Additional Services

When an Appraisal Isn’t the Answer

Quite frequently, clients contact us requesting appraisals when they really need something else entirely. That’s why WorthWise offers a variety of additional valuation and consulting services.

Additional Services – Valuation Services

Sometimes you may just need a rough idea of what an item is worth for your own personal information. In some of these cases, WorthWise may be able to offer you a lower cost valuation estimate.

If you have a large number of items you want estimated values for, we can come to you to gather the information we need to prepare your estimates. We photograph and measure your items, gather any existing documentation or acquisition information, then research and prepare your estimates back in our office. You save money because we don’t need to write up a full appraisal report for such rough estimates. We simply supply you with a list of your items that includes a photo and a brief identifying description without the expense of writing up a full, formal appraisal report.

One thing to note is that we don’t provide on-the-spot, verbal estimates while we’re onsite in your home. We prefer to back up even our rough estimates with proper online research first.

Sometimes antique dealers will perform these types of walk-through estimates for you if they think you might want to sell your items. Be wary, though! They may lowball their estimates to justify offering you a lower price for them.

Have fewer items? Good with your smart phone’s camera? If so, we may be able to do your rough estimates remotely from photos and supporting documentation you provide. You save even more money this way since it eliminates the cost of having us come out and do this portion of the work for you. Your photos have to be high resolution, clear, in focus, and properly lighted, though.

This option won’t be appropriate if you have a formal appraisal need. Full appraisal reports are required for most intended uses including estate tax, donation, insurance coverage, damage claims, and equitable distributions among others. These rough valuation estimates are only appropriate if there are no other entities or agents involved, and rough estimates will work for your personal purposes.

Additional Services – Consulting Services

Divestiture or Sales Consulting Services

These days, many of us are downsizing and we no longer have room for the treasures we collected or inherited from our parents. But navigating the options available for selling them can be a daunting task! This is especially true when different types of objects sell better through different sales channels, in different locations, or during different times of the year.

In our role as divestiture consultants rather than as appraisers, we can take some of the guesswork out of your decision-making process and improve your chances of achieving a good result. A good result, of course, depends on your objective! Do you want the highest return possible? Or is it more important that the sale occurs as soon as possible or with the least amount of effort on your part? Once your priorities have been established, we can sometimes assist you directly with selling your item, or we can help you identify the best strategy for selling it yourself. We don’t, however, ever purchase any items from you ourselves that you’ve asked us to appraise. Our primary commitment is to ensure we are providing you with unbiased appraisal services you can trust.

Keep in mind, also, that your individual sales results can never be guaranteed. There is always some risk in selling your item through any given venue – some more than others – and we will discuss those with you during our initial consultation.

Personal Property Inventories

When a large collection of personal property exists, whether owned by you directly or through a trust instrument, one of the first services you may need is an inventory of your assets.

In our role as asset inventory specialists, we can help you get a handle on what you have as well as document the information you have about it. We can create simple spreadsheets for you, or evaluate and use more complex asset management software applications which include fields for uploaded photographs, descriptions, acquisition information, authentications, restoration reports, prior appraisals, or exhibition histories.