Equipment Appraisal Blog | Understanding Machinery Appraisals

When you have a serious investment in equipment, asset valuation can help you protect that investment. Typically only considered when a piece of machinery is being sold, there are a wide range of other situations where having your equipment values can be very beneficial. Here's a quick look at several different scenarios and how they can impact your bottom line.

Why do you need an asset valuation for your machinery?

Equipment Replacement

A woodworker is getting ready to replace his high-end cabinet saw, but isn't sure what it's worth. A local dealer has made an offer to take the existing saw as part of a down payment, but the figure doesn't seem quite right. By having an equipment appraisal performed, the woodworker can discover the true value of his equipment before agreeing to the deal.

Arranging Financing

A plastic manufacturer is getting ready to expand its operations and needs to secure financing to make the change. Because of past financial issues of one of the partners, the company needs to use its existing equipment as collateral for a business loan. When they provide the financial institution with a copy of the valuation report from a certified appraiser, the loan is quickly processed and the expansion is started, allowing the company to take advantage of favorable market conditions.

Insurance Claims

After a hurricane raged through rural Mississippi, flooding low-lying areas, a lumber mill faces serious losses due to damaged and irreparable equipment, potentially forcing the permanent closure of their business. Unfortunately, the insurance company that covered the machinery is taking heavy losses and trying to minimize reimbursements to clients. A machinery appraisal report verifies the pre-loss value of the machinery, leaving the insurance company with little choice but to pay the claim at the appropriate value.

Tax Assessments

A county tax assessor takes a look at a construction company's heavy equipment, but with the wide range of equipment that they assess every year, the assessor makes a simple mistake in the model number, options, packages or kits on a backhoe. It could even be that the backhoe looks okay, but has been used in harsh environments that have ended up causing significant damage to the backhoe, making it worth much less than the assessed value. An appraisal report uses solid methodology and calculations to determine the backhoe's actual value, reducing the assessment to an accurate value.

Legal Situations

During a divorce, both sides are fighting over the value of the machinery of a business that was built by the pair that is now splitting. The side that's keeping the business wants to understate the equipment value while the side that's leaving wants to get top dollar for their interest in the equipment. Getting an equipment assessment means that fair market value is represented to both sides in a court of law, meeting legal requirements for the situation.

When you understand all the situations where an asset valuation can be useful, the true value of an equipment appraisal becomes apparent. But don't settle for the dealership down the street or guessing at the value from local auction prices. To get an appraisal that will hold up well to strong scrutiny in these situations requires a certified appraiser. Make sure to check that any equipment appraiser you hire has been certified and has experience with equipment in your industry.

When you need to have an appraisal performed on your equipment, it's important that it be performed by a valuation specialist who has the proper credentials. One of the largest accreditation organizations for appraisal practices is the American Society of Appraisers. But what is it, why is it important to use a certified appraiser and what difference can it have on your equipment appraisal? Here's a quick rundown to help get you started.

What is the American Society of Appraisers and how will it impact your appraisal?

The ASA grew out of two organizations formed in the 1930s, the American Society of Technical Appraisers and the Technical Valuation Society. Incorporated in 1952, the ASA was formed to create an over-arching professional association of appraisers, regardless of their specialty. Through the decades, the ASA has worked hard to develop professional standards and practices for appraisal practice to bring regularity to the industry. It has focused on refining appraisal practice to the point that the methodologies that they have developed will hold up well to strong scrutiny in many situations, including legal, financial, insurance and tax agency circles. The organization has also developed sub-levels of its certification process to cover a wide range of appraisal practice, such as business valuation, gemstone and jewelry appraisal, real property, personal property and machinery & technical specifications.

The thorough certification process that the ASA has developed teaches new appraisers how to use those tested methodologies and in which situations they should be applied to find the most appropriate value for your equipment. The process of becoming an ASA-certified appraiser involves an in-depth combination of acceptable classes or education and professional appraisal experience. This specific combination ensures that anyone who has received an ASA certified designation has both the knowledge as well as the real-world experience to reasonably put their training into practice.

By having your appraisal performed by an ASA-certified appraiser, you can ensure that your valuation report will hold up to strong scrutiny in a wide range of circumstances. Did you know that in a few particular circumstances, the law requires a specific type of valuation to be performed? Did you know that you can have machinery valued even after it has been damaged in a fire or donated to a charity? What about determining the value of a piece of machinery some amount of time in the past for a court case or similar back-dated valuation? Because of the experience and knowledge gained in the certification process, a certified appraiser knows exactly what type of appraisal needs to be performed, can easily deal with situations such as these and is still able to develop a high-quality appraisal report that will help support your machinery's value to a number of different parties.

Having an appraisal completed on your equipment by an appraiser who is certified by the American Society of Appraisers is an excellent way to get a quality valuation. A machinery appraisal provides you with documentation of your equipment values, but if it isn't performed properly, it won't hold up to strong scrutiny. At that point, you've thrown your money away on an appraisal that doesn't do you any good. To get the best value for your dollar, make sure that your appraiser is certified by the American Society of Appraisers or a similar appraisal certification organization.

When you have invested significantly into your machinery, you want to make sure that your investment is protected. Though many businesses will insure their equipment, proving the value of your machinery after a loss is important to making a successful claim. But what if you're not sure what the value of your machinery should be or are having problems proving that value? in these areas, a commercial appraisal is vital to help ensure your equipment remains an asset to your business. Here's a quick look at the benefits of such an appraisal on your machinery.

Why should you get a commercial appraisal on your equipment?

What is the equipment in your business actually worth? It's a common question, whether you're dealing with a tax assessment, securing a business loan or making an insurance claim. Unfortunately, the answer to that question can be difficult to prove. Whether you have purchased new machinery, purchased used machinery or need to document the value of machinery that has been in use for some period of time, documenting the machinery value is important for a wide range of situations. But how do you go about documenting that value to outside interests?

When you first acquire a piece of equipment, whether it's new or used, you'll need to enter that value into your books so that you can deal with accounting issues such as depreciation. But does that mean if you got a good deal on it that the machinery is tied to that specific value? Not necessarily. If it was and you suffered a loss, you may not be able to claim the machinery's full value to your insurance company. A valuation protects the machinery's actual value to your business rather than the cost to acquire it.

It also helps to document the value of the machinery for any number of reasons. A certified appraisal is completed using methodologies that have been tested in a wide range of circumstances over the decades, so such an appraisal can stand up well to strong scrutiny. It will allow you to use that value in financial, insurance, legal and tax agency circles to prove the machinery value.

If you have equipment that has been in use for years, it may have been completely depreciated and have a book value that is virtually nothing. However, the machinery may continue to provide strong service for years to come. How do you document that loss of production value when the equipment had no value on the books? Having a piece of older machinery appraised allows you to benefit when it has been lost instead of losing the production value of the machinery because you have no documentation of its value.

By taking the time to have a commercial appraisal performed on your equipment, you're able to better protect your investment. But not all appraisals are the same. Though it can be tempting to try to value your machinery based on market sales or the word of a sales rep, this type of valuation won't hold up well to the strong scrutiny that will come about in a wide range of circumstances. Fortunately, even if you've already suffered the loss of your equipment, a professional certified appraiser can still perform an appraisal to determine the value prior to the loss, making it easier for you to document your equipment's value.

When you're trying to help out a community organization or charity, a donation of equipment can be a great way to help fill their coffers or provide them with equipment that moves their mission forward. However, when it comes time to deal with finances and taxes, sometimes you need to have a bit more paperwork available than a receipt from the organization in question to document value. During those times, a donation appraisal is often the best way to verify value and provide documentation for tax agencies to back up that value. Here's a quick overview of how the donation valuation process works and in what situations it's most necessary.

How does a donation appraisal work and how can it benefit your finances?

With the changes that have happened recently in the tax code and new tax reform bill, many businesses are concerned about how their donations to charities will work out financially in the future. Fortunately, many of the issues surrounding donations are still somewhat similar to past years. However, if you're considering trying the new tactic of bunching your donation of a large value of equipment into a single year and then coasting through the next several years before your next donation, you'll need to make sure you're able to solidly document the value of your equipment.

But what about tax agencies? If the equipment you're donating is $5,000 or more in value, the IRS requires that you have an appropriate appraisal performed to document the value. What's considered an appropriate or qualified appraisal? Most tax agencies, not just the IRS, will happily accept an equipment appraisal that is performed by a certified appraiser. Why? Because this type of appraisal uses a set of standardized methodologies that have already been tested in a wide range of situations. This means that they've been perfected into methodologies that are accepted by tax agencies, financial institutions, legal circles and insurance companies.

What if you have already donated the equipment during this past year in anticipation of the new tax laws? If you didn't have the opportunity to have the machinery appraised at the time, it's not too late to have an appraisal performed. The methodologies that were mentioned earlier include developing calculations that work well for past values. These values have been used in a wide range of other situations, including insurance losses due to natural disasters, changing market conditions and similar situations. This allows a certified equipment appraiser to look back through time to the situation and conditions under which the donations took place as well as any mitigating circumstances such as cost of removing the equipment from your facility and who bore the burden of that expense.

If the machinery you're donating has a value anywhere near where the cutoffs for the tax agencies you're dealing with, a donation appraisal is a vital part of the process. Fortunately, when you're working with a certified equipment appraiser, you can even have the equipment you've already donated appraised as of the date of its donation, making it easier to deal with tax agency issues that you may have missed at the time of the donation. Working with a certified appraiser ensures that the methodology used in calculating value will be accepted by tax agencies and courts of law if necessary.

When you need to have your equipment valued, what do you need to look for in an equipment appraisal firm? If you're not sure, you're not alone. A lot of companies and individuals who want to have their equipment valued don't know what to look for in an appraisal firm. Here's a quick look at some of the traits you should look for before hiring a machinery appraisal firm to document your equipment values.

What should you look for in a high-quality equipment appraisal firm?

At first glance, it can seem as though you already have a wide number of resources available to determine the value of your equipment. You can find similar equipment for sale in a sales flier and base your equipment values off of that value. You could go down to your local equipment dealer and ask for an estimate on trade-in value for your machinery. You could go to a few auctions and see what similar equipment sells for to get a better idea of what the market will bear. These will give you values for your equipment.

However, they're not going to give you an accurate value for your machinery.

When you hire a company to appraise your equipment, you're not trying to get someone's pie-in-the-sky figure that they'll hope they can get for your equipment. Your equipment value shouldn't be based on whether your equipment dealer is trying to convince you that the equipment you have is worthless or if they're willing to give you more than your equipment is worth to push one more sale for the quarter. Your equipment isn't being sold as a last option to raise a little cash, unlike the machinery you'll see at auction.

When you're getting ready to have your equipment appraised, you'll want to look for a certified equipment appraiser who has experience in your industry. Why this particular combination? 

A certified equipment appraiser has gone through a lot of education and experience to become certified. They've learned a great deal, not only about the machinery that they are appraising, but also about the practice of appraisal. They are able to determine exactly which type of value needs to be calculated for your specific situation, whether you need to sell equipment quickly due to a death or disability of the equipment owner, wait for the right price from the right buyer or just record the equipment's value for insurance, donation, tax or other purposes.

An appraiser who has experience in your industry not only deals with equipment on a daily basis, but deals with equipment that is specifically like yours on a daily basis. This gives them a level of familiarity with what your machinery is, how it operates and what to look for in terms of performance, expected useful lifespan and wear. With this knowledge, they can make a solid calculation of your equipment's value.

By hiring a good equipment appraisal firm, you can be assured that the machinery values you're provided with are accurate. You'll know that value will hold up well against strong scrutiny in a wide range of situations. Those values will give you a solid background for your accounting books and a good place to negotiate from when selling that machinery. When you hire a quality valuation company, the benefits you receive will last for years to come.

Most people have come to expect the arrival of their personal property tax bill every year. But every year, there's always a few who get an unpleasant surprise. Sticker shock is rough enough, but when it's on your property tax assessment, it can be even more alarming. Fortunately, you do have alternatives to paying a too-high assessment. Here's a quick overview of what you should expect when you go through a personal property tax appeal.

What Do You Need to Know for a Personal Property Tax Appeal?

1. Start the process. In most situations, directions for starting the appeal process is included with the tax bill. If it isn't, it can be as simple as calling the tax agency's number to learn how the process is handled. In either situation, start the process as quickly as possible to ensure you'll be able to clear the problem up sooner.
2. Find what documentation you already have available. If the property is new this year, it's fairly easy for it to be mistaken for another model, trim level or other easily verified error, which can lead to an incorrect assessment. In that situation, you may be able to prove the equipment's value from the invoice. However, if it's had any use at all, you may want to consider that the value may have already dropped, much like when a truck leaves the dealer's lot with the new owner.
3. Consider whether that documentation represents an accurate value. If it's new equipment that had any use at all, you may want to consider that the value may have already dropped, much like when a truck leaves the dealer's lot with the new owner. In addition, if the equipment has been used hard, it may have already depreciated in value enough that even a reasonable tax assessment may be much higher than the equipment's actual value.
4. Get a certified appraisal report. If you can't come up with any documentation of the value, or if you feel that the value may have changed since that documentation was produced, your next option is to get an appraisal performed. However, you'll want to make sure the individual performing the appraisal has experience working with that type of equipment - after all, the tax assessor who first determined the value used by the tax office deals with a wide range of property, but usually doesn't have the specialized knowledge to deal with the variances in particular equipment types.
5. Send or bring your documentation to the tax agency for the appeal. Once you have your documentation in hand, present it to the tax agency in the manner recommended in their appeal process. If you're providing an appraisal report, make sure that it's from a certified appraiser who knows what methodologies to apply in your case.

By taking the time to fight a bad personal property tax appeal, you're protecting your bottom line. If you do need to have an appraisal performed on your equipment, please remember to have it performed by a certified appraiser. The certification process provides the appraiser with the knowledge and expertise to use the right methodologies for your case, methodologies that have been proven in a wide range of situations, including personal property taxes. When you follow these simple steps, your bad appraisal can soon be a thing of the past.

When it comes to life, there are two things that are certain: death and taxes. However, just because you need to pay taxes doesn't mean you should just pay a bad tax appraisal that reflects too high a value for your machinery without a fight. But when it comes time to appeal your bad tax assessment, how will you verify the value of your machinery? With a certified equipment appraisal. Here's why it's important to use one to build your case.

Fight a bad tax appraisal with a certified equipment valuation

You know it's coming, at the same time as it does every year - property taxes. If you own significant machinery, it can seem almost inevitable that you'll be paying a high amount for your taxes again this year. But when you look at the appraised value of your equipment, is that value in line with what the equipment is actually worth?

Tax appraisers and assessors spend a lot of time trying to figure out the value of a wide range of items, from real estate to industrial machinery to the car you drive every day. Unfortunately, this means that they're not always very accurate when assessing something that's different from what they see on a daily basis. It's probably pretty common for a property tax assessor to determine the value of a compact sedan or a three bedroom, two bath house. But the equipment that is your company's livelihood is usually much more rare. This can cause serious problems when it's time for the tax assessment.

The appraiser may make a mistake by assuming that your equipment is in better or worse shape than the reality of the situation. You may have a beaten backhoe that was appraised on book value even though it's been through two floods and had significant damage from a tumble down a steep embankment last year. You could also run into issues when an assessor thinks that you have a 48 HP tractor instead of the much lighter-weight 18 HP tractor that is only worth half as much. Issues like these should not be allowed to stand and should be challenged through an appeal.

But how do you provide verification of what your equipment is actually worth? One of the best methods is to have a certified equipment appraiser prepare an appraisal report on that machinery. An equipment appraiser deals with machinery all day long, providing them with a strong level of knowledge and experience on the equipment in question. This also means they can easily tell the amount of wear your equipment has received over the years, allowing them to best appraise how that wear has impacted its value. Because a certified appraiser goes through a certain amount of education and experience, they use standardized methodologies that have been tested in tax agency circles for years.

By taking the time to get a certified equipment valuation, you can fight a bad tax appraisal and win. But beyond a simple property tax appeal, you can gain additional benefits from your valuation, including verifying value for insurance claims, providing proof of value for a sale, documenting machinery condition and similar areas of concern. Make sure you work with a certified equipment appraiser to ensure you'll get an accurate appraisal that will provide you with significant benefits.

When your business has a significant investment in your equipment assets, knowing the value of those assets and having the ability to leverage that capital can make all the difference when you're trying to grow your company. Though you could simply take an equipment dealer's word on that value, a bank appraisal can provide you with an accurate value that takes a wide range of factors into account. Here's a quick overview of how this type of equipment appraisal helps you leverage your company's machinery assets for better growth.

How can a bank appraisal help you get more out of your equipment?

If you're considering growing or making changes to your business, it's pretty common to pursue bank financing to make those changes. However, with the increased rules and regulations that were put into place following the 2008 recession for business loans, many financial institutions are requiring additional assurance that you have the ability to pay back a loan. One of the areas where this can impact your company's assets is through an appraisal of your company's machinery. How does this type of appraisal work and what other benefits can you reap from the process?

A financial appraisal takes a solid look at your company's assets and their value in the free market. A certified equipment appraiser spends their days reviewing equipment values. This gives them a very specialized skill set and an advanced knowledge of machinery that can be leveraged for your company's growth.

To start, the equipment appraiser will look at the equipment's condition. Because they have extensive experience working with a wide range of equipment, they know what to look for in terms of wear and tear, potential abuse issues and overall value on the open market. This also makes them very good at noticing potential issues with your equipment that may have otherwise been missed. By catching these issues early, you can make repairs or additional maintenance before small, easy problems become big, expensive ones.

Another area where you can see strong benefits for your company is by knowing the right value for your equipment. Most companies use tax-agency-based depreciation tables to determine what equipment is actually worth. However, that doesn't mean that the value from those tables is correct. Almost every company has a piece or two of ancient equipment that is still providing exceptional service long after it was declared worthless by the depreciation tables, whether it's an aging table saw or an old truck that keeps on rolling. At the same time, many companies have purchased equipment that has failed prematurely, either through abuse or excessive use, or through poor engineering and design. These same depreciation tables show that equipment as having value long after it has become virtually worthless.

Knowing what your equipment is worth through a solid bank appraisal allows you to leverage that equipment to grow your company into a promising new future. But don't trust just anyone who knows a little about equipment values to give you an accurate value. Certified equipment appraisers use tested methodologies that hold up well in virtually all circles, whether financial, legal, insurance or tax concerns are under scrutiny. Make sure you work with a certified appraiser to ensure the money you spend on an appraisal provides you with the most accurate results available.

When equipment you've invested in has become obsolete, it can wreak havoc on your business' accounting, especially when it has not yet been fully depreciated. How do you deal with economic obsolescence in your company? Here's a quick look at what it is and how to best deal with it when it happens in your business.

How equipment appraisal helps you deal with economic obsolescence

I remember the first time I ran into a case of economic obsolescence in a piece of business equipment. Back in 1992, my parents invested in a 286 computer for their business, to run accounting and correspondence. Several years later, I found them a newer computer for the business, so the older desktop came home. Following a number of creative hacks to try to keep the system running for nearly 18 years, my mother finally asked, "That old computer probably isn't good for much more than a boat anchor anymore, is it?" The rejoicing at that point, albeit quietly in my head, was epic.

When equipment is no longer able to be updated to remain useful, it's said to have become obsolete. Economic obsolescence is the point at which it costs more to try to maintain older equipment than to replace it. Unfortunately, this can cause some serious problems with your company's books, especially if the machinery is not yet fully depreciated.

One industry where this regularly happens is IT. Because of the rapid progression of computer technology, it can seem as though every week a faster processor, bigger hard drive or a larger memory stick is coming out. Software from three years ago is no longer being supported by the developer, making it impossible to take care of security issues. When these assets are not yet fully depreciated, they still show value on the books even though they have become completely unusable in daily operations. 

That doesn't mean you won't get any money for it in a sale, but it would require spending time, effort and money to find the right buyer. Some computer companies build their own testing labs by purchasing older systems that may be used by their clients, but these labs are not where the company makes money as much as where they provide customer support and service to ensure the product they're developing will work well on the client's system. Though it has some value for the company, it's not in the profit sector of the company, so is often disregarded in terms of value.

For this reason, an equipment appraisal can help fix this problem. Because a certified equipment appraiser should have experience in the industry in question, they typically have a good grasp of when a technology or piece of equipment is no longer able to remain competitive in the real world. They can help provide a value for the equipment that is realistic, and their appraisal is well documented.

When you have a situation of economic obsolescence in your company, one of the best options to record the loss of machinery value is through an equipment appraisal. When you work with a certified appraiser, they have a good grasp of your industry's rate of progress and understand when certain classes of machinery become obsolete. Because they use standardized methodologies, their appraisal report will stand up well to scrutiny from outside interests, whether it's the legal system, a tax agency, an insurance company or a financial institution.

As a business, your investment in your equipment is a large part of your overall assets. Knowing how long that equipment will continue to operate is an important piece of information to help you plan your company's future expenditures. But the remaining useful life can be hard to determine. Fortunately, there's a way to get around the difficulty in determining this expected lifespan. Machine appraisers spend all day looking at and appraising equipment, so they not only have experience in how to calculate the estimated remaining lifespan but also know how to recognize signs that may extend or shorten machine lifespan. Here's a quick look at the overall process and what aspects may impact your equipment's estimated remaining life.

How does a machine appraiser determine remaining useful life?

Machines, like people, can age at different rates. Imagine a two-pack-a-day smoker with bad genetics who has done heavy construction and drinks a six pack every evening, before taking a ride down into some scary parts of town while never going to the doctor. If this individual made it past 50, it would be a miracle. The health guru with perfect genetics, a stress-free life and a love for fitness who regularly has health screenings may expect to live past the century mark at this point. Much like people who do or don't take care of themselves, machines can fail at different rates.

One area that can quickly impact machine lifespan is the environment in which it is used. Much like the smoker, a piece of equipment that is kept in a damp, dirty environment with extreme temperatures will tend to degrade much faster than one kept in a clean, dry environment with regulated temperatures. The bad genetics would represent the expected overall lifespan of a specific model of equipment, such as a model known for issues that will not last as long as similar models because of poor manufacturing, materials or mechanical problems. At the same time, the heavy construction background represents hard use of the machine. Equipment that has been used at the very top of its range of specifications, received hard use in a short period of time or otherwise abused will have a much shorter lifespan than may otherwise be expected.

When an equipment appraiser looks at a piece of machinery, there are a number of clues they can take into account. In addition to already knowing a rough range of estimated overall lifespan, the appraiser can look at the exterior for signs of abuse, including dents, bends or evidence of poorly-made repairs to determine any excessive use the equipment may have received. A look at internal components may reveal failing mechanisms that could cause a serious failure down the road. Checking out the environment may lead to details about whether a fresh coat of paint may stop corrosion or if the rust may cause a premature failure.

The process of estimating remaining useful life can be a daunting task, but with an equipment appraiser taking over the process, you'll quickly have the information you need for your business planning purposes. Be sure to check whether your equipment appraiser is certified, as the methodologies used by certified equipment appraisers have stood up to strong scrutiny in a wide range of situations. This means the remaining equipment lifespan they estimate for you is much more likely to be a good tool for your business planning needs.