Grove’s experience.
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Consultations for Property Disposition

Mr. Grove is your advocate when acting as a consultant for the disposition of personal property. Your best interest is paramount. He will advise you as to the best way to dispose of your high value properties. The marketplace is complex and hazardous. Depending on what it is that you intend to sell, there are crucial factors to be considered such as timing, location, presentation, venue, etc. Unless you are entirely familiar and up to date with market trends, engage a consultant. The improved results will likely offset the expense.
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The Final Product is as Important as a Will

Porcelain Appraisals

Appraisal reports are printed and bound references that clients retain for years. The final product of the Appraisal Process is a defensively written formal document substantiated with credible market results that is compiled in a manner any reasonable mind can comprehend. It is designed to withstand the rigors of a legal contest. Finished reports are similar in appearance to a graduate school thesis or dissertation. Some are as thick as a telephone directory. Reports are bound within plastic jackets, have a cover page, executive summery and a detailed scope of work statement, index, certification page, policy statement page, an introduction, item-by-item literal and/or interpretive narrative descriptions, photographs embedded in the text, market commentary, conclusion, footnotes, bibliography, expert pool, fine print (legal stuff), and a glossary of technical terms used in the report. All reports are protected by copyright because they are considered intellectual property. Each page carries in the header or footer the copyright, the purpose of and intended use of the appraisal report, the effective date of the report, the client’s name, and the appraiser’s name. Pagination is designated in a manner that reflects the length of the report so that the finished product cannot be disassembled for other intentions (i.e. 1-OF-50). TIP: Never discard old appraisal reports no matter how obsolete or how poorly written they might be because they serve as a historical record, if nothing else. Written reports provided today by accredited appraisers are vastly superior to examples available even ten years ago. Properly written appraisal reports are as important as a Will and should be kept in a safe place.
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Where: Location, Location, Location – No Problem

Mr. Grove Will Travel to Assignments Nearly Anywhere. He has consulted with private and institutional clients throughout Virginia and in Maryland, New York City, Seattle, Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas, North Carolina, California, New Jersey, West Virginia, Kentucky, Hawaii, and Washington, D.C. Past appraisal assignments that Mr. Grove has accepted have been for as few as one object or over 4500 objects with individual properties sometimes exceeding $3,000,000 in estimated value. Some of the assessed assets have been as early as 800 BC and others have been new.
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When: Yesterday

All Assignments are Completed in a Timely Manner. From the examination date to completion, depending on the size of the assignment and the amount of research, they are usually completed within three to six weeks. New assignments are scheduled as time permits.
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No Jack

No One Appraiser is Expert in All Fields. When a property is outside the norm the professional appraiser must either engage in additional research or draw from a pool of expert colleagues. Some property types require a personal property appraiser specialized in the respective field, such as: gems & jewelry, modified or damaged automobiles, equipment, yachts, aircraft, horses, and timber. If you have any of these properties, Mr. Grove can refer you to a colleague with expertise in those properties.
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Appraisal Services

• Trusts & Estates
• Estate Planning
• Insurance Scheduling
• Division of Property: Divorce
• Estate Settlements
• Donations Exceeding $5000
• Equitable Distribution

• Divorce
• Insurance Claims
• Asset Assessment
• Bankruptcy
• Income stream
• Valuations of Personal Property

Consultation Services

• Expert Witness
• Litigation Support
• Depositions
• Purchase Advisory
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• Sales Advisory
• Agent to Buy
• Broker to Sell
• One-on-one Tutorials

Property Categories

TYPICAL

Clock Appraisals

The Personal Property Items that Mr. Grove Typically Encounters: furniture (American, Continental, English, period, country, mission, painted, twig, folk, custom, modern, etc.), paintings, sculptures, bronzes, prints, walking sticks, canes, spurs, folk art, Mexican retablos, Panamanian molas, prints, American Indian folk art, South American folk art, Asian folk art, African folk art, carved jade, carved ivory, wood carvings, Australian Papunya Western Desert art, outsider art, art pottery, creamware, pearlware, American pottery, English pottery, porcelain, studio pottery, earthenware, sgraffito-decorated wares, yellowware, redware, stoneware, studio art glass, Italian Murano art glass, pattern and cut glassware, ephemera, early photographs (tintypes, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, CDV’s, cabinet cards, etc.), sterling silver flatware and hollowware, coin silver, American Indian silver jewelry, Danish silver jewelry, Mexican silver jewelry, studio silver jewelry, costume jewelry, bakelite jewelry, prints, luggage and handbags, purses, hatpins, schoolgirl samplers, kimonos, weapons, quilts and coverlets, Oriental and hooked rugs, pewter and other metalware, treen, carvings, old hand tools and scientific instruments, medical, tobacciana, country store items, advertising, clocks, lighting, fishing tackle and lures, hunting decoys and traps, cowboy and equestrian items, firearms, edged weapons, militaria, police and firefighting, sporting and sports related, Shaker items, baskets, books, political ephemera, toys, architectural elements, garden furniture, automobiles, collections of popular collectibles, other categories too numerous to mention, and personal property that is not old but may have been damaged in transit.
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FINE ART

Appraising Fine Art

Partial Listing of Past Fine Art Appraised by Mr. Grove by Artist: Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, Chagall, Dali, Goya, Rodin, Calder, Remington, Russell, J.J. Audubon, Peter Max, Mêlê, Domenichino, Tiepolo, Starkweather, R. Motherwell, N.C. Wyeth, J. Wyeth, R. Henri, J.J. Porter, Cikovsky, Altaffer, Hartenhoff, Janssand, Pain, Diaqué, Dickerson, Grau Santos, Ziem, J. Bell, Williams, Blackman, Hundertwasser, Molvig, Dobell, Oronida, Brangwyn, Lek, Toulouse-Lautrec, Ogilvie, Viat, LaLande, Hogarth, Ouida George, Tucker, Boughton, Ziegler, Davies, van Dokkum, Barile, Muncy, James George, Hoffman, Korn, Louit, De LaBrierre, Jaquamart, Barye, Trodoux, Villanis, Agostini, Norman Clark, T.T. Wilson, J.F. Murphy, Paul Jacoulet, Tobey, Meert, G. Stevens, J. Stangl, F. Benson, D. Hockney, Cory, J. Peterson, Trainum, J. Antone, A. Cortez, L’Héritier, Faed, Klitz, W.A. Clark, E.C. Clark, J.F. Renault, E. Hill, Katz, B. Krupp, Faucher, C.M. Dewey, W.H. Williams, Tsigal, R. Karr, E.A. Abbey, Gallo, Grauer, Serrure, Künstler, B. Crane, Knowlton, Irvine, E. Lawson, E.N. Hatch, E.D. Lewis, Baird, Ferrara, C.W. Peters, M.N. MacCord, Haberle, J.B. Morse, B. Stern, Cappiello, Mercier, Hohlwein, Dupin, Falcucci, W. Baumeister, Richter, Rooney, J. Rogers, W.M. Frahme, J.J. Enwright, Pitto, Millingalli, W.W. Swallow, Don Huber, Walter Mosley, Prettyman, J. Bender, H.S. Eddy, F.S. Dixon, J. Sloan, P. Lubarda, Audri Smith, D. McGary, Cloud Bear, L.West, Roland Clark, J. McBey, J.A.M. Whistler, R.G. Somers, Guida, Alan Price, Olshanetsky, Girardot, Barbera, Jan Scott, Petit, P. Leggett, Daneїs, Angellis, R. Berger, Trenton, R. Moesle, Hicks, Shoffstall, J. Frost, H. Yoshida, A.L. Ripley, A.M. Black, Rouault, Brochet, D. Downey, R. England, A. Baarns, A. Bonhomme, Long Jack Phillipus Tjakamarra, George Tjapanangka, Kanya Tjapangati, George Tjangala, Turkey Tolson Tjupurrulla, Patricia Stanley Cunningham, Rudolf Bonnet, Pierre-Auguste Cot, John Manol, Herbert Nelson Hooven, Henrietta Elizabeth Dodd Hoopes, Blondelle Octavia Edwards Malone, Tsuchiya Koitsu, George Owen Wynne Apperley, Joseph Jansen, Henry Pember Smith, Nicolas Lancret, Frederik Marianus Kruseman, J. A. Cook, Tepuctzof, Lexandrieff, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, Marius-Jean-Antonin Mercie, Armand Jules Leveel, Samuel Edmund Oppenheim, Henry Greenewalt, Philip Geiger, Elizabeth Shoumatoff, Tran Mawicke, A.B. Durand, Edward Thomas, S.W. Andrews, John McCoy, J.R. Hopkins, V. Dupre, T. Adams, E.A.S. Lavieille, P.J.M. Saïn, Antelma Santini, Leda Renaux, H. Ortega, M. Björkström, Helen Bedfors, Hector Caffieri, A.R. Hayward, Carl von Marr, K.Krüger, Bartholomeus Johannes van Hove, Pierre Louis Delaval, Helen Peabody Grant, J. Pearce, Léond Anchiz, Susan French Overstreet, Henry Wilkinson, Patrick Hennesy, Gerald Hennesy, Barbara Kiwak, Robert A. Heuel II, F.B. Voss, David H. Turner, Ruth Robertson, Harry Longueville Jones, Roland Clark, Frank W. Benson, C.A. Seward, George Shalders, Franklin B. Voss, Felice Filipini, Robert R. Meacham, Peggy Corthouts, Edward Bierly, H.A. Driscole, Rod Crossman, Fred Grace, Lee LeBlanc, David Williams, R.G. Kerr, Walter T. Matia, Robert Evett Bishop, Luis Alberto Solari, Willy Alvarez, Oswaldo Imperiale, Nell Hillsley, 19th century Mexican folk art retablos on tin, Yolanda Ardissone, David Watts, Robert Havell, Edward Borein, Ogden M. Pleissner, Thomas H. Benton, Paul Dougherty, Nicola Simbari, Simon de Vlieger, Roderick O’Connor, Roderic O’Conor, James Arthur O’Connor, Jack Butler Yeats, Marshall C. Hutson, Andrew Nichol, Joy Laville, Alberto Gironella, Manuel Alverez Bravo, José Lois Cuevas, Francisco Toledo, Leonara Carrington, Gerado Marillo, F. Pena, Guillermo Meza, Sergio Hernandez, T.C. Grannis, Waldo Pierce, Ben Konis, Sydney K. Hartman, Sergei Levitan, Francis Garat, Sydney K. Hartman, Percy A. Sanborn, Utagawa Hiroshige, Susan L. Throckmorton, Maurice Loirand, Igor Bilincki, Carlos Garay, Malcolm Barton Thompson, Anastasija Ivanovna Kraineva, Vladimir Tarabanov, Andriy Shabunin, Préfète Duffaut, Anton Otto Fischer, Guily Joffrin, Sándor Nyilasy, Diane Whitehead, Debra Hurd, Anne Vanderlaan, Robert C. Kluth, Samuel S. Carr, LeRoy Neiman, Donna M. Aucoin, Anne Slaughter, William de Jarnette Rutherfoord, Riazoli, Narcisse-Virgil Diaz de la Pena, Michel Henry, Lindsay Nolting, Martin Garhart, John Bart, Charles Smith, Inikumo, Cynthia Hauck, Francis H. Dodd, Arnold Marc Gorter, Joseph Rusling Meeker, Frank Bernard Nuderscher, Roswell Morse Shurtleff, John Macleod, Vincenzo Busciolano, George Caleb Bingham, Harry {Henry} Chase, Carl Reichert, Svend Rasmussen Svendsen, Thomas B. Griffin, etc.

YouTube Video :: Paintings – What to tell the appraiser when you first contact the appraiser concerning your painting.

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Standard Protocol for All Appraisal Assignments: See Schedule of Fees
Standard Policies: See Schedule of Fees