An independent appraiser your file can rely on.

Who Signs

One appraiser, named on the report

Robert Porter prepares and signs every report. He is certified through the Certified Appraisers Guild of America, and every assignment is performed under the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice. The work is not passed to a panel or a subcontractor, so the person who researched the values is the person whose certification is on the last page.

Each report states the purpose, the standard of value applied, the effective date, the scope of work, and what the opinion relied on — including that it was prepared from photographs and documents, where it was. That statement is what makes a remote appraisal compliant, and it is the first thing an opposing expert reads.

Testimony and deposition are a separate engagement from the appraisal. Tell us early if the matter may call for it, because it affects how the report is written.

Your Part

What we need from counsel

• The matter and the purpose — probate, equitable distribution, a guardianship inventory, a Chapter 7 filing, or a charitable contribution
• The effective date to apply, and the authority for it where the jurisdiction sets one
• The standard of value your filing requires, if you have one in mind
• Photographs of the property, and an inventory in whatever form it already exists
• For any vehicle, vessel, or machine: the VIN, HIN, or serial number, the mileage or hours, and the title
• Any court form the report has to satisfy, and the filing deadline
• Whether the engagement is joint, and which party holds access to the property

Where both parties agree to one appraisal, a single set of photographs and one inventory covers it, and both sides receive the same report. Where they do not, we work from whichever party holds access, and the report states plainly what we were given and what we were not.

How It Works

Four steps, start to signed report

Most assignments are prepared remotely, from photographs and documents, so where your client lives makes no difference to the cost or the timeline. Where an item genuinely has to be seen in person, we say so before anyone commits.

1. You send photographs and an inventory of the items, with any provenance, receipts, or certificates you have
2. We reply with a fixed quote, before any work starts
3. We research comparable sales and market data for each item or asset
4. You receive a signed, USPAP-compliant report you can file

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