Two parties in a divorce go before a judge to settle a valuation dispute. One party brings a written and detailed USPAP-compliant Appraisal, prepared by a professional and impartial Personal Property Appraiser, which reports that value is “$ xxxxxx”. This Appraisal report includes both photographs and details of what comparable items have sold for recently.

The second party brings nothing but their personal verbal opinion that the personal property is worth “$ yyyyyy”.

Guess who the judge is going to rule for.

Do you need help with a Divorce Appraisal? A professional Divorce Appraisal can be worth its weight in gold in a Divorce situation and you should never go into court without one.

A Divorce Appraisal is an Opinion of Value, set forth by a qualified and experienced Appraiser, based upon thorough research into what comparable items have recently sold for, in current and comparable markets. Whether dealing with fine art, antiques, collectibles, & decorative accessories, any type of collection, or just standard household items, used furniture, china & glass, tools, firearms, vehicles, etc., you should always protect yourself in a Divorce situation with a qualified written Appraisal.

Once you select your Appraiser, a Divorce Appraisal is relatively easy to complete and can generally be done in 4 simple steps. A professional appraiser will simply: • Make an itemized and detailed listing of any personal property in question. • Photograph it. • Place a fair, balanced and impartial current market value on the items, after researching what comparable items have recently sold for. • And then bring it all together in a clear, concise, and professionally-prepared Appraisal Report…which can then be presented to the judge.

A good Divorce Appraisal can offer you many benefits, including: • Protecting Your Interests In Court: If you go to court and are not properly prepared, you are asking for trouble. Judges don’t like to waste the court’s time, and a well prepared Divorce Appraisal will enable the judge to offer a faster ruling…if the facts are clearly laid out before them in a fair, factual, and unbiased fashion. • Faster Negotiations: The ideal situation occurs when both parties agree to accept the findings of a single impartial Appraiser. But even if each side insists on retaining their own appraiser, then at least you have a starting point and both sides can usually meet somewhere in the middle. The worst situation is when neither side brings a professional appraisal to the table, but rather relies upon never-ending bickering about value. The faster agreement on value is reached, the faster negotiations can be completed. • Reduced Attorney Fees and Litigation Time: The faster you wrap up negotiations, the lower your legal and other divorce-related bills will be. A good appraisal that is accepted by both sides can result in a much faster resolution to the divorce process. • Irrefutable Evidence of Authenticity and Value: A good appraisal is based upon fact. Expert appraisers can authenticate whether something is original or fake, they can evaluate “condition” which is so important when determining value, and they can provide an estimated opinion of value. But an appraiser just doesn’t pull numbers out of the air. A good appraiser will seek out what comparable items have recently sold for, and make value adjustments based upon all differences that affect value, in order to arrive at a current market value. • Expert Witness Testimony: If there is even a remote possibility that your case will go before a judge, you will want an accredited appraiser who can not only certify the results of their appraisal, but who can also present themselves well in court, and who has the credentials to testify as an expert witness, if necessary.

What should you look for when seeking a good Divorce Appraiser? • Experience: Would you prefer the services of an Appraiser who is just starting out in the profession, or someone with considerable Divorce Appraisal experience? Ask specific questions to insure that you are hiring the right person to represent you. • Expertise: If you are seeking values on your jewelry, don’t hire a tool appraiser. And vice versa. You need a professional Appraiser who understands the intricacies of what is being appraised, their current market value, and the terminology needed to bring everything together in a winning Appraisal. • Advanced Certifications: There are numerous professional appraisers associations such as the National Auctioneer’s Association, American Society of Appraisers, International Society of Appraisers, etc. And each has their own series of advanced designations that can be earned based upon study, research, experience, and testing. You should seek out an Appraiser who has taken the time, and shown the initiative, to earn their individual advanced designations. • Market Knowledge: How well does the appraiser understand the local, regional, and national marketplaces that relate to the items being appraised? For example, if you have a high-end piece of art, how experienced is the appraiser in that specific marketplace? Selecting the wrong Appraiser could potentially cost you big money. • Accomplishments: What else is the Appraiser noted for? Author? Columnist? Speaking Engagements? Professional Instructor? Famous Clients?. You should always try to seek our an Appraiser that stands out above their peers. • Areas Served: A great Divorce Appraiser in Los Angeles will do you little good if you live in New York, unless you are willing to pay their travel and related expenses. • USPAP Certification: The Uniform Standards, Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) provides a minimum set of quality control standards for the conduct of Appraisals as promulgated by the Appraisal Foundation. It requires no bias, confidentiality, a professional code of conduct and ethics, and other such factors. USPAP is the standard of Appraisal practice in the United States and you should always seek to select an appraiser that is USPSP-certified and compliant.

If you, or someone you care about, is going through a potentially messy divorce, one of the most important things you can do is protect yourself with professionally-prepared Personal Property Appraisal, that has been prepared by a highly qualified Appraiser, that is defensible in court.

In summary…Don’t Go Into Court Without One.