I LIVE TWO LIVES: Personal property appraiser & appraisal mentor

Get your online oral appraisal of rare or common objects or a USPAP appraiser consult

The Oral Appraisal Report Option is fastest and the cost effective option!

Special: 30 minute appraisal consult for $90 (possibly now!)

Before we can begin an onsite or online appraisal consult it is important to have a

careful discussion with the client to completely understand and identify the client's intended use, intended users, their needs, objectives, priorities, time frames, budget and other relevant context. Only then can the decision be made by the appraiser to accept the assignment as competent to complete the job and determine which appraisal report type is best for the client's needs.

The burden is on the personal property appraiser to credibly, competently and ethically solve the appraisal or valuation problem presented and provide a proper report consistent with appraisal standards. All of this must occur before a client can hire Novotny for a 30 minute appraisal consult either online or at Novotny's home office in San Gabriel CA. Once there is an agreement to proceed it is possible to meet on Zoom immediately after sending a Zelle payment by email or cellphone.

While conducting any online personal property appraisal ALL personal property appraisers should comply with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Novotny teaches USPAP to personal property appraisers. Please review his AQB Certified USPAP Instructor Certificate at the bottom of this page. The OARD form below fulfills all minimum reporting elements required by USPAP so that the online oral appraisal report is meaningful and properly understood.

A formal Restricted Appraisal Report is also possible following an online inspection in certain circumstances that, again, must be determined by the appraiser during initial consultations with the client.

VALUE IN DOUBT? FIND OUT! Call or email now for a 30 minute appraisal consult online or at Novotny's home office in San Gabriel CA.

Report Options: OARD, Restricted or Formal Appraisal Report

Shelter in place - Stay safe. Get you personal property appraisal report online and Nationwide Rural

Covid has impacted the marketability of personal property and antiques. The market for most object types has generally been in decline for many years due to decreased demand from younger generations and increased supply due to increased fatality among our aged ones.

The opportunity to inspect and conduct a personal property appraisal online using Zoom and FaceTime has made it possible for both urban and rural clients to contact a truly competent general residential contents appraiser. Novotny is your top choice for an interactive nationwide online household contents appraisal.

The "Oral Appraisal Report Disclosures" (OARD) form, that Novotny originated, provides context to make his oral appraisal report option meaningful and properly understood by clients and intended users. An oral appraisal report without proper disclosure and context is simply not sufficient for proper understanding.

All onsite and remote online personal property appraisals require proper disclosure of limiting conditions, assumptions and the scope of work conducted as well as providing the USPAP required appraiser's signed USPAP Certification asserting that the online appraiser acted competently and ethically and in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). When requested and appropriate Novotny can provide an OARD form that encloses and reports the client's hand written documentation of his oral appraisal report.

The oral appraisal of general personal property residential contents is challenging and requires years of experience and extensive study. Many personal property appraisers avoid such assignments or, worse still, conduct them without meeting the USPAP requirements required of an online appraiser.

The current demand for oral online appraisals of general residential contents is substantial due to death of a family member, downsizing, equitable distribution, interior design changes, the need to sell or donate or other reasons. There are often hundreds of objects of various types. Some are rare and of significant value. Most objects are common and ordinary objects of nominal value but still important and meaningful to clients. Oral appraisal reports can be provided cost effectively at a fast pace and still be comprehensive and meaningful..

The client may document the oral appraisal by making their own audio or visual recording and by written notes taken during the oral appraisal. For onsite appraisals Bill Novotny retains a digital audio recording that documents his onsite comments in order to comply with the USPAP Record Keeping Rule and, if necessary, in order to complete a formal, full-fledged appraisal report with limiting conditions later if needed. Client's can download from Zoom a recording of the appraisal. Value in Doubt? Find out! Call 626-292-2224

UPGRADE TO An abbreviated RESTRICTED APPRAISAL REPORT or a formal comprehensive appraisal report

There are also two formal personal property appraisal report options that can be provided in an online appraisal when appropriate:

A Restricted Appraisal Report (RAR) is an abbreviated formal appraisal report type, formally prepared by the appraiser as an alternative to the similarly formatted OARD form based oral report.

Formally prepared report formats are offered when appropriate or required for a specific intended use, usually for calculating IRS tax requirements, for legal purposes or estate or trust management when special care and diligence and a formal report is required.

Some common intended uses include:

Damage claims
Acquiring Insurance for high value items
Litigation support
Negotiated settlement
Arbitration or Mediation
Expert testimony
Trust management
Estate management
Equitable distribution
Partnership Agreements (form or dissolve)
Decision making
IRS Tax calculation
Sales advisory
Pricing residential contents
Decision making
Identifying rare objects and "hidden treasures"

The public must have a basis for their trust. Online personal property appraisers are obligated at all times when performing as an appraiser to comply with the current edition of Uniform Standards of Profession Appraisal Practice (USPAP, 2020-2021).

Bill Novotny was the first personal property appraiser to be certified (2002) by the Appraisal Foundation as an AQB Certified USPAP Instructor. Value in Doubt? Find Out!

Novotny's AQB Certification as a Certified USPAP Instructor

Appraisers must periodically update to current USPAP changes

The minimum standards (USPAP) that apply to every personal property appraiser are currently updated every two years to ensure personal property appraisers stay current and protect the public trust. Credible appraisal reports are vital to the national economy. The public needs personal property appraisers and must have a basis for trust. The Appraisal Foundation was identified by Congress as the source of minimum Standards and qualifications for all appraisers.

In 2002 William (Bill) Novotny was the first personal property appraiser in the USA to be certified by the Appraiser Qualifications Board (AQB) of the Appraisal Foundation (TAF) to teach USPAP to all personal property appraisers. He has remained certified ever since and regularly teaches USPAP classes on nearly a monthly basis to personal property appraisers. His current "AQB Certified USPAP Instructor Certification" is current until early 2022 and is shown below.

The process of opinion development by the appraiser must be disclosed by degree in the appraisal report regardless of whether if is a formal or oral report. Thus the need that drove Novotny to develop the OARD form. Thus the need for Novotny to choose and write the appropriate report form for formal and more demanding and complex appraisal assignments. The burden is always on the appraiser to determine, conduct and disclose the scope of work performed.