Welcome to Hoitt's Appraisals

Honest, Accurate and Professional

Hoitt's Appraisals is a personal property appraisal company dedicated to providing appraisal services of the utmost quality to corporations, attorneys, insurance companies, and collectors, thereby, allowing them to maximaze the value of their possessions through accurate, throughly researched documentation.

Our Specialty Areas

• Antiques & Decorative Arts
• Fine Arts
• Residential General Contents

Four Types of Appraisal

• Estate Probate
• Insurance loss or replacement value
• Division of Assets
• Valuation of Charitable Donations
• Moving

Types of Property

• Residential Contents
• Fine Art
• Collectibles
• Religious items
• Decorative Art

Why Choose Us?

Because we are knowledgeable and certificated professionals whom, through continuing education stay on top of many issues that can and do affect our industry.

• Experienced Professionals for over 40 years in the art gallery & custom picture framing industry
• Since 1999, we have had practical appraisal experience.
• Expert Witness Testimony.
• Certificated by the University of California at Irvine in Appraisal Studies and Connoisseurship in Antiques and Decorative Arts.

Our Assurance: Highest Ethical Standards

• The American Society of Appraisers Code of Ethics
• The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice
• The Appraisal Institute's Code of Ethics

Our Guarantee: Exceeding Reporting Requirements

• Major Insurance Companies
• Attorneys & Trust Officers
• The Internal Revenue Service

 

Qualified, Capable Professionals

We have completed the required appraisal courses from the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), and The Appraisal Institute (AI), which are two of the eight major appraisal societies that, in 1987, founded The Appraisal Foundation (TAF).

Since 1989, the United States Congress has recognized TAF as the source for the development and promulgation of appraisal standards and qualifications. In addition we have also taken the certification, and connoisseurship program at the University of California Irvine (UCI), to be certified. UCI, AI and ASA require appraisers to adhere to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, and Ethics principles.

Our Process: Thorough and Reliable

Although we customize our services based on our client needs, here is the typical process steps of how our service works:

Inspection: The appraiser examines the property for condition, marks, characteristics and dimensions; if the property is not available for inspection due to loss, theft, or water/fire damage, the appraiser has to make some assumptions base on the history of the item given by the owner. Having pictures and history of the items in this case would be very helpful for everyone.

Research: The research time includes time taken to identify marks,
dates, find comparable data, verify the better markets for the items, and consult with other appraisers if need be. Extensive comparable auctions results, and all available sales data are necessary to evaluate the items.

Report: The final document will provide a clear and concise explanation of the use for the report. It will give an explanation of the resources, date of the effective value, location and date of inspection, acknowledgment that the appraiser has no fiduciary financial interest in the items in question. It will have the appraiser’s signature in several places. The contents of the report are very detailed descriptions with photos, the list of all the property in question, a narrative section, a price list with values, and the appraiser biography.

Consistently Exceeding Expectations

You came Through for me when nobody else would!
Carol, Livermore

I am impressed by the professional way
you delivered the report.
A Corporation in San Ramon

We are extremely satisfied with the delivery,
and professionalism in which you handled our needs.
Dr. Fernandez, San Francisco

Now I feel better about the move, and having
my antiques insured properly.
Captain Sorrell, San Jose

I am not sure that words can express my
appreciation for all the help and support. You
truly are incredible outstanding people.
RCI, San Ramon

Thank you, you are a real trooper!
A Law Firm in San Francisco

Thanks for the good work and the
willingness to go the extra mile.
Executor of an Estate in Vacaville

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are a few common questions our clients typically have. If you have other questions, please use our contact us page to send us your questions and will respond as soon as we can.

Q: What is personal property?

A: Anything that you can own other than your business; like antiques, residential contents, art, furniture, collections, collectable's, silver, pottery, jewelry, memorabilia, toys, real estate... everything inside the house).

Q: What is an appraisal?

A: An appraisal is a legal document or a verbal opinion, which describes the subject property and estimates its value.

Q: Who is qualified to appraise?

A: A qualified appraiser is someone who has studied Valuation and Appraisal Sciences and has successfully completed a series of courses offered by anyone of the eight associations that help form the legislation that created the Appraisal Foundation. A qualified appraiser holds current member status in one or more of the associations affiliated with the Appraisal Foundation, like the ASA (American Association of Appraisers) or the AI (Appraisal Institute).

Q: How are the fees calculated?

A: Appraisal fees based on valuation are not ethical, and it is a strict violation of USPAP. We follow the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and our fees are calculated by the job or hourly. In some cases, the client and appraiser can agree upon a specified amount. In other cases, additional fees may be necessary for extensive research for rare or unique items, the use of outside consultants, expert witness testimony, or travel time, and are always agreed upon before incurring the fees.

Q: How do I know if I need an appraisal?

A: You need one if you're procuring insurance for replacement or making a claim, estate probate, doing a division of property for divorce purposes or other litigation. Moving, and disposing of an estate might require an appraisal to satisfy all of the estate needs. To confirm the value of personal property for sale or collateral purposes to satisfy the IRS when making charitable donations or paying estate taxes to assist with estate planning and establishing net worth is also a necessary fact of life.

Q: How long does the appraisal reports stay valid?

A: The market conditions are always changing so important appraisals should be scheduled for review sometimes every year, but the standard is 2 to 5 years. USPAP requires that you keep the file for 5 years or two years after court decisions are finalized.