When you're dealing with a local tax agency over the value of your property, it can be a frustrating experience. Fortunately, there's one tool you can bring to bear that will prove the worth of your equipment assets beyond any other: equipment valuation. By having a property tax appeals appraisal performed on your machinery, you'll have an independent source verifying the value of your equipment. Here's a look at how the process works and how it backs up the value of your equipment.

How a Property Tax Appeals Appraisal Helps You Win!

Equipment values can be estimated in several different ways, and tax assessors may or may not be using an appropriate method to determine your tax liability on that equipment. In many cases, tax assessors are dealing with a very wide range of property when they're trying to determine value. Homes, boats, cars, business structures, machinery, livestock: these are all property that a tax assessor must attempt to determine value on. They don't specialize in any one area, so it can be very difficult to accurately determine value with the sheer variety of assets they must assess.

An equipment appraiser, on the other hand, tends to specialize in specific types of equipment, and only equipment. This puts them in a much better position to determine the value of your machinery. They have a much better grasp of the nuances between types of injection molding machinery or metal presses, as an example. This means that they know that the machine that you're using in your business is worth more or less than the one being used at a similar facility a half mile away. 

They're also well practiced in calculating value. When a certified appraiser goes through the certification process, they're being taught a range of different methods to calculate value. This education ensures that they know which methodology to use in which situation, so your equipment is being properly valued when they work through the process. The final calculation provides a solid basis for value.

But why are these methodologies so much better than the ones your tax assessor uses? Because valuation is the appraiser's business, they use methodologies that have already been tested in a wide range of real-world situations. In financial circles, insurance claims, court cases and tax appeals, these methodologies have been put to the test time and time again and have come out ahead. Because they've been through this process, equipment appraisals that are performed using these methodologies are viewed in a favorable light in these circles. This ensures that your appraisal will help you prove value and win your appeal quickly.

By having a property tax appeals appraisal performed on your equipment, you can quickly prove the exact value of your equipment without having to spend a lot of time arguing with the tax board. However, these benefits only apply if you're working with a certified equipment appraiser, because the methodologies, experience and education mentioned above are taught during their certification process. If you're not sure whether the appraiser you're considering working with is certified or not, take a few minutes to ask about what their professional certifications and qualifications are to ensure you're hiring the right person for the job.

What are your company's spare parts really worth? If valuing spare parts inventory isn't the first thing that crosses your mind when it comes to keeping your business in operation, you're probably not alone. However, despite being a less than glamorous part of your business, your spare parts can actually tie up a large portion of your business assets. Knowing the value of that asset helps you make smart decisions on asset recovery and what to do with outdated parts that may do better sold and replaced for your business. Here's a look at several ways that having your spare parts inventory valued can improve your company's position.

5 Ways That Valuing Spare Parts Inventory Benefits Your Bottom Line

1. Is it capitalizable or is it prepaid parts? This is one question that is best answered based on the part's value. If it's gone up in value, it could be capitalizable. If it's lost or maintained value, it can be expensed as a prepaid part instead. Whichever approach you take to keep your books up to date, having an accurate value for the part is vital to determining where its overall place should be in your accounting system.
2. Are your books accurate? Accounting inaccuracies are one of the top reasons people have valuations performed on all kinds of assets, because parts that are expensed or capitalized may not reflect an accurate value in your books. If they've been depreciated, gained value due to difficulties in production or similar issues, your books may not reflect accurate numbers.
3. Can you leverage the value of your spare parts? If you have an extensive spare parts inventory, such as that which might be kept by an appliance repair company, those spare parts have value, which you can leverage to grow your business. Imagine securing a loan for a new repair truck this way, as the assets only go away when you're generating more income to pay the loan.
4. Is it worth keeping the spare parts around anymore? If the equipment that the spare parts have been stored for has been sold or has become obsolete, there may be no reason to keep the spare parts around. In this situation, selling those parts and either purchasing parts for the equipment you currently use or leveraging that profit for other uses may be a smart way to manage your company's assets.
5. What condition is it in? If your spare parts inventory is rarely checked and has parts that can degrade, such as rubber dry rotting or plastic becoming brittle, it may not be worth what you think it should be worth. This means you'll need to replace it at expense rather than having it ready to go when it's needed most, delaying production and wasting resources.

By taking the time for valuing spare parts inventory, you can effectively leverage the value of these parts in your overall business plan while realizing accurate figures in your books at the same time. However, the valuation process can be difficult, subject to many shifting market forces that you may not have considered. Using a certified equipment appraiser to determine the value of your spare parts inventory sets you up for success, with a verifiable report of value that holds up well to strong scrutiny in a wide range of situations.

Whether you're a smaller business that has some computer assets of questionable value or a large corporation focused strongly on digitization and technology, having an IT equipment appraisal performed can make a huge difference in your company's bottom line, often in ways you wouldn't have considered. With the fast pace of improvement and innovation in hardware and IT assets, you may consider that equipment to already be obsolete, but the answer may surprise you. Here's a quick look at how having your IT equipment appraised by a certified equipment appraiser can make a big difference to your company's financial situation.

Using IT Equipment Appraisal to Benefit Your Company's Bottom Line

• Old equipment worthless? It may not be. Companies that test their software on legacy systems are often willing to pay top dollar for older machinery, giving you options for resale that you may not have considered. Plus, if it's able to keep up with future needs, it may not be time to replace it just because it's gained a few years of operational time, provided that it's in good condition.
• Speaking of that, let's talk about the condition. There's a good chance that if you took good care of your equipment by keeping it in a dry, cool, clean environment, it may still provide many years of reliable service. Equipment that is poorly kept, such as being kept in damp, hot or dusty conditions, will not last nearly as long.
• Because certified appraisers work with IT equipment on a daily basis, they know what to look for in terms of wear and tear and overall condition. This allows them to make an educated judgment about the estimated remaining useful lifespan of your IT assets, allowing you to make a smart decision about whether you should retain or replace your aging machinery.
• Are you're considering buying another company's discards to up your IT game? Before you do, you may want to have the equipment you're considering appraised for all of the reasons mentioned above. This will help you avoid purchasing equipment that may not provide you with the benefits you're expecting for any period of time, helping you to make smart decisions in your investment process.
• Thinking about selling your old IT equipment? Having an appraisal performed on that equipment allows you to not only know what to ask for it, it provides you with solid documentation of what the equipment is actually worth. This puts you in a solid position of power when negotiating, especially when dealing with prospective buyers who want to strike a hard deal at your expense.

As you can see by the above information, having an IT equipment appraisal performed on your company's computer assets can make a huge difference in your profitability, growth and ability to expand operations without a lot of risk. However, this only happens when you use a certified equipment appraiser. If you try to use your equipment vendor, they'll quite often tell you what they think you'll want to hear in a way that would benefit their company, by increasing their sales. A certified equipment appraiser is an independent third party who will provide you with an unbiased calculation of your equipment's overall value, allowing you to make a smart decision for your company's benefit.

When you work with petroleum, your equipment works just as hard as you do to get the job done. But have you ever considered what that equipment is actually worth? The process of appraising oil & gas industry equipment can be a complex process, but it follows standardized methodologies to calculate a value that is accurate to your specific equipment. Here's a look at how the process of appraising petroleum equipment works.

What Happens When Oil & Gas Industry Equipment is Appraised?

When you're having your oil & gas equipment appraised, there are a wide range of options that are considered while the value is being calculated. To start, you'll want to work with a certified equipment appraiser who has experience appraising machinery that is used in the oil & gas industry. This means that they're already familiar with that machinery, making it much easier to get the results of your appraisal more quickly. 

The first step in the process happens when you contact the appraisal company and are connected with an appraiser who has experience in your industry. Once the appraiser returns the contact, they gather information from you about the equipment that you need to have appraised. Having that information available at the time of contact will make this part of the process go much more quickly. That information should also include the year of manufacture, the manufacturers, the models and any accessories, kits or options that were added to the equipment.

After the appraiser has gathered this basic information, they can begin to look into further details about each piece of equipment. They can determine the usual useful lifespan for that equipment, what it tends to sell for on the open market, any particular issues that it commonly has issues with and what the current demand is for that machinery. 

Once this step is complete, the appraiser will take a solid look at the equipment itself. They'll look for signs of abuse, records of maintenance and repairs, potential issues or points of failure that are showing up, wear and tear on the equipment itself. They'll consider how long the equipment has been in use compared to the usual length of time that it tends to usually last in the field. This information all ties into the final value that is calculated on your equipment.

Following the gathering of this information, the appraiser uses a set of standardized methodologies to determine the value of your equipment. These methodologies have been tested over decades of exposure in courts of law, financial circles, insurance claims, tax agencies and machinery sales. This means that the information will provide you with solid information to base your company's future decisions on, decisions that can make or break your company if they're not made properly. 

Your company's oil & gas industry equipment is a big part of your company's assets, so taking care of those assets by maintaining a solid calculation of those assets' value helps you keep accurate books. This, in turn, gives you the information you need to make smart decisions when the market is unstable or new opportunities present themselves. Without this information available, you may end up making decisions based on inaccurate books, which can put your company at serious risk. However, it's important to work with a certified equipment appraiser who has experience in your industry.

Whether you've had a recent loss or are simply planning your retirement and estate, dealing with your machinery can be a serious issue. Fortunately, estate settlement equipment appraisal can provide you with a lot of the answers you need to get everything settled properly, allowing your family to more easily get through the process with fewer arguments and hurt feelings. Here's a look at how the process works, including a few different situations where different approaches may be used to calculate value.

How Does Estate Settlement Equipment Appraisal Happen?

Let's start by taking a look at a couple different situations. In the first, the family of the deceased is happy to wait for the right buyer to maximize their benefits. They want to get the best possible value for the equipment and have conveyed this to the appraiser, who uses fair market value to determine the value of the equipment assets of the estate. The machinery is listed on the market, but may not sell quickly. This can be an issue if the space it is located in needs to be sold or a lease ended.

In the second situation, the family simply wants to have the process finished as quickly as possible so that they can plan for the future. At this point, the appraiser uses a different approach to calculate the value of the machinery, because they assume that the equipment must be sold at a discount to make it sell faster. Referred to as liquidation value, this can either be used as a forced liquidation, which provides the minimum value, or ordered liquidation, which allows at least a short amount of time to find a better buyer.

But what if the family members don't agree on what should be done with the machinery? Perhaps one family member will be continuing the business. In this case, the fair market value that is calculated can be used as a basis to secure a bank loan to pay off the remaining family members, allowing them to quickly receive their funds while the family member who is continuing the business has an easier approval process, because the value of the machinery has already been verified through a standardized methodology.

In yet another situation, some of the family members want to wait for the best possible return while others want to have the process completed quickly. In this situation, having individual machines appraised means that the estate can be split, with those who want the best possible return holding onto their equipment and those who want to quickly turn the estate around selling at liquidation rates. If you think you may face this situation, it may make sense to split the estate in advance of need and have the groups appraised accordingly to expedite the process.

By incorporating estate settlement equipment appraisal into your overall estate planning or settlement process, you can rest at ease knowing that the value of your machinery is being calculated by a professional appraiser who understands your industry and the issues that are involved with estate settlement. However, it's vital that you work with a certified equipment appraiser, as this ensures that the methodologies used will bear up in legal and financial circles, such as probate court or a family member who needs to get a loan to finance buying out other parties in the business.

If you have a factory, you already know how much of your company's assets are tied up in your production line. But what are those assets really worth? The process of having a production line equipment appraisal can seem complex and confusing, but it's actually a straightforward set of calculations that follow a regular process. However, it's a process best done by a certified equipment appraiser. Why? There are a number of special aspects of the process that needs to be handled by a professional to ensure that they're done correctly. Here's a quick look at the overall process and some of the complexities involved.

How Complex Is Production Line Equipment Appraisal for Manufacturing?

• To start, the appraiser will gather basic information about all the different equipment that is being used on it, such as the year it was put into use, the manufacturer and model, any options, kits or modifications from the basic model and the number of hours and conditions it has been used it. This allows them to gather any additional information that they need to know to appraise the equipment, including information on past equipment that they've already appraised.
• They'll then ask about current issues, maintenance and repair that has been done on each piece of equipment. This provides them with some background on how well the equipment has been cared for and what condition it may be in. This is part of the process of determining the remaining useful lifespan for the machinery, which is a vital part of determining its value. As an example, you would almost certainly pay more for a piece of machinery that is expected to remain in productive use for ten years versus one that was expected to fail within a couple years.
• Next, they'll examine the equipment itself. This allows them to see if there are any potential issues that have not been caught yet. This can include issues such as small hydraulic leaks, pulleys that are going out of alignment, gears that are beginning to wear or slip, lowering performance levels or similar indicators that can lead to expensive repairs or potential issues down the road, giving you the opportunity to make vital repairs.
• Additionally, the appraiser will take into consideration unique challenges that face your industry, whether they're specific to your industry or to the market as a whole. This can include issues such as a market downturn that has caused a large surplus of that type of equipment on the market, driving down prices or whether there's strong growth in another region that can be leveraged to sell older equipment at the best possible premium.

When you're having a production line equipment appraisal performed, there are any number of factors that can come into effect during the process that will need to be considered. However, the appraisal report that you receive from a certified equipment appraiser will provide you with much more information beyond the value of your production line. Because an equipment appraiser works with a wide range of machinery on a daily basis, they'll be able to compare your equipment to other machinery they've looked at and give you valuable insights, such as prospective failure points, longevity and other information that will help you make smart decisions about your production line management.

Today's healthcare practice is facing any number of challenges on a daily basis. No-shows for appointments, changes to EHR and HIPPA practices, new treatments and medications, and an endless sea of patients who need to be seen as quickly as possible. Having the right tools can make a huge difference in how efficiently your practice operates, but many physicians and practice managers aren't quite sure how to make those changes effectively. Fortunately, something as simple as a medical equipment appraisal can make a huge difference in your practice's bottom line. Here's how.

How Medical Equipment Appraisal Can Help Your Practice Get Ahead

To start, what does your practice need to have to improve efficiency and patient outcomes? Is it new equipment that works well with your EHR system and digitization strategy? Maybe it's a new EHR suite that takes your interoperability to a whole new level. A new location to spread your practice's influence and make it easier for patients to reach you? What about social responsibility obligations to organizations such as Doctors Without Borders?

 To make these changes happen, you need to invest capital. But how much capital do you actually have? Are your assets listed accurately in the books, or are there discrepancies that could cause your practice serious issues down the road? This is one of the reasons why having an appraisal performed on your medical equipment can be so very beneficial to your practice. If you don't know the value of your equipment, will you get a good deal on new equipment or be taken advantage of? Can you secure loans for that new EHR suite or location without knowing those values? What will the value of your equipment donation to charitable organizations actually end up being and how will it impact your bottom line?

When you have a professional appraisal performed by a certified equipment appraiser, you're gaining much more than the knowledge of the value of your medical equipment. You're receiving the calculated opinion of a professional who is well-versed in medical equipment and understands the many nuances of your industry. They're able to then provide you with a carefully crafted report that will not only document your equipment's value, but can serve as a valuable tool in its own right.

Because a certified equipment appraiser has been taught to use standardized methodologies that have been well-tested in a wide range of real-world circumstances, the report that they prepare is able to stand up to strong scrutiny in financial, insurance, legal and tax agency circles. Having this verified information available quickly will make it much easier for you to document equipment value for a loan, an insurance claim, a court case, a tax appeal, a sale negotiation and many other circumstances you may not have considered yet.

By taking the time to have a medical equipment appraisal performed on your practice's machinery, you can take advantage of the equity in that equipment to improve your practice, whether through selling the machinery to upgrade your practice's capabilities, securing a loan for EHR upgrades or adding accuracy to your balance sheet to provide peace of mind and better accountability. However, these advantages can only be realized when you use a certified equipment appraiser to go over your practice's assets. They have the knowledge and experience to ensure that the final values you are presented with are accurate and the report generated useable for your future needs.

using market data under the cost approach

When you're dealing with tax issues, getting an appraisal for tax purposes can quickly help you to clear up any problems with the value of your equipment.  However, that's not the only reason you should get an equipment appraisal done at that time! Appraisals provide you with a world of other benefits as well, many of which you may not have considered. Here's a quick look at some of the reasons you should get an equipment appraisal when dealing with a tax issue.

5 Reasons to Get an Equipment Appraisal for Tax Purposes

1. To prove value. Is your equipment worth what the book says, what the sale magazine says or what eBay says? It may be none of the above. Your equipment is in a specific condition and has a particular expected useful lifespan that can't be quickly be determined by simply looking at another piece of machinery. It takes years of experience and training to understand the full intricacies of equipment value.
2. To fight a bad appraisal. If you're dealing with a tax issue, there's a good chance it's a bad tax appraisal. Tax assessors need to estimate value on a wide range of items, not just your equipment, and they often do that job badly. Fortunately, they'll virtually always listen to the opinion of a certified equipment appraiser, and if they won't, the appeals board will.
3. To have a record of depreciation over time. How much value has your equipment lost since you purchased it? Knowing this information is vital not only on your tax paperwork, but also to the assets that you have on your books. It's hard to make a solid business decision when your books and balance sheet are not completely accurate, but an appraisal helps you sort out this issue.
4. To get a timeline on replacement. Should you budget to replace that equipment this year, next year or in five years? It's really hard for most people to estimate the remaining useful lifespan of a piece of equipment, but machinery appraisers do it every day. They can also help point out potential repairs that may lengthen that lifespan, buying you precious time to get a little more income before the big investment.
5. To have on hand for future uses. An equipment appraisal gives you proof of value and when prepared by a certified equipment appraiser, uses tested methodologies that will hold up in court, at your financial institution, with your insurance company, when selling machinery and in a number of other situations. By having one on hand that is recent, you can deal with a whole world of potential issues quickly and easily.

Getting a machinery appraisal for tax purposes is an excellent idea, especially when dealing with a tax assessment that was inaccurate. But as you can see, it's not the only good reason for getting an equipment appraisal performed. Knowing the actual value of your machinery gives you a solid basis for any number of business ventures, and having that value calculated by a certified equipment appraiser gives you a strong position for many future issues you may run into. The report that is generated by a certified appraiser will hold up well not only with tax agencies, but also with financial institutions, court systems and any number of other situations. 

Whether you're dealing with an estate, the breakup of a partnership or a lawsuit, a business dispute appraisal can provide you with tools to prove the value of your equipment from those who would inflate or deflate its value for their own benefit. But exactly how does this type of appraisal impact your machinery value and how does it benefit your side of the situation? Here's a quick look to help you get started.

How Does a Machinery Appraisal Factor into a Business Dispute?

Let's take a look at a few situations in which a business dispute appraisal may help you prove the value of your assets. This doesn't mean that the appraiser will automatically provide you with a higher or lower figure than the other side, just one that has been calculated fairly using tested, standardized methodologies:

• A nasty divorce is pitting two sides of a business against each other. One person wants out, the other wants to keep the company. The one who wants out wants top dollar for the years they put into the business, and isn't afraid to inflate the company's value and the value of its machinery assets. The one who is staying with the company resents this manipulation and therefore wants to only pay a fair market value. This could also be the other way around, with the individual who is leaving the business only wanting what's fair while the one staying with the company deliberately lowballing the value of the business and its equipment assets. A dispute appraisal determines the actual value of the equipment.
• When a long-run business suddenly loses its owner to a heart attack or car accident, the family is suddenly faced with splitting up the business. However, some family members are willing to wait for the right buyers at a higher price while other family members want to quickly liquidate the equipment and assets in order to get on with their lives instead of dragging out the entire process. How do you determine the fair value to make everyone as happy as possible? A dispute appraisal looks at the entire situation and helps determine what would be a fair value all the way around.
• Tragedy strikes, and a worker is killed on the job at your construction site. The surviving family members sue your company, going after everything they can in their pain, and are determined to take it all. They know a little about the industry and have seen equipment like yours go for a lot of money. But what they don't understand is that your equipment is headed towards end of life or was used and abused rather badly during that fast-track project a couple years ago. How do you prove to them what the value of your machinery really is? A dispute appraisal.

By starting out with a solid grasp of your equipment's value, a business dispute appraisal gives you the verified information you need to fight for your rights in any number of different situations. However, not every person who represents themselves as an appraiser can provide you with the solid calculations and tested methodologies you need to get the job done. Make sure that you only work with a professionally-certified appraiser who has experience in your industry as well as with valuation disputes.

For business owners, creating an equitable division of assets during a divorce means taking the value of existing equipment into account. Since divorces can be contentious matters, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when planning to get equipment appraised before a divorce. 

What to Expect in a Divorce Appraisal

During a divorce, couples must split all marital assets. Just as the couple will need to divide the house and the cars, a divorcing couple with a business must divide the company's assets.

Circumstances vary, but a general rule of thumb is that anything owned by one party before the marriage does not count as a marital asset, thus is exempt from being split. Any property, personal or business, acquired after the marriage counts as a marital asset and must be shared. So if one person owned a van before getting married, they maintain ownership of the van, but if the van was acquired as a company car after the wedding, its value must be split. 

In order to divide assets fairly, the couple must agree on their worth. While it's relatively easy to get a valuation of a van using Kelly Blue Book or the equivalent, it's not so easy to get the valuation of business assets. That's where an appraiser comes in: A qualified appraiser can examine the company's equipment and calculate value, so the couple can move on with the division of marital assets. 

After all of the equipment has been valued, lawyers can determine how to split all of the couple's assets equitably. In some cases, one party may want to buy the other party out of their share of business assets. Other times, the business owner may decide to sell off certain assets, then give the proceeds to their ex. A third option is to retain business assets and give the ex a greater share of personal assets. 

Divorce Appraisal Concerns 

Maintaining fairness can be difficult in a divorce, as emotions run high on both sides. Sometimes, one party can be tempted to hide assets as a way to punish their soon-to-be ex. Even when both sides are playing fair, the lower-earning spouse can worry about whether they are really receiving everything they're entitled to by law. For this reason an appraisal list, which lists all company equipment to be valued, can guide the process. Once both sides have agreed to the list, the appraisal can move ahead. It's key to select an appraiser who is experienced with divorce appraisals and taking equipment valuations. If things aren't valued correctly, then both sides are harmed.  

Once an appraiser has been chosen, they will value all equipment. An appraiser might take a market approach to equipment valuation, which examines recent sales prices of similar items. This approach is best for common items, since data is available.

The cost approach works well in the absence of recent sales data. In this valuation method, the appraiser determines how much it would cost to replace the equipment new, and then subtracts value lost due to depreciation or obsolescence. To accurately assess how much value the existing equipment has lost, the appraiser may need maintenance records, purchase receipts, and other data. 

Business owners or their spouses who are undergoing a divorce should identify an experienced appraiser early on, so there's a lead time in which the appraiser can get valuation. Our equipment appraisers can work with one spouse, both parties, and their attorneys to develop a divorce appraisal that is objective, so marital assets may be split equitably.