If you sent us a request between 28 July and 5 August, it did not reach us. A fault on our form stopped some messages from coming through. Please call (301) 820-7664 or fill the form again. We're sorry for the inconvenience.
Boat appraisals for divorce, prepared in accordance with USPAP. AppraiseItNow provides USPAP-compliant marine valuations that hold up in settlement negotiations and court, helping ensure neither spouse is shortchanged.
…I am looking forward to utilizing AppraiseItNow for many years to come
Highly impressed with their work!
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT BOAT APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, PROBATE COURTS, AND ESTATE ATTORNEYS.
.jpeg)
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.
Vehicle Appraiser
CAGA Certified Appraiser since 2014, covering vehicles, boats, equipment, fine art, and collectibles. A classic-car restoration background informs her vehicle work, with reports prepared for insurance, divorce, and charitable contributions.
Client Success Manager
Manages each engagement from the first enquiry to the delivered report, and keeps you posted at every step along the way.
Certified Appraisers Guild of AmericaCertified Appraiser
The Appraisal FoundationAuthorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standardsWhen a boat is part of a marital estate, establishing its fair market value is a necessary step before any equitable distribution can take place. Courts, attorneys, and mediators rely on independent, USPAP-compliant appraisals to determine what a vessel is actually worth on the open market as of a legally specified valuation date, whether that is the date of separation or the date of trial. Our marine appraisal services cover recreational watercraft, fishing boats, sailboats, yachts, and personal watercraft, with reports prepared to withstand the scrutiny of family law proceedings.
AppraiseItNow delivers both online and onsite appraisals, making it straightforward to get a credentialed valuation regardless of where the vessel is located. Our appraisers are experienced in the specific demands of divorce asset valuations, including producing reports that reflect a precise effective date and are formatted for use by attorneys, mediators, and courts.
AppraiseItNow appraises a wide range of vessels that commonly appear as marital assets, including:
Our process is designed to produce reports that hold up in legal settings and give both parties a clear, documented basis for negotiation or court proceedings.
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.
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!
At fair market value, with a timing wrinkle: boats are wasting assets whose value keeps falling, so many courts value the vessel as close as practicable to the date of distribution rather than the filing date. Illinois case law requires time-of-distribution values for marital property, and depreciation between filing and trial can change the divisible equity meaningfully.
No. Courts treat sale-site printouts as hearsay and inadmissible opinion, and a valuation finding cannot rest on guesswork. A marine surveyor's written condition-and-value report, introduced through testimony or stipulation, is the kind of evidence that supports a judicial value, as cases like Dunfee v. Dunfee illustrate.
Only the equity is divided: fair market value minus the outstanding balance. An $800,000 yacht with a $300,000 loan has $500,000 of divisible equity, so current payoff statements and lien records matter as much as the appraisal itself. Courts can also assign the boat's associated debt to the spouse who keeps it.
Usually, if it was acquired during the marriage; statutes like 750 ILCS 5/503(b) presume property acquired after the wedding is marital regardless of title. Registration and title records still matter as evidence of acquisition timing, and premarital purchase or separate funding must be documented to keep the vessel out of the marital estate.