When you've kept your medical facility off of the market and it's privately held, what happens when you need to make changes or decisions about the business that are dependent on its value? A private medical facility equipment appraisal can help you determine exactly what you have and what it's worth, giving you the information you need to make smart decisions for your facility. Whether you run a nursing home, hospital, physical therapy center or similar facility, knowing what happens during the equipment appraisal process can help you through the process.

What Happens in a Private Medical Facility Equipment Appraisal?

Though medical equipment does have its own markets for resale and value, these markets are somewhat limited and may be strongly influenced based on location, new medical discoveries and new treatments. These create challenges to the market that are unique, because most other industries don't follow these same types of trends when determining the value of machinery. But whether it's an MRI, exam table, heart monitor or other durable medical equipment, the equipment should be considered when you're undertaking important decisions for your medical facility. Why? Because that value impacts the decisions you're making by providing you with a solid financial picture of your facility.

But why should you have an equipment appraisal performed on your private medical facility's equipment? As equipment ages, it loses value, which is why it's value is depreciated on tax tables for accounting purposes. However, the value from the table isn't necessarily the end value of the equipment. We've all had pieces of machinery that were completely depreciated within a few years, but continued to provide solid service for many years beyond that point. That equipment has value and should be included in the estimated value of your private medical facility's assets. It can be used to secure loans, provide an accurate view of your medical facility's financial health, as a negotiating point for the sale of the facility and many other purposes. The best way to determine that value is through an equipment appraisal from an accredited appraisal specialist. 

During the equipment appraisal process, the appraiser will take a look at the value of comparable machinery, preferably the same model from the same manufacturer. This value will then be adjusted, using a tested methodology that has been tested in a wide range of legal, insurance, tax and financial circles. These adjustments are based on the equipment's overall condition, whether it has signs of abuse, if it appears to be fully functional, demand for the equipment in the market and other factors that may come into play in the process. The information is condensed into an appraisal report.

Your equipment is a large part of your facility's assets, and knowing its value is vital to ensuring that you'll be able to leverage those assets when you need them. Having the information from your valuation report available makes it easier to decide when equipment should be replaced, when it should be leveraged for collateral to grow your business or other important decisions for your asset recovery strategy. However, it's important to work with an independent, accredited equipment appraisal specialist in these situations, because as an independent third party, the appraiser will have no interest in working in favor of a supplier, manufacturer or other sales-based organization.

When you own or operate a golf course, country club or similar facility, keeping your customers and members happy is a vital part of the success of your business. But when it comes time to update your facility, take advantage of a local land sale for expansion or undertake new construction, do you really know what your business is worth? Older equipment may have been fully depreciated, but is still a vital part of regular operations. A large part of your overall assets can be tied up in a range of different types of equipment, and knowing what that machinery is worth gives you a strong advantage when you're considering a bank loan, need to deal with insurance to replace equipment lost in a fire or have to work through a court case. Here's a quick look at the types of equipment that are common to this type of facility and what's involved in golf course country club asset appraisal.

How is a Golf Course Country Club Asset Appraisal Carried Out?

Green and Facility Maintenance Equipment

Tractors, mowers, aerators, sprayers: your golf course or country club has a lot of capital tied up in your green maintenance equipment. Because much of this equipment is similar to that used in agriculture, it will have a similar value to that type of machinery. However, some of your machinery provides a much finer finish than simple farming equipment, and that needs to be taken into account. You also have floor cleaners, power tools and other equipment used to maintain your facility. Your equipment's age, usage and condition will all be considered when your equipment is appraised, as well as any kits or options that you've invested in to keep your greens looking their very best.

Training and Rental Equipment

Do you have golf carts available for rent? Computer-aided training systems that your pro shop uses to help members and customers up their game? These types of equipment that are used by customers to build value in your country club or golf course can get expensive, and knowing what they're really worth can help ensure the accuracy of your accounting books. This machinery will be evaluated based on its specific brand and model, the condition that it's in, market demand for that equipment and similar information.

Hospitality Equipment

What about catering and facility rentals for special events, such as weddings, reunions, conferences or similar events? If you have a commercial kitchen, multi-media equipment or other entertainment machinery, it's part of your overall bottom line and needs to be considered when you're having an equipment appraisal performed. The equipment will be evaluated in terms of manufacturer, model, condition, expected useable lifespan remaining, market demand for that machinery and similar details to help calculate its estimated value.

By having a general idea of what your equipment is worth through a golf course country club asset appraisal, you'll be in a much better position to work through a range of different situations, including appealing an inaccurate tax assessment, securing financing, working with insurance adjustors and fighting a court case. However, it's best to work with an accredited equipment appraiser who can provide you with an independent evaluation of your machinery's value. This way, you know that they're not putting their own interests first.

Your business is manufacturing, and you take pride in knowing how much productivity you get out of your production line every minute, hour or day. But do you have the same intimate level of knowledge about the value of your manufacturing plant equipment? Plant process asset appraisal is the process of determining the value of your manufacturing equipment, either in individual pieces or as a whole. Here's a quick look at some of the important reasons why you should have your production line appraised.

5 Reasons Why You Need a Plant Process Asset Appraisal

1. Some equipment is appraised together with the rest of a production line. When another business is interested in purchasing an entire production line, being able to purchase that entire line without having to find the missing pieces has value. Instead of having to find additional equipment, they can purchase everything at once, which is worth a premium. An appraiser knows how grouping that equipment can raise its overall value to a potential purchaser.
2. Some equipment is appraised separately from the rest of your assets. Sure, your welding robots and their infrastructure and framework all need to go together when they're sold, but what about the computer that runs them? It can be hard trying to determine which parts of your production line need to be appraised separately. A qualified equipment appraiser knows when to separate equipment for appraisal and when they should be left together.
3. You don't need delays when you have to file an insurance claim. Even if you don't know what your equipment is worth exactly, you know how much it costs your business every minute that production line is still. When you have an equipment failure and need to file a claim, you want it resolved quickly so that you can replace that equipment and get on with your business life. An equipment appraisal speeds up the process by providing proof of value to your insurance carrier.
4. You need to grow your business but your business credit isn't that great. If you need to secure financing for a great opportunity or expand your production line, one option is to offer your production line as collateral for the loan. When you have an equipment appraisal performed by an accredited appraiser, that information holds up well to strong scrutiny, even in tough financial circles. 
5. The equipment may not be valued properly in your accounting books. Many businesses simply depreciate equipment based on government tax forms. However, even once that equipment has been fully depreciated, it may still remain productive, delivering income to your business. It would cost a lot to replace that machinery. An equipment appraisal tells you exactly what the equipment is really worth to your business.

A plant process asset appraisal can help you get a grip on exactly what your production line machinery is worth while serving as a solid proof of value for legal, insurance, tax and financial purposes. However, having the appraisal performed by an equipment dealer means that the figures may be skewed based on their interests. When you work with an independent accredited equipment appraiser, you have the peace of mind of knowing that they have no interest in the outcome of the valuation report that they prepare and that you can trust their calculations.

Crane valuation can seem like a complicated process, especially when there are a range of different types of cranes being considered. However, there are also a certain amount of common areas between all types of cranes. How does the condition of these different areas impact the overall value of the crane? Here's a quick look at common points in crane appraisal, regardless of the type of crane that is involved.

What Are Some Common Points in All Kinds of Crane Valuation?

• Types of Cranes Appraised: What kind of crane is being valued? There are a wide range of different crane types, which often have very different values. Maybe you need a telescoping crane valued that is used for transporting materials to areas of different heights. A crawler crane used to navigate poor soil conditions may have very different appraisal points than a tower crane used to lift materials up to the top of a skyscraper. Knowing what type of crane is involved helps the appraiser move on to the next steps.
• Hydraulics and Mechanical Systems: As the heart of any crane, poorly-functioning hydraulics or mechanical systems can lead to early failure or reduce the expected useful lifespan of the equipment. The appraiser will take a solid look at the functionality of the equipment, possibly taking into account fluids tests, stress tests and video to determine whether everything is functioning as it should be.
• History of Repairs and Maintenance: Time to dig out your maintenance and repair logs! By looking over this paperwork, the valuation specialist can get a good picture of whether the equipment has been properly maintained and whether it was immediately taken out of service when a problem was noted or if it continued in use, which may impact its expected remaining useful lifespan, which in turn will impact its value.
• Manufacturer and Model: Just like cars, some manufacturers and specific models will have a reputation for longevity and durability, while others do not. This information will be taken into account by the equipment appraiser during the valuation process as they consider how well that manufacturer and model have held up in the field in the past. As you may expect, equipment that performs well for a longer length of time has a much better value than equipment that performs poorly or fails early.
• Additional Kits or Options: If you've upgraded your equipment after you purchased it or paid more for specific options, your equipment valuation specialist will take that additional value and functionality into account when the crane is being valued. This can include an upgraded radiator kit to improve cooling, a stronger hydraulic system for a boom or any number of other options that may have been improved during or after purchase.

By having a better idea of how crane valuation is approached regardless of the type of crane involved, you can make a better judgment call when purchasing your next crane. But what if you need to know the value of a crane that you currently own or are considering purchasing or selling? If you're making this type of investment in your business, it's important to have an equipment appraisal performed by an accredited valuation specialist. Working with an accredited appraiser ensures that your interests are protected during the process.

Whatever portion of the construction industry you're in, heavy equipment is quite possibly a big part of your daily life. Because this machinery can cost a pretty penny, it's important to know how to leverage those assets to your company's best benefit. But how do you know exactly what those machines are worth? Though they may be fully depreciated on your books because of the way business taxes work, they still have value. The best way to learn what your machinery is worth is through an earth moving equipment appraisal. Here's a look at how this type of equipment valuation works.

Exactly What's Involved in an Earth Moving Equipment Appraisal?

You probably have an idea of what your equipment was worth when you first purchased it, and you may have a rough idea of what you can sell it for used at end of life. But in the middle, between these two extremes, there is an entire range of possible values that will need to be carefully calculated. This is best handled by an accredited appraiser who can act as an independent third party, rather than working with an equipment dealer who may have their own interests in the process.

First, the appraiser will find out the basic information about your equipment, including the manufacturer and the model. This is because much like automobiles, different equipment will have a different expectation for total useful lifespan. If you have two pieces of equipment side-by-side, one may only expect to be useful for 5,000 hours while the other is expected to be useful for 10,000 hours. If they were both metered at 5,000 hours and were otherwise comparable, which one would you pay more for? That's the difference in value.

The appraiser will ask if there are any specific options or kits that were added to the machinery, as that will often increase the overall value due to the improved functionality, protection or other benefits it delivers to the equipment. Much like the similar equipment above, would you rather purchase a piece of equipment that has an upgraded radiator to help prevent engine overheating or a standard model? You'd prefer the upgraded equipment, of course, all other things being equal.

After this information is gathered, the appraiser will start a careful inspection of the equipment. Certain signs will be fairly apparent to them if something isn't quite right with the machinery, such as excessive control wear on a low-hours backhoe, dents and scratches on a forklift and new panels that have replaced old ones on a front end loader. These type of signs often show that the equipment may have been abused, which in turn will often shorten its useful lifespan. The appraiser will also go through your maintenance and repair logs to check that the equipment has been maintained regularly, which lengthens its overall useful lifespan.

By taking the time to have an earth moving equipment appraisal performed on your company's heavy machinery, you can discover exactly what these high-dollar assets are worth. This can make it much easier to decide when to update your equipment, how to handle a dealer who is undervaluing your machinery and many other benefits. The appraisal report will also serve as proof of value for insurance, tax, financial and legal circles, providing you with solid documentation of your company's assets.