ASA Newsroom recently interviewed me about “Managing Risk with Appraisal Review,” a topic I addressed in a recent article published in the ASA ARM E-Journal™. The interview touches on the critically important role review contributes to risk management and mitigation for many clients/users of appraisal services, including attorneys, bankers & lessors, CPAs, Departments of Government,…Read More
Appraisal Review Risks and Rewards
The American Society of Appraisers recently posted an excellent discussion of appraisal review practice by our ARM colleague Mark Penny, ASA, ARM-BV, BV-IA. Mark’s article is primarily for appraisers who perform review work or are interested in doing so. It’s also an interesting read for those who might need an appraisal review. Lawyers often need…Read More
15 Most Common Appraisal Report Mistakes
Appraisal review isn’t just for appraisers. While attorneys and CPAs may be best served by hiring a trained reviewer for questionable appraisals, they can do an initial pass using a quick checklist of a handful of common appraisal report mistakes. We discuss these errors in great detail in the ARM accreditation classes offered by ASA…Read More
Family Law & Litigation Q&A in Healdsburg, May 21, 2018
We’re hosting a Q&A about equipment appraisals for litigation and family law in Healdsburg on Monday, May 21, 2018. If you’re in the area, we hope you’ll join us. For more information or to register for the event, click here Please visit our Attorney Support page to learn more about our services for the legal community….Read More
6 Tips for Divorces with Equipment Appraisals
Divorce is never easy. If your divorce involves a business, it’s even more complex. We’ve worked with many attorneys and business owners to provide appraisals for divorces, some more amiable than others. One thing that all of these situations have in common is that by the time our appraisal firm is called in, the divorce…Read More
Equipment Fire Loss: Compiling a List for Insurance Claims
Compiling a List for Insurance Claims Devastating fires in the Napa, Sonoma and Santa Rosa areas have burned thousands of homes, businesses, and other structures. In the wake of the damage, fire loss claims are inevitable. It’s not always an easy process to assess what’s been lost, especially in the midst of sometimes overwhelming grief…Read More
Wildland Fire Litigation Conference: A Report
Several years ago while serving as equipment appraisal expert witness for the Ophir Fire, I discovered the Wildland Fire Litigation Conference and put it on my appraisal bucket list. Just this year, my schedule finally allowed me to attend the conference. In the intervening years, I’ve done many equipment appraisals related to insurance loss claims,…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
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
The Financial Risks of Flawed Appraisals
A previous post introduced the five qualities of a credible appraisal, and in a perfect world, the equipment appraisal report you’re basing financial decisions on would always adequately address those USPAP-specified qualities. The fact is though, as we all know, that this is not a perfect world and many equipment appraisal reports don’t meet the…Read More
When to Worry About the Accuracy of Your Appraisal
An appraisal review is a good choice whenever you feel uneasy about the qualifications of the equipment appraiser or confused about the methodology used in an equipment appraisal report. This could be a report you originally contracted for – or it could be an equipment appraisal report you’ve received from another party. In situations such…Read More
The Difference Between an Appraisal and an Appraisal Review
When clients call our office asking for an equipment appraisal review, I’ve found it’s important to ask them the purpose of the appraisal review. That quickly opens up the discussion about what an equipment appraisal review is and is not. And believe me, not everyone understands the difference between an appraisal (a quantitative analysis) and…Read More