Equipment Appraisal Blog | Understanding Machinery Appraisals

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.

Your workshop catches fire and burns the equipment that was stored or used within. A hurricane floods your office and destroys both the maintenance records and the vehicles that were kept on site. A vandal breaks in and causes irreparable damage to your machinery over a late night or long weekend. Whatever situation you find yourself in, one of the thoughts that may raise your stress levels is how to prove the value to your insurance company. Here's a look at how retrospective appraisals can help in these difficult circumstances.

Dealing with a Business Loss: Retrospective Appraisals

How can an appraiser determine the value of equipment that has been significantly damaged? Though some of the process may involve some level of educated estimation, most of it is grounded solidly in appraisal practices and methods. Some information will be easily obtained, while other information will require careful study of what's left and any paperwork that is left after a disaster.

Let's take the example of a cargo van that has been burned in a warehouse fire and had significant damage due to the heat involved. Most business owners and equipment operators, even many mechanics, would only see the burned shell of the van. Fortunately, equipment appraisers take a different view of the machinery they're appraising.

To start, the appraiser will work with any paperwork and information that is available.  The original purchase paperwork, maintenance logs, receipts from repairs: all these papers paint a picture of what kind of van it was, the care it was given over the years and possibly a record of how many miles it had on it at the time of the loss. This information allows the appraiser to calculate the cargo van's value in general terms, based on the market conditions and demand for that type of vehicle.

But what if the van had been poorly used over the years? What if there was unrepaired body damage or significant problems with its mechanical systems due to being neglected or abused? On the other hand, what if it had much lower miles than most vehicles of that age and was maintained in impeccable condition? What if the business had added machinery or options to the vehicle that would increase its overall value? These are all aspects the equipment appraiser must take into account when calculating the value of a piece of equipment after a loss.

Another area to consider is when the damage took place. If the van was stored at a remote site and the damage was discovered months after the fact, how do you determine value? What if the bottom has fallen out of the van market in the intervening weeks and months? Should the van be appraised at the value it held when the damage was discovered or at the estimated time of the the loss? An equipment appraiser can retroactively value the machinery to the loss date using verified, tested appraisal methods.

Having to deal with a business loss is stressful, but having the option of getting retrospective appraisals performed on damaged equipment helps reduce the load. Whether you're claiming a loss on tax returns or pursuing compensation from your insurance company for the damage, a retrospective appraisal can help your business get back on its feet faster. Make sure you work with certified equipment appraisers, as the methodologies they use will hold up well against scrutiny in court, insurance and tax agency circles.

When your equipment is a large part of your business assets, the value of that equipment can strongly impact your bottom line. When equipment is appraised, standards of value are used to help calculate that value. But what are these standards, how can they impact your equipment's value and why are they used in particular situations? Here's a quick overview to help you get started in understanding this appraisal concept.

How do Standards of Value Impact Your Equipment's Appraisal?

Standards of valuation have been developed over the years to ensure that machinery is being appraised in a way that provides consistent calculations and results. Because of this history, an appraised value from a certified equipment valuation specialist holds up well to strong scrutiny in a wide range of areas. However, values are calculated differently depending on the situation.

A company that is undergoing bankruptcy may have their equipment appraised at liquidation value, as it's expected that the equipment will need to be sold quickly to pay off any debts. Investment value refers to the machine's ability to provide business income, such as a welding robot on a factory floor. 

One of the most common types of equipment appraisal that is performed is fair market value. It's such a wide-spread appraisal type that it's required in some specific legal situations, such as a divorce or litigation involving the dissolution of a partnership. In calculating this value, the appraiser looks at a wide range of aspects including the equipment itself, the conditions in the market where it is used and similar aspects. As an example, a drill for oil exploration will have a much higher market value during an oil boom than when oil prices fall and exploration is at a minimum.

These different appraisal types can drastically impact your equipment's appraised value. Fair market value assumes that you can wait a while for the right buyer who is willing to pay what the machinery is worth, while liquidation value may be much lower to assure a fast sale. Different values may be determined for large or difficult to move equipment based on whether the machinery is sold in place or to be moved, due to the high cost of moving it to a new location.

The different values are impacted by a wide range of factors, and the final appraised value may not match what you've been told by a local machinery dealer. Why? If a machinery dealer offers you a higher price for your equipment than what is calculated, it may be due to a push to move their new equipment, allowing them to make a higher offer on older machinery to get their new equipment moved.

On the other hand, they may offer you a much lower price to convince you that your machinery is virtually worthless to help encourage you to replace it with equipment that has more equity. Whatever reason for the disparity, a certified equipment appraiser has been taught specific methodologies during the certification process that have been proven to hold up well in legal, financial, insurance and tax agency circles.

By knowing how standards of value affect your equipment's reported value, you can get a deeper understanding of how the valuation process works and how different situations and conditions can impact that value. This helps you get a better comprehension of appraisal reports, allowing you to better leverage your equipment value to your company's benefit.

When you own machinery assets for your home workshop or your company, you know that the depreciation of equipment can rapidly change the value of those assets. But what is depreciation? Exactly how is depreciation figured? How does depreciation impact your bottom line and the value of the machinery? Are there any other ways to determine value for machinery assets? Here are the answers to these questions and more.

How is depreciation of equipment figured and how does it impact value?

Depreciation is one process by which equipment values may be estimated. It's commonly used for taxes and similar business financial documentation. Generally speaking, it breaks down the estimated value of a piece of equipment over the expected period of time that machinery will function. It creates a simple way to lower equipment values over time, accounting for the change in value of the asset. It's one of the most common ways to track changes in machinery value for many businesses. But that doesn't mean it's the best possible option for your company.

A depreciation table assumes that all machinery of a particular type ages at the same rate. But what about when you have a piece of equipment that is expected to last much longer because it's well cared for and lightly used? What about when a piece of equipment is abused and worked hard beyond its expected limits? At that point, the expected lifespan of the equipment may vary widely compared to a piece of equipment that has more standardized care and maintenance. This makes a strong impact on the machinery's actual value when compared to the depreciation table, throwing your business' finances off - specifically the value of your assets.

There are a few different but very common situations where this happens. Well maintained machinery will still have value after it has been fully depreciated. Abused equipment will fail before it has been fully depreciated. In either instance, the machinery's depreciated value does not accurately reflect its actual value. When you have machinery that is initially used extensively but then takes a back burner to other processes, the rate at which it depreciates can change over time, making the value change as well. What can you do to depreciate the machinery using an accurate value and timeframe?

When you have a machinery valuation performed, you get all the information you need to set up a proper depreciation schedule. The valuation will determine the machinery's estimated value using standardized methodologies and the expected useful lifespan of that piece of machinery. By having these two pieces of information available, you can create your own depreciation table that is backed up by the valuation report and is customized to your company's situation. Because the methodologies used by certified equipment appraisers has been developed over the past several decades in legal, financial, insurance and tax agency circles, they stand up well to strong scrutiny.

By knowing how depreciation of equipment is determined, you can figure out exactly what type of value method works best for your assets. But when you're starting with equipment that isn't brand new, how do you figure out an initial value to determine your depreciation from? Many equipment owners have found that having an equipment valuation performed can make a big difference in being able to track realistic machinery values. 

Let's face it - nobody gets excited about a dissolution. Whether it's your business, a partnership or a marriage, breaking up something that's worked well in the past can be a difficult and trying process. But instead of simply getting it over with, you may want to consider how to protect your interests before you lose out. Here's how to use an equipment appraisal to help document your assets in a way that will hold up well during negotiations and in legal circles.

What do you need to know to protect your interests in a dissolution?

We've all heard horror stories about how a dissolution can come out badly. Whether it's the businessman who lost the company Jaguar and computer lab while taking care of the employees or the divorced individual whose ex sold off all the equipment at a pittance, it's important to know what to do in these situations. Doing nothing will often leave you with nothing.

But what if you're not sure how much your assets are worth? As an example, an insulator in northern Minnesota was a handy sort. When he started his business, he had purchased a box van and installed a blower system for cellulose insulation. Because he had a keen eye for mechanical maintenance, the system was in excellent condition when, after many years in business and no takers to buy the company, he dissolved the business. The system had been fully depreciated many years before, yet it still retained excellent value because of the care it had received over the years.

On the books, the equipment had no value. In real life, it was worth quite a bit, especially when an enterprising sort from a few hundred miles away contacted him as the equipment sat in his empty warehouse. Years after the equipment had been purchased, the retired insulator ran into the young man who had purchased the machinery. "You know, I would have paid three times what you were asking for that equipment," the young man admitted.

This type of story is classic to any type of dissolution, but when two partners, either in business or marriage, dissolve a business, things can get ugly. If a divorce had been involved in the above case, the spouse could have come back and claimed the husband had intentionally gotten rid of the asset at a low price to avoid paying a fair share for the equipment during the dissolution.

When you have an equipment appraisal performed, you're able to provide documented evidence for the machinery's value. One party in the dissolution may claim equipment has a much higher or lower value to cause problems or get more out of the situation. The best way to resolve the issue is by having an independent third party determine the fair market value of the assets involved. This ensures that both parties get a fair shake out of the deal.

Dissolution is never fun, but it can be less painful if you take the time to protect your interests during the process. But don't expect your local equipment sales rep to provide you with a solid appraisal that will hold up in court! When you work with a certified equipment appraiser, you'll get a fair report of your equipment values that meets or exceeds legal requirements that won't be thrown out if things get ugly.