Personal Property Appraiser

Megan’s work as a personal property appraiser is grounded in careful documentation, credible research, and clear scope alignment to the engagement’s intended use. Clients often come to her when property categories are mixed, records are incomplete, or the collection includes unusual items that require disciplined identification. Her pop culture experience supports strong categorization skills, because entertainment-related property frequently requires precise terminology, condition analysis, and thoughtful market selection. Those same fundamentals strengthen her generalist work across household contents and broad collections.

She is accustomed to collaborating with attorneys, fiduciaries, collection managers, and families who need dependable, objective valuation work. Assignments are structured to define the relevant market, specify the valuation date, and communicate assumptions and limiting conditions clearly. When onsite inspection is appropriate, the process is organized to capture the details needed for defensible conclusions. The goal is consistent professional rigor, regardless of whether the collection is specialized, ordinary, or both.

Personal Property Appraisals

Megan provides personal property appraisals across a range of purposes, including estate planning and settlement workflows, charitable donation documentation, insurance scheduling, and equitable distribution support. Her work emphasizes clear identification, market-appropriate comparables, and transparent reasoning that is usable by the intended users of the report. She understands that many clients need practical communication as much as technical accuracy, particularly when a project includes high item counts or multiple categories. Reports are written to be readable, organized, and consistent with professional standards.

Her background includes everything from specialty categories to everyday household contents, which supports projects that include both. When the assignment involves pop culture property, she applies careful market definition to distinguish between similar items that trade differently based on provenance, production history, rarity, and condition. When the assignment is primarily household contents, she applies the same discipline to ensure categories, condition notes, and support sources are appropriately handled. Learn more about the overall workflow here: in-person personal property appraisals.

IRS Qualified Appraisals

For engagements that require IRS-ready documentation, Megan structures the scope to match the intended use and reporting requirements. That begins with confirming the valuation date, the intended users, and the property categories involved, then establishing a research plan appropriate to those facts. Her experience includes categories that can be challenging to document, such as entertainment memorabilia, historic artifacts, and mixed collections with uneven provenance. The objective is to produce a report that is clear, credible, and aligned to applicable professional standards.

Megan’s work is particularly helpful when the relevant market must be carefully defined due to narrow collector demand or category-specific pricing conventions. She applies consistent methods that prioritize item identification, credible support, and transparent reasoning. When the scope calls for additional documentation, she may request supporting records such as invoices, prior appraisals, provenance details, or publication references. Related service information is available here: qualified IRS estate tax appraisals.

USPAP Compliant Appraisals

Megan approaches each assignment with a USPAP-compliant mindset, prioritizing credible scope, appropriate research depth, and transparent communication of assumptions and limiting conditions. As a USPAP instructor, she pays close attention to how intended use shapes the scope, and how the report’s format supports the needs of the intended users. This is especially important in assignments involving large inventories or multiple property types, where consistency across categories protects the integrity of the conclusions. Her goal is a report that is technically sound and practical to use.

USPAP compliance is reflected in how the engagement is structured, how data is selected, and how conclusions are explained. Megan’s process includes careful documentation and research designed to be proportionate to the assignment’s requirements. When a collection includes pop culture items, she uses disciplined identification and market definition so the report clearly articulates what was analyzed and why. That same structure is applied to household contents, fine art, and broader collections.

Certified Personal Property Appraiser

Megan’s qualifications support assignments that require mature judgment across varied property types, including household contents, fine art, collectibles, and specialized categories. Her degree in Art History complements her research-driven approach, helping her bridge connoisseurship and evidence-based valuation. She is especially effective when a project includes diverse assets and inconsistent documentation, where clear organization and strong identification standards become essential. This skill set aligns well with estate inventories, complex collections, and mixed-category residential contents.

Clients benefit from a steady professional approach that avoids overstatement and keeps conclusions grounded in credible support. Megan’s experience with pop culture property reinforces detail sensitivity, because seemingly minor differences can significantly affect market behavior and pricing. That mindset transfers well to other categories, where condition, maker attribution, provenance, and completeness also play meaningful roles. The outcome is a careful, defensible appraisal process tailored to the assignment’s purpose.

Estate Tax Appraisals

Estate tax appraisals often involve broad inventories, mixed categories, and family-sensitive circumstances. Megan focuses on organized documentation, defensible market selection, and clear reasoning that supports fiduciary workflows. When estates include specialty assets—such as pop culture, entertainment-related items, or historically significant objects—she applies careful market definition so conclusions remain consistent and supportable. Her generalist capability helps ensure that household contents and standard categories are handled with the same discipline as specialized property.

A key part of estate tax work is aligning the scope to the valuation date and intended use. Megan structures item identification, research, and reporting to remain practical for the intended users, including attorneys and fiduciaries managing estate settlement responsibilities. Reports are written to communicate the logic behind the conclusions without unnecessary complexity. Related service information: estate tax appraisals.

Charitable Donation Appraisals

Charitable donation appraisals require careful documentation and credible support so the reporting is aligned to the donation context and intended use. Megan has supported non-cash charitable contribution work involving a wide range of donated personal property, including property types that can require precise identification and narrow-market analysis. Where appropriate, she can reference that certain appraised items were donated and subsequently accessioned into institutional collections, while avoiding overstatement or implied endorsement. The focus remains on professional fundamentals: accurate identification, relevant-market selection, and supportable conclusions.

Her pop culture background can be helpful when donated items fall into entertainment-related categories where pricing behavior is nuanced and documentation varies widely. Megan approaches these assignments with the same objective methodology used for household contents and fine art, adapting research depth to the scope and reporting needs. For additional context, see: charitable donation appraisal services.

Divorce Appraisals

Divorce-related personal property assignments benefit from neutral documentation, consistent valuation logic, and clear reporting that reduces ambiguity. Megan supports equitable distribution needs by emphasizing organized inventories, defensible market support, and transparent communication suitable for professional stakeholders. Her generalist capability is valuable when the marital estate includes a mix of household contents, fine art, collectibles, and specialty assets. The work remains objective and aligned to the engagement’s intended use and valuation date.

When specialty categories are present, such as pop culture or entertainment-related property, Megan applies additional research depth to ensure the relevant market is properly defined and the support is credible. When the project is primarily household contents, she maintains consistent methods across categories so the report remains coherent and usable. Related service details: divorce appraisals for equitable distribution.

Insurance Appraisals

Insurance appraisals often require detailed identification and a valuation basis that aligns to the stated purpose, such as scheduling or risk management. Megan supports clients who need organized documentation for personal property, including household contents and specialty property that may be difficult to replace. Her process emphasizes clear descriptions, condition notes, and credible support so the documentation remains practical for the insurance context. The objective is clarity and usability, not exaggerated conclusions.

Her experience with pop culture and entertainment-related items can be particularly helpful when replacement considerations are complex due to rarity, production history, or limited market availability. Megan applies disciplined identification and market research to reduce avoidable confusion. Service overview: insurance appraisals.

Litigation Appraisal Review

Litigation appraisal review work is best approached through structured analysis of scope adequacy, methodological fit, data sufficiency, and clarity of reasoning. Megan supports appraisal review engagements by focusing on whether the appraisal under review communicates assumptions properly, applies appropriate methods, and provides credible support for its conclusions. Her USPAP teaching background supports an orderly framework for evaluation, especially where the work product must be scrutinized with technical discipline. This service is positioned as appraisal review and analysis, not testimony.

When a report involves specialized categories, including pop culture property, appraisal review benefits from careful attention to market definition and category-specific pricing conventions. Megan’s experience helps her identify where a report may have missed key item-specific value drivers or failed to establish the appropriate market context. Related service information: litigation appraisal review.

Estate Inventory Appraisals

Estate inventory appraisals require a consistent method for documenting large numbers of items while maintaining category clarity and condition detail. Megan works to create organized, readable inventories that support fiduciary workflows and reduce friction in estate administration. Her generalist approach helps her manage mixed-category residences, while her specialty background helps her recognize when additional research is required for unusual or narrow-market items. The outcome is a structured inventory aligned to the intended use.

Where pop culture property is present, inventory structure matters because identification details can be complex and documentation needs may be higher. Megan applies consistent standards so the inventory remains coherent, even when categories vary widely from one room or collection segment to the next. The work is designed to be practical, usable, and consistent with professional reporting expectations. Intake typically begins with scope confirmation, scheduling needs, and initial category review.

Household Contents Appraisals

Household contents appraisals are often most effective when they combine structured itemization with clear valuation logic across many categories. Megan supports residences that include furnishings, decorative arts, art, books, collectibles, and personal effects, and she brings a disciplined approach to documentation that keeps the project organized as item counts increase. Her generalist capability is well-suited to estates and families who need credible valuation across diverse categories without fragmenting the assignment into unnecessary subprojects.

Her pop culture experience strengthens the process because it reinforces the importance of accurate identification, condition detail, and market-definition discipline. Those same habits help prevent errors in household contents assignments, where maker attribution, provenance, and completeness can still influence value. The objective is a defensible, readable report designed to match the engagement’s purpose. If your project includes both household contents and specialty property, the process is structured to keep the logic consistent across both.

Large Collection Appraisals

Large collection appraisals benefit from planning, prioritization, and a rational structure that remains consistent as volume increases. Megan supports projects that involve significant item counts, mixed categories, and varying documentation quality, and she manages scope so research depth is proportionate to the engagement’s requirements. Her approach emphasizes categorization strategy, documentation standards, and research planning so the deliverable remains coherent and usable. This is particularly important when collections blend household contents with specialty segments.

When a large collection includes entertainment-related items, costumes, scripts, recorded media, or other pop culture categories, Megan applies careful market definition to maintain credible support. She also recognizes when a collection’s value drivers differ across segments, and she structures the work so those differences are addressed transparently. The goal is thorough documentation without unnecessary complexity. Clients benefit from a process that is both technically disciplined and practically managed.

Probate Appraisals

Probate appraisals often require clear reporting that can be understood by multiple stakeholders, including families, fiduciaries, and legal counsel. Megan focuses on defensible identification, appropriate market selection, and transparent reasoning that supports orderly decisions. Her generalist scope is useful when a residence includes everything from typical household contents to specialized collections. The engagement is structured to align with intended use, valuation date, and any court or administrative requirements communicated at intake.

Where specialty property is present, including pop culture items or historically significant objects, Megan applies appropriate research depth so conclusions remain supportable. Where the inventory is primarily household contents, she maintains consistent logic across categories so the report remains coherent. The objective is a practical deliverable that supports the probate process without overstatement.

Asset Division Appraisals

Asset division appraisals support neutral planning when personal property must be allocated, documented, or evaluated as part of a broader division process. Megan’s work emphasizes organization, category clarity, and consistent valuation logic that reduces avoidable disputes. She structures inventory and reporting so the analysis remains readable and usable for the intended users. This is particularly important when division work includes multiple categories with different market behaviors.

When specialty assets are involved—such as entertainment memorabilia, costumes, historic artifacts, or mixed collectibles—Megan applies disciplined identification and market research to keep conclusions credible. When the property is primarily household contents, she uses consistent methods across categories so the report remains coherent.

Pop Culture and Cultural Property Experience

Megan’s pop culture background includes extensive work across film, music, and entertainment history, where accurate identification and category-specific market knowledge are essential. Assets in these categories can range widely, from scripts and costumes to stage-worn clothing, recorded media, and specialized artifacts that require careful documentation. Her experience includes high-complexity projects involving celebrity collections and unusual items that do not fit neatly into standard categories. That specialty experience strengthens her generalist practice by reinforcing disciplined identification and market-definition fundamentals.

In charitable contribution contexts, Megan has supported appraisal documentation for items that were later accessioned into institutional holdings, including museum and archive collections. When referencing institutions, the language is kept factual and neutral, focusing on the assignment context rather than implying endorsement or outcomes.

Areas of expertise

• Pop culture and entertainment-related personal property (film and music history)
• Historic artifacts and culturally significant objects
• Costume and fashion
• Recorded media and related categories
• Animation-related property and collectibles
• Rare books and manuscripts (as applicable to assignment scope)
• Mass-produced collectibles
• Fine art, including prints and multiples, paintings, and sculpture
• Generalist household contents

Services

• IRS-compliant non-cash charitable donation appraisal documentation
• Estate and probate appraisal services aligned to intended use and valuation date
• Insurance-related appraisal documentation for scheduling and risk-management needs
• Equitable distribution and asset division appraisal support for personal property
• Art market analysis as applicable within appraisal scope and purpose
• Litigation appraisal review (appraisal review and technical analysis only)