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…they did a superb job and clearly explained how they arrived at the appraisal value
…even during the holiday season… I was genuinely impressed
AppraiseItNow was amazing!… Their team was incredibly helpful and quick to respond
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT PAINTING APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, INSURANCE AGENCIES, LENDERS, AND MORE.
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Owner & CEO
Joe founded AppraiseItNow to make a certified, USPAP-compliant appraisal as simple to order as anything else online. A former Bain & Company strategy consultant, Joe leads the entire team and specializes in strategy, growth, and the firm's tech capabilities.
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member with 30 years in the trade, from running estate sales and an auction gallery to appraising luxury apparel, furniture, artwork, antiques, and business assets, primarily for IRS tax filings.
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member specializing in Asian art, with a Master's from SOAS and a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art. Ashley chairs the ISA's Antiques, Furnishings, and Decorative Arts committee and appraises for charitable donation, insurance, and equitable distribution.
Client Success Manager
Manages each engagement from the first enquiry to the delivered report, and keeps you posted at every step along the way.
International Society of AppraisersAccredited Member
The Appraisal FoundationAuthorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standardsAppraiseItNow provides professional painting appraisals for estate tax reporting, charitable donation filings, insurance coverage and claims, divorce proceedings, probate, and private sale or acquisition, applying rigorous market research and provenance analysis to every work.
Purposes we serve
We prepare painting appraisals for the filings, claims, and transactions that call for an independent value:
Within fine art
Painting appraisals are a specialized subset of our broader fine art appraisal services and follow the same USPAP-compliant standards and documentation requirements that the IRS, insurance carriers, and courts expect. We issue Fair Market Value (FMV) and Replacement Value opinions depending on the intended use.
How we work
Most painting appraisals are completed remotely using high-resolution photographs and supporting documentation. When condition assessment, scale, or the complexity of a collection requires it, we arrange an onsite inspection.
We appraise paintings regardless of medium or support, for a tax filing, an insurance claim, a divorce, or a sale, and the assignment is usually specific to a single work or a defined group rather than a category of objects.
Every medium
Our appraisers evaluate paintings regardless of medium, on canvas, panel, paper, or any other support:
Listed and unlisted artists
We appraise works by listed artists with established auction records as well as works by regional, emerging, or unattributed artists, where comparable sales research and stylistic analysis drive the valuation.
Periods and price points
Our appraisers evaluate paintings across all periods and price points, from emerging contemporary works to Old Master canvases, applying rigorous market research and provenance analysis to produce a credible, well-supported valuation.
AppraiseItNow serves individual collectors, heirs, and donors who need a credible valuation for a single painting or an entire collection, as well as the attorneys, CPAs, estate planners, and insurance professionals who need an independent report for a client's filing or decision.
Collectors, families, and donors
Individual collectors, heirs, and donors come to us for a credible valuation of a single painting or an entire collection, and families managing estates rely on the same reports for probate and estate tax reporting.
Attorneys, CPAs, and insurers
Attorneys handling litigation or probate, CPAs advising on charitable deductions, estate planners, insurance professionals, and institutions with collection management needs engage us for independent appraisal reports that support their clients' filings and decisions.
What clients say we are known for
Across 80+ published AppraiseItNow reviews the picture is consistent: every one is from a client who paid us for an appraisal, and the three things they raise most often are that they would hire us again, how quickly we answer, and how much research is visible in the report.
The appraisal was done very well. Since he was a local artist here in Charleston, SC, they took the time to study and review Jim Booth’s art. His work has made him extremely famous, which can make an appraisal challenging, but they did a superb job and clearly explained how they arrived at the appraisal value. I highly recommend Appraise It Now and will use them again for all my artwork.
Artwork Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
AppraiseItNow did an excellent job appraising our unique art collection. Joe was always prompt and responsive, and he and his team delivered a thorough, well-supported appraisal in just a couple of weeks, even during the holiday season. I was genuinely impressed. Thank you for the great work!
Artwork Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
AppraiseItNow was amazing! My father passed with a large volume of artwork & I had no idea what it was worth. Their team was incredibly helpful and quick to respond with text and/or email to any questions as well as a status update along the way. Highly recommend!
Artwork Appraisal for Probate
I recently requested a retroactive appraisal for fine art from AppraiseItNow. I received excellent service from intake to delivery. The appraisal was delivered on time and the content of the appraisal absolutely met my expectations!
Artwork Appraisal
From the start they were very responsive, price competitive, and had a quick turn around time. Thank you so much to Joe who was very sweet in responding to my emails; I am looking forward to utilizing AppraiseItNow for many years to come.
Very thorough and professional — great communication and outstanding service. Highly impressed with their work!
Submit estimate or list of items for our review.
We'll share a flat fee quote for your approval.
Submit details on all of your items for our review.
We'll conduct detailed research and prepare a written USPAP-compliant report.
Delivery of your report and supporting documents (e.g., signed IRS Form 8283) by email.
Given the USPAP-compliant nature of AppraiseItNow’s appraisal reports, we prepare our deliverables for major legal, tax, and financial reporting purposes for individual and commercial clients.
Popular uses of our appraisal reports include:
Through sales comparison: recent arms-length auction and private-sale records for comparable works by the same artist, adjusted for size, date, subject, condition, and market timing. Appraisers normalize prices to include buyer's premium, prioritize verified sale prices over pre-sale estimates, and document venue, sale date, and lot number for each comparable. Professional price databases and dealer records supplement auction catalogs; informal asking prices are secondary context, not evidence.
Fair market value is the price a willing buyer and seller would agree to, and it governs charitable donations and estate or gift tax work. Retail replacement value is the cost to replace the painting with one of like kind and quality in the retail market, and it is the typical basis for scheduled fine art insurance. The two can differ substantially, so a credible report states which definition it develops and why.
A qualified appraisal and Form 8283, Section B, whenever the claimed deduction exceeds $5,000, with the appraisal dated no more than 60 days before the contribution. For artwork deductions of $20,000 or more, the IRS can request the complete appraisal and may refer it to its Art Advisory Panel for review. A gallery letter or auction estimate does not satisfy these substantiation rules.
Yes, and often significantly. Appraisers examine craquelure, tears, overpaint, relining, and prior restorations, frequently using raking light or UV examination, then adjust comparable sale prices downward for defects the comparables did not share. Assuming a painting in fair condition will match pristine auction results leads to inflated expectations, and undisclosed restoration discovered later is a common reason values get revised.
No. An auction estimate is a nonbinding prediction of sale outcome, and a valuation letter is an approximate opinion; neither carries the documented methodology, comparables analysis, and certification of a formal appraisal report. For tax, insurance, or legal matters, only a report that states its intended use, value definition, and market evidence will withstand scrutiny from insurers, courts, or the IRS.