Hiring an appraiser and having an estate appraisal in Maryland done after the death of a loved one or after you inherit an estate is always smart for many reasons.
An appraiser can take a lot of stress off you and your family, who most likely have no idea where to start. He or she is responsible for pricing items that will be sold on the local market, as well as showcasing, advertising and eventually selling those items. His or her expertise includes what to put on the market, the best practices used to sell those items, and what to do to put you at an advantage.
An estate appraisal in Maryland will determine that most likely these items can be a great source of revenue:
- Antiques: This includes antique furniture, silver, china, crystal, collectibles and paintings. Antique items are in big demand today, and it is likely buyers will pay a good amount for certain items if they are priced right.
- Used furniture: Furniture by Baker, Kittenger and Kindel often fall into this category. These items are tricky to appraise without having an estate appraisal in Maryland. However, an appraiser can help price these items by checking similar items at other furniture stores.
- House items: Believe it or not, if priced correctly, selling these items can equal or exceed the amount of money you can make after selling the furniture. Items like kitchen equipment, decorations, lamps, books, tools and little knickknacks are often overlooked when selling items of the estate, but the value of those types of items in the house can make selling them worthwhile.
- Clothes and accessories: Appraisers can easily sort through clothes, pick out certain items and price them fairly based on their knowledge of the apparel market.
- Vehicles, like cars and boats: Most appraisers can reasonably price these items and help you get the best price for your vehicle depending on the results of the Blue Book value or Carfax report.
- Jewelry: The demand for jewelry never seems low. Most jewelry, especially collectible costume jewelry has great value, and selling it will help you earn extra money. Appraisers will weigh and test all gold jewelry and often visit local, reputable jewelers to determine a price for the expensive jewelry.
Most of these items are called “blind items,” meaning that the value of them is often undetermined or in flux until they are properly assessed by an expert with current knowledge of the market. That’s why it’s so important to have an estate appraisal in Maryland done. It is difficult to price the items of the estate by yourself, and most people make many mistakes by doing so.
Appraisers know to sell the most expensive items first and to price items carefully so customers become loyal and feel that they have an equal amount of access to what you’re selling.
For more information about certain items or to have an estate appraisal in Maryland done, visit Jane Campbell-Chambliss & Associates, LLC.