In the machinery, equipment, asset, and business appraisal industry we are working hard to help educate our communities on the answer to this question. Most individuals are only familiar with a commercial real estate appraisal, or their own home appraisal. These appraisals are often required and thus people don’t always see the benefits of having them. Obviously, most people don’t enjoy purchasing an appraisal with their hard-earned money, but there are times when a proper appraisal can either add thousands of dollars to the value of your business or save you thousands of dollars in tax or litigation situations. 

First, what are some reasons that you may need to or be required to hire a certified appraiser?

• Business/ Estate Planning

• Business Buy/Sell Agreements

• Loans

• Bankruptcies

• SBA Loans

• IRS / Tax Purposes

• Partnership Buy-Out/ Sell-Out

• Litigation

     The list goes on and on. The point is, there are numerous reasons why you may need a certified appraisal. However, the problem we see most frequently is that there are individuals out there who call themselves appraisers, but they are not! Often, they are not certified, and they probably have never been to appraisal school. For this reason, they may sound less expensive and generally they are. A word of caution though:

• What’s going to be the true cost of hiring the non-certified appraiser?

• What’s going to be the real result of that appraisal?

     Just because someone can come up with an estimate of value, does that really mean that they are qualified or even capable of defending that value in a court of law? Do you even trust them to do so? Can they write the report in a government approved compliant format? Are they familiar with the appraisal ethics standards? Are they familiar with the latest U.S.P.A.P (Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice) standards, and is their report in compliance with those standards? This is the only type of report you want to pay for and rely upon.

     These are the things that we will provide you at Peak Equipment Appraisal. All our reports follow and are compliant with the latest government, U.S.P.A.P, and ethical standards. We pride ourselves in our high ethical standards and being able to defend our values and our reports in court.

     If you would like to hire a certified and competent appraiser and a fair and reasonable price, please give us a call today. We are happy to answer any questions you may have and provide you with a free no-obligation consultation.

(469) 667-6862

Chris@PeakAppraisalGroup.com