Join us Friday, Nov 10, 2017, 4:00pm to 5:00pm at Caruso’s in The Westin St Francis, Union Square in San Francisco, CA, when ASA equipment appraiser, Jack Young, ASA, CPA, will be available to answer your questions about the importance of independent, defensible and USPAP compliant equipment appraisals for in fire litigation. Click here for more information &…Read More
Factors in Appraising for Fire Loss or Theft
How do we appraise equipment that’s been destroyed or stolen? Of course we hope for good records — photos, equipment lists, maintenance records — but rarely are those available. Often whatever records might have existed have been lost in the same fire that destroyed the equipment. In most of the fire cases we’ve been called…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
Appraising Hotel Equipment for the Holidays
Equipment appraising over the holidays? More fun than you’d think! Not only do we love our work, of course, but we got a great unexpected assignment that couldn’t wait. So instead of decking the halls, we celebrated by packing laptops, clipboards, measuring tape, and mechanical pencils into our intrepid travel office and driving through the…Read More
Avoiding Blindspots: Advice from the Road
Year-end is a busy time in the equipment appraisal business. Clients want to complete buy/sell agreements, process collateral loans, resolve estate and other family law issues, and generally tidy up equipment appraisal business that they’ve been too busy to deal with earlier in the year. That means that we’re heavily scheduled; and that means driving to…Read More
How to Get an Accurate Desktop Appraisal
Desktop appraisals, or limited scope appraisals, aren’t always cheaper or faster than the usual equipment appraisal, but — as discussed in a previous post about desktop appraisals — sometimes they’re a reasonable choice given the circumstances. And if you and your appraiser agree that a desktop appraisal meets your needs, you’ll be doing some of the…Read More
Musings During a Trip to San Jose
Back in the San Jose area late last month, this time inspecting construction equipment for a family law appraisal. We’ve done so much equipment appraisal work in the San Jose area that it’s almost like going home! The October weather, of course, was perfect, as is to be expected in Santa Clara County.
When to Worry About the Accuracy of Your Appraisal
An appraisal review or expert rebuttal report is a good choice whenever you feel confused about the methodology used in an equipment appraisal report or uneasy about the qualifications of the equipment appraiser. This could be a report you originally contracted for – or it could be an equipment appraisal report you’ve received from another…Read More
What Determines the Cost of an Appraisal?
When folks call us for an equipment appraisal, the first thing they usually ask is how much an appraisal will cost. Many of them are surprised to hear that we need a lot more information about their equipment and their situation before we can provide a quote or bid for the job. Why does your…Read More
What Does the Future Hold for Construction Equipment Values?
As a construction equipment appraiser, I’ve been watching values for for construction equipment rise, and that’s true whatever the reason for the equipment appraisal might be. Generally, construction equipment appraisals are for the purposes of collateral loans or due diligence for buy/sell negotiations, but this year we’ve also provided construction equipment appraisal reports for family…Read More
CARB Regs in Appraising Small Fleets
Recently I valued a 1994 flatbed truck used for heavy hauling. Even though I’ve done more truck appraisals than I can count, this one in particular proved the importance of double-checking CARB rulings. What I discovered was so interesting that I put together a case study regarding the truck appraisal under the current CARB regs….Read More
Appraising CNC Machines
Appraising automated machinery is a regular part of our equipment and machinery appraisal practice. Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) automated machinery appears on asset lists not only at large manufacturing operations of all types, but also in small custom machining shops. I’ve appraised them for purposes of collateral lending, buy/sell agreements, family law, and insurance purposes….Read More