A county Board of Equalization in Washington state recently examined one of my equipment appraisal reports in an on-going tax appeal case. The report had been originally submitted to the county assessor, who dismissed it, citing … the statement by the appraiser that the purpose of the appraisal is to assist with an ad valorem tax…Read More
Appraisals for Ad Valorem Tax Appeals
Considering an ad valorem tax appeal for your business? Business owners who provide independent equipment values researched by experienced, qualified equipment appraisers are more successful in their tax appeal. Whether negotiating assessed values with the county property appraiser or in a value adjustment board hearing, a taxpayer who’s prepared with a USPAP equipment appraisal review has a better chance of…Read More
Tax Appeals, Family Law, and Other Reasons to Get an Appraisal
Reasons for equipment appraisals are varied and multiple, as we discover each time we answer the phone here at our equipment appraisal office in the Sacramento Valley. Will the appraisal be used in a Redding trucking company’s attempt to settle a loss claim with an insurance company, to resolve a family law matter concerning a…Read More
Case Study: Lowering Property Tax Costs on Wine Tanks
A California client, one of the oldest continuously operated family-owned wineries in the country, wanted to review their equipment values with an eye toward possible property tax appeal. Including in the holdings were tanks, bottling equipment, support machinery and equipment including forklifts and wastewater systems, agricultural equipment, restaurant equipment and, of course, office and administrative…Read More
Are Your Wine Tanks Excessively Taxed?
What would you think if I told you that the value of wine tanks increases annually? That the longer you use them the more they’re worth? You’d think I was out of my mind! It just doesn’t sound reasonable, does it? How can it be possible that the value of equipment as standard as wine…Read More
Appraisals in the Time of Pandemic
The evening of March 12, we were on a mostly empty flight back from Pittsburgh, PA where we’d spent 4 days inspecting a chain of grocery stores for a buy/sell agreement. The TP and hand sanitizer sweep began while we were there, as the Allegheny County Health Department confirmed COVID-19 cases in the area. On March 13, as you may remember, a…Read More
Case Study: Functional Obsolescence in Glass Coating Equipment
Functional obsolescence took center stage in a recent property tax appeal situation. In particular, we analyzed how the development of new technology influences the value of older, less advanced equipment–in this case, glass coating machines–and how the resulting loss of value due to functional obsolescence is calculated according to best practices, or valuation standard of…Read More
Equipment Depreciation: Discount for Ownership
Calculating accurate deprecation for equipment values is critical; explaining how that depreciation was calculated is just as important, especially for litigation cases, property tax appeals or purchase price allocation situations. Equipment can lose value in any of the three standards areas: physical depreciation, functional obsolescence, and economic obsolescence. In some valuation situations, the loss of value…Read More
Case Study: Asset Lists, Inspection & the General Ledger
We’re currently working with a speciality harvesting equipment appraisal in the Salinas area and have been working with the client to compile an asset list for the upcoming equipment inspection. Several conversations and email exchanges regarding how to compile an effective equipment list – in conjunction with some recent interesting inspection experiences – have freshly…Read More
Case Studies: Food Processing Equipment
Food and beverage processing equipment isn’t like the equipment in other manufacturing plants. Lubrication is different. Sanitation is on-going. And usage cycles vary — not only from facility to facility, but often within individual facilities, often depending on the agricultural cycle. And awareness of equipment usage cycles is essential for an accurate appraisal. Why? Usage…Read More
Do You Need an Industry-Specific Valuation Expert?
Equipment appraisers often claim expertise in particular markets. And we do often become experts through our experience in valuing a particular industry throughout the years. In many situations, however, it’s more important to be an equipment appraisal expert than an industry expert! An expert equipment appraiser knows how to research the processes and equipment lines…Read More
Appraisal Review: Determining Whether an Appraisal is Credible
Appraisal review raises the bar on appraisal reports by providing professional, expert review of how well the report aligns with standards of appraisal practice, including the ability of the intended user to understand the report. Appraisal review, as discussed in a previous post, is a standardized methodology that provides guidelines for adjudging the overall quality of…Read More