What are the typical steps of an appraisal assignment?
1. You or your insurance agent/accountant/lawyer, children decide it would be a good idea to have an appraisal.
2. You call or email me and we discuss your items and what you will need the appraisal for (i.e. insurance coverage, documenting items for your children, a charitable contribution, etc.)
3. We schedule a time when I will meet you at your home or the location of the items to be appraised for an on-site inspection.
4. I carefully examine the items to be appraised and photograph, describe, and measure them for later use in my written appraisal. All items to be appraised are photographed using my digital camera.
5. Back in my office I review my on-site notes and finalize them in the written appraisal report. I use specialized subscription databases, my reference library, the specialized research materials available in the National Gallery of Arts Research Library and the Smithsonian Research Library (if necessary for the assignment), and other resources to complete my research and analysis of the items being appraised and their comparable records.
6. I complete a USPAP-compliant appraisal report and send it to you via your preferred delivery method (either the standard included option of electronically in PDF format or the additional service option of mailing a printed paper copy, or both if you prefer). USPAP requires that I keep and safeguard a true copy of your appraisal and the confidential workfile of my research used to generate the report for a period of five years. If you ever need to access this copy and workfile within that five year period I will provide that access to you.
