Personal Property Appraisals for Every Intended Use
Prestige Estate Services provides personal property appraisal services for estates, tax reporting, charitable contributions, property division, litigation, insurance, damage and loss claims, government assets, commercial FF&E, and other defined valuation needs. Assignments may include fine art, antiques, jewelry, furnishings, household contents, vehicles, collectibles, equipment, and other tangible property.
Prestige Estate Services appraises tangible personal property. We do not provide real estate appraisals.
Start With the Purpose of the Appraisal
The correct appraisal service begins with why the value is needed, who will rely on the report, the effective valuation date, the type and volume of property, and the reporting requirements. Use this directory to identify the service that best matches your assignment, then visit its dedicated page for more detail.
Meet Our Personal Property Appraisers
All Prestige Estate Services appraisers are in-house W-2 employees. We do not use contract appraisers as members of our appraisal staff. Each appraiser works directly for Prestige Estate Services and is IRS-qualified and USPAP-compliant.
Which Estate or Tax Appraisal Service Fits the Assignment?
Probate, federal estate tax, and charitable contribution assignments can involve some of the same tangible personal property, but they serve different intended uses. Select the dedicated service that matches the legal, fiduciary, or tax-related purpose identified by the estate's attorney, CPA, executor, trustee, or other advisor.
Probate Personal Property Appraisals
Probate appraisal assignments provide supported personal property values for estate inventories, executor or fiduciary documentation, beneficiary decisions, and court or counsel requirements. The scope, effective date, value definition, and report are developed for the stated probate or estate-administration use.
Explore probate personal property appraisalsEstate Tax Appraisals for Personal Property
Estate tax appraisal work develops supported fair market value opinions for tangible personal property owned by an estate. These assignments commonly address a confirmed date of death or other approved effective date and may support Form 706-related reporting, fiduciary review, and professional-advisor needs.
Review estate tax appraisal servicesIRS Charitable Donation Appraisals
Charitable donation appraisals address noncash contributions when the donor and tax advisor determine that formal valuation documentation is needed. The assignment may include property identification, market research, fair market value analysis, and reporting information relevant to the contribution and its intended tax use.
Learn about charitable donation appraisalsPrestige Estate Services Locations Map
Prestige Estate Services provides and coordinates personal property appraisal services across the United States. Explore our locations to find regional information and the best way to begin an assignment in your area.
Personal Property Appraisals for Legal and Family Matters
Property division, litigation, appraisal review, and limited-use reporting require clearly defined intended users and assignment conditions. The services below remain distinct so attorneys, mediators, fiduciaries, families, and other clients can select the appropriate valuation or review pathway.
Divorce Appraisals for Equitable Distribution
Divorce appraisal services develop supported value opinions for tangible marital assets involved in divorce, legal separation, mediation, negotiated settlement, equitable distribution, or related court proceedings. The appraisal addresses value; attorneys and courts determine legal classification and division.
Explore divorce personal property appraisalsEquitable Distribution Appraisals
Nonmarital equitable distribution assignments help heirs, beneficiaries, family members, trustees, and co-owners understand supported personal property values when dividing an estate, collection, household, or jointly held group of tangible assets.
Review equitable distribution appraisal servicesAppraisal Review for Litigation
Appraisal review examines another personal property appraisal's scope, methods, market evidence, analysis, logic, and reporting in relation to the assignment under review. This service addresses personal property appraisals only; Prestige Estate Services does not review real estate appraisals.
Explore personal property appraisal reviewRestricted Use Appraisals
A restricted appraisal report may be appropriate for a narrowly defined assignment with a limited identified intended user. The appraiser must confirm the intended use, intended user, scope of work, and reporting option before determining whether restricted reporting fits the project.
Learn about restricted use appraisalsInsurance Appraisals Before a Loss and Damage Appraisals After a Loss
Insurance appraisal and damage-loss appraisal are related but different services. Insurance appraisals commonly document personal property and replacement-value needs before a loss, while damage-loss assignments address property after damage, destruction, theft, or another covered event for a defined claim-related use.
Personal Property Insurance Appraisals
Insurance appraisal services can help identify, describe, and value fine art, antiques, jewelry, furnishings, collections, and other tangible property for scheduled coverage, policy documentation, replacement-value planning, and related insurance needs.
Explore personal property insurance appraisalsDamage Loss Claim Appraisals
Damage and loss appraisal assignments document and research personal property after a covered event or disputed loss. Depending on the defined scope, the work may consider identification, condition, pre-loss information, repairability, market evidence, replacement needs, and supported claim-related value conclusions.
Review damage and loss appraisal servicesChoosing between these services: Use the insurance appraisal page when you are documenting property and coverage needs before a loss. Use the damage-loss appraisal page when damage, theft, destruction, or another loss event has already occurred.
Government, Commercial FF&E and Online Photo Appraisal Services
Some assignments involve government-controlled assets, tangible business property, or an informal need to understand a single item's potential value. These separate services help visitors select the right level of research, documentation, and reporting.
Government and Seized Asset Appraisals
Government-related appraisal services address seized, forfeited, surplus, controlled, or otherwise assigned tangible personal property. The scope may involve inventory review, property identification, market research, valuation analysis, and reporting for the authorized agency, attorney, fiduciary, or other intended user.
Explore government and seized asset appraisalsFurniture, Fixtures and Equipment Appraisals
FF&E and FFE appraisals address tangible commercial personal property such as furniture, fixtures, machinery, equipment, tools, and operational assets. The service values the included personal property for a stated intended use; it is not a real estate appraisal or business-enterprise valuation.
Review FF&E appraisal servicesOnline Photo Appraisals
An Online Photo Appraisal is an informal estimate of value for someone who wants help identifying an item and understanding what it may be worth. It is not a formal appraisal report and cannot be used for legal, court, IRS, fiduciary, insurance-claim, or other formal purposes.
Explore Online Photo AppraisalsInformation to Review Before Engaging an Appraiser
Appraiser selection should reflect the intended use, property categories, effective date, value definition, assignment complexity, and reporting needs. Prestige Estate Services also provides direct information about its appraisal team, professional fees, and bonded-and-insured status.
Meet Our Appraisers
Review the professionals who support personal property assignments involving estates, taxes, insurance, litigation, property division, collections, household contents, vehicles, equipment, and specialty assets.
View the appraisal teamAppraisal Fee Schedule
Review the current fee schedule and billing information. Final project cost depends on the intended use, property volume and complexity, documentation, inspection pathway, location, research requirements, report scope, and deadline.
Review the appraisal fee scheduleBonded and Insured
Learn more about Prestige Estate Services' bonded-and-insured status as part of your engagement-risk, access, and professional-service review.
Review bonded and insured informationHow Does a Personal Property Appraisal Begin?
The appraisal process begins by defining the assignment, not by selecting a report format from a menu. Prestige Estate Services reviews the reason for the appraisal and the property involved before an appraiser identifies the appropriate inspection, documentation, research, and reporting pathway.
Confirm Intended Use and Users
We clarify why the appraisal is needed, who is expected to rely on it, and whether legal, tax, fiduciary, insurance, court, family, government, or commercial requirements affect the assignment.
Define Property and Effective Date
We review the categories, approximate volume, locations, condition concerns, available records, and the current or retrospective effective date that applies to the valuation.
Determine the Documentation Path
The appraiser evaluates whether on-site inspection, remote documentation, retrospective research, or a blended approach can support credible results for the defined intended use.
Research, Analyze and Report
Property is identified and documented, relevant markets and comparable information are researched, value conclusions are reconciled, and the results are communicated in the report appropriate to the assignment.
What Information Should You Send First?
- The reason the appraisal is needed
- The intended users or professional advisors involved
- The effective valuation date, when known
- The city and state where the property is located
- The general property categories and approximate volume
- The preferred deadline and any court or filing dates
- Available photographs, inventories, receipts, or prior appraisals
- Access conditions and the number of property locations
Frequently Asked Questions
These answers explain common distinctions involving tangible personal property, formal and informal valuation options, inspection pathways, project scope, service selection, and appraisal fees.
What is a tangible personal property appraisal?
A tangible personal property appraisal develops a supported opinion of value for movable physical assets such as fine art, antiques, jewelry, furnishings, household contents, collectibles, vehicles, machinery, and equipment. The assignment does not value land or buildings.
How is a formal appraisal different from an Online Photo Appraisal?
A formal appraisal is developed for a defined intended use and may include assignment-specific inspection, documentation, research, analysis, disclosures, and reporting. An Online Photo Appraisal is an informal estimate that helps a visitor understand what an item may be and what it may be worth; it is not suitable for legal, court, IRS, fiduciary, insurance-claim, or other formal uses.
Does every personal property appraisal require an on-site inspection?
No single inspection pathway fits every assignment. The appraiser evaluates the intended use, property type and value, documentation, condition, location, effective date, assignment complexity, and reporting requirements before determining whether on-site, remote, retrospective, or blended work is appropriate.
Can one assignment include a complete household and specialty items?
Yes. An assignment may include ordinary household contents together with fine art, antiques, jewelry, silver, vehicles, collections, equipment, or other specialty assets. The scope review helps identify the documentation and category-specific research needed for the complete project.
How do I choose the correct appraisal service?
Begin with the intended use. Estate administration, Form 706 reporting, charitable contribution, divorce, heir distribution, insurance scheduling, damage claims, litigation review, government property, and FF&E assignments each involve different questions. Share your purpose and property details so the team can help identify the appropriate service page and assignment pathway.
What affects personal property appraisal fees?
Fees depend on the intended use, property volume and complexity, number of locations, available documentation, inspection pathway, specialty research, effective date, report scope, and deadline. Review the personal property appraisal fee schedule and contact the team with your project details.
Connect With Our Personal Property Appraisal Team
Tell us why the appraisal is needed, where the tangible personal property is located, the types and approximate volume of assets involved, the effective date when known, and your preferred deadline. We will review the information and help identify the appropriate next step.
