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Personal property appraisals in Washington for donations, estate tax, divorce, and probate, prepared in accordance with USPAP and IRS requirements. AppraiseItNow appraises antiques, jewelry, collectibles, furniture, and fine art across Washington, including Seattle, Spokane, and Tacoma.
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, WASHINGTON COURTS, LENDERS, INSURERS, 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.
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Third-generation auctioneer and CAGA Certified Appraiser with more than 20 years valuing machinery, equipment, vehicles, business assets, and estates for banks, attorneys, and trustees across the Carolinas.
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
Certified Appraisers Guild of AmericaCertified Appraiser
The Appraisal FoundationAuthorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standardsAppraiseItNow appraises jewelry, watches, furniture, artwork, household contents and single significant pieces in Washington for charitable gifts, insurance scheduling and claims, estate and probate reporting, and dissolution. The purpose decides the value definition, and that choice is made before any research starts. Washington households sit on the same mix every time: a few pieces that carry real money and a great deal that carries very little.
Jewelry and watches
A watch or a ring is researched against sales of the same reference in comparable condition, not against a quote from a counter. Scheduling work and estate work draw on different markets, and the report names which one it used.
Household contents
Furniture, rugs, electronics and the contents of a garage are grouped, with the pieces carrying real money appraised on their own. Heirs, insurers and courts then read one document without needing a translation. Garages and storage units are where the surprises are, and they get the same treatment as the dining room.
Claims in dispute
Where a settlement figure is already on the table, the work is establishing what the property would have brought the moment before the loss, from sales evidence the other side can check line by line. Washington firearms have their own page.
Three real Washington assignments, cut to a line each. The owners, the figures and anything that would identify a particular item stay in the file. What is left is the question the client actually brought and the value definition it took.
Charitable donation
Full canvas suits in discontinued Italian cloth, valued on the resale market that actually trades them rather than on what they cost new.
Insurance coverage
A Rolex priced for the policy the owner wanted it listed on, which is a search of retail replacement rather than of resale.
Insurance claim
A compact fiberglass trailer written off after a loss and valued on what it would have brought just before, where the owner questioned the method behind the offer.
Washington exempts the property inside a home from tax, caps in dollars what a creditor can reach, and tells its assessors that the same object is worth different amounts at different points in the chain. All three bear on which number a report should carry.
Property tax
$15,000
of true and fair value in other personal property, above the household exemption
All household goods and furnishings in actual use by the owner in equipping a residence, and all personal effects held for exclusive use and not for sale or commercial use, are exempt from taxation. The personal property of each head of a family beyond those is exempt to $15,000 of true and fair value, an exemption that does not reach a private motor vehicle or a mobile home. Where the property exceeds the amount allowed, a complete list is made and the exemption is deducted before tax is imposed on the remainder.
What creditors reach
$6,500
household goods, appliances, furniture, and home and yard equipment
Exempt from execution, attachment and garnishment are household goods, appliances, furniture and home and yard equipment to $6,500 in value for an individual, with each spouse entitled to that exemption; wearing apparel, though not more than $3,500 in furs, jewelry and personal ornaments for any individual; private libraries including electronic media to $3,500, with family pictures and keepsakes exempt outright; and in a bankruptcy case other personal property to $10,000, valued as of the date the petition is filed. Every one of those ceilings is written in value, so somebody has to establish the values.
Trade level
Trade level
the point in the production and distribution stream where the property sits
Market value is the assessment goal, and to reach it the trade level concept has to be recognized: property is valued at the point in the production and distribution stream where it is found, it normally gains value as it moves through those channels, and it reaches its maximum at the consumer level. Finished goods held for sale are valued at what they would transfer for to a like business, while goods held for lease or rental are valued at the trade level of their principal user. A household collection is at the end of that stream, which is why evidence drawn from where dealers buy is not evidence of what the same objects are worth sitting in a living room.
What Washington clients say we are known for
Across 24 published Washington appraisal reviews, every one from a client who paid AppraiseItNow for an appraisal, the three things they raise most often are that they would hire us again, how much research is visible in the report, and how quickly we answer.
By far the best of the best when it comes to an appraisal company. Truly professional owner who provides a detailed appraisal in an efficient and better than expected delivery time. A must GO TO Company. Would recommend to anyone.
Clothing Appraisal for Charitable Donation
I used AppraiseItNow for the first time last month and I was extremely pleased with the results. I needed an appraisal done for insurance purposes and the level of detail about each of my antique furniture pieces was thorough and very helpful in my being able to get the highest amount possible from my insurance company for the antique items that were damaged. I could see that they spent time making sure that the information she included was correct and current for my antique furniture items in the current market. The team responded to my emails timely to answer any questions I had. I would highly recommend Appraise It Now to get a thorough and professional appraisal done on antique items. I do intend to use them again for other antique furniture and jewelry that I have. Job well done! 😃🤗
Antique Furniture Appraisal for Insurance Claim
It is a pleasure to work with Joe and his team. They communicate every step along the way and made the process simple for us to have more than 35 firearms appraised. It was all done in a timely manner and the final report is easy to understand. I highly recommend their services.
Gun Appraisal for Probate
I was skeptical at first, but the company exceeded all of my expectations. The team responded quickly to every question, and the service was excellent. They’re now my go to source for my collection. I’ve used them twice already, and I plan to use them several more times.
Firearms Appraisal for Personal Use
AppraiseItNow's service was expeditious and professional. The report was thorough with plenty of examples and rationale for the valuations. Good service comes at a cost, but for me it was well worth it. Highly recommended!
Personal Property Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
I asked AppraiseItNow to value a piece of sports memorabilia for purposes of a charitable donation. The item is rarely sold. Their research unearthed an important recent sale of a similar item, which I had not found previously, and which the first appraiser I used had not found either. AppraiseItNow was a good deal more expensive than the first service, but they crafted a detailed report in which I have much more confidence. They also helped me make sure the correct tax forms are used. Thank you!
Sports Memorabilia Appraisal for Charitable Donation
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:
The cost, market, and income approaches, chosen to fit the asset. Auction and sales databases drive market analysis for art, antiques, and collectibles; cost and depreciation schedules serve machinery and vehicles; and the income approach applies to property that earns revenue. Our appraisers select and reconcile the approaches that fit each item.
No, insurance replacement appraisals and fair market value appraisals apply different value definitions, methods, and data sources, and treating them as interchangeable is a common owner mistake. A replacement figure tells you what re-buying at retail costs; estate, tax, and divorce contexts need what the item would actually sell for.
County assessors appraise taxable personal property at 100% of its true and fair value in money, meaning market value, as of January 1 of the assessment year, based on the owner's annual listing. When an assessed figure looks off, a documented appraisal of the actual assets gives the owner market evidence to raise with the assessor.
No. The personal property listing must show the year of acquisition and total original cost for each category, and WAC 458-12-060 bars deducting trade-in value, so the gross price is reportable even when an old machine offset the purchase. That reported cost then feeds the assessor's valuation, which is one reason assessed figures and true market value can part ways.
