What the machine is worth, on the market that actually buys it.

In Short

What this appraisal is for

Equipment and machinery are quoted per asset and researched per asset, because a machine's value turns on its hours, its configuration, and the market for that model rather than on any household comparison. We appraise single machines and mixed lists to the same USPAP standard as every other report here, for insurers, for the IRS, and for the courts.

When You Need One

Who this is for

Equipment gets appraised when its value has to satisfy an outside party — an insurer, a lender, the IRS, or a court. Clients reach us at these points.

• An insurer wants the equipment scheduled, or a claim after a loss needs substantiating.
• Machinery is being donated and the deduction needs a qualified appraisal behind it.
• An estate holds equipment and the probate inventory has to state what it is worth.
• A business is winding down and somebody has to say what the yard is actually worth.
• A lender wants a written value before it advances against the equipment.

The Report

What the report is used for

The standard of value follows the purpose, and for equipment the difference is wide. What a machine fetches at an orderly sale, at a forced liquidation, and as an installed part of a working plant are three different figures. We establish which one your reader needs before the work starts, and the report states it.

Each machine is researched on its own market. Every report is signed and certified under USPAP, identifies each unit by make, model, and serial number, and sets out the hours and the condition the value assumes.

• Each unit identified by make, model, year, and serial number
• The hours or the usage, the configuration, and the condition the value assumes
• The value of each unit, the standard of value applied, and the effective date
• The comparable sales and market data behind each figure
• The appraiser's certification, qualifications, and signature

How It Works

Four steps, start to signed report

Most assignments are prepared remotely, from photographs and documents. Where an item genuinely has to be seen in person, we say so before you pay rather than issue an opinion we cannot stand behind.

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

Your Part

What we need from you

• A list of the units, with make, model, year, and serial number for each
• The hours or the usage on each unit, photographed on the meter
• Photographs of each machine from several angles, plus the data plate
• Photographs of attachments, tooling, and any damage or missing part
• Maintenance records, and documentation of any rebuild or major repair
• Whether the equipment is valued in place or as removed
• What the appraisal is for, and who is going to read it

Photograph each machine from several angles, then the data plate, the hour meter or the odometer, the attachments, and any damage. Send the list before the photographs if the list is long — we will tell you which units carry the value and which can be grouped, so you are not photographing a yard item by item for no reason.

Price

What this costs

Equipment is quoted per asset, not on the household per-item schedule. One machine or equipment line on a standard report starts at $350. IRS, lending, claim, or court use starts at $450. A typical assignment lands between $450 and $1,500 or more, depending on the mix and on whether the photographs are enough. Plant lists and mixed yards are quoted after we see the list.

You get a fixed quote before any work starts, and the fee follows the research the assignment takes, not the value we find. If photographs cannot support the value, we say so before you pay — and if the fee would exceed what the property is likely worth, we say that too.

See the full pricing →