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Personal property appraisals in Hawaii for donations, estate tax, divorce, and probate, prepared in accordance with USPAP and IRS requirements. AppraiseItNow appraises furniture, jewelry, collectibles, art, and electronics across Hawaii, including Honolulu, Hilo, and Kailua.
They were quick and communicative, and we had the paperwork we needed within a week
Their customer service is OUTSTANDING… I’d give 10 if possible!
The final report was thorough, well organized, and clearly explained the methodology and reasoning behind the valuation
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, HAWAII COURTS, LENDERS, INSURERS, AND MORE.
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Owner & CEO
Joe founded AppraiseItNow to make a certified, USPAP-compliant appraisal as simple to order as anything else online. A former Bain & Company strategy consultant, Joe leads the entire team and specializes in strategy, growth, and the firm's tech capabilities.
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member with 30 years in the trade, from running estate sales and an auction gallery to appraising luxury apparel, furniture, artwork, antiques, and business assets, primarily for IRS tax filings.
Machinery & Equipment Appraiser
Third-generation auctioneer and CAGA Certified Appraiser with more than 20 years valuing machinery, equipment, vehicles, business assets, and estates for banks, attorneys, and trustees across the Carolinas.
Personal Property Appraiser
ISA Accredited Member specializing in Asian art, with a Master's from SOAS and a Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art. Ashley chairs the ISA's Antiques, Furnishings, and Decorative Arts committee and appraises for charitable donation, insurance, and equitable distribution.
Client Success Manager
Manages each engagement from the first enquiry to the delivered report, and keeps you posted at every step along the way.
International Society of AppraisersAccredited Member
Certified Appraisers Guild of AmericaCertified Appraiser
The Appraisal FoundationAuthorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standardsAppraiseItNow appraises household furnishings, jewelry and watches, silver, rugs, books, instruments, memorabilia and collections in Hawaii for estate inventories, charitable contributions, divorce, and insurance scheduling.
What we value
Koa and rattan furniture, jewelry and flatware, rugs and art glass, books, surf and sports memorabilia, instruments, and the boxes nobody has opened since the last move. Significant pieces are priced one by one and the balance is grouped by category. Paintings and prints are handled as Hawaii art appraisals.
How it works from the islands
Owners on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island send photographs, maker marks, receipts and any prior paperwork, and the research runs from there. Nothing leaves the house, nothing is crated, and nothing is shipped anywhere to be looked at.
The standard of value is set by the reader, not by the object. A probate inventory, a donation claim and an insurance schedule each want a different number for the same chair, and a report that reaches for the wrong one is not much use to anybody.
Estates and gifts
An estate inventory and a gift return both ask what a willing buyer would have paid a willing seller on a stated date, neither under any compulsion. For a date of death figure we research the market as it stood then rather than as it stands today.
Insurance
Scheduling with an insurer is a replacement question, and out here the answer carries freight and tax that a mainland figure quietly leaves out. The two numbers are rarely close, and the report says plainly which one it reached and why.
Most assignments arrive with a deadline attached: a filing, a hearing, a policy renewal, or a claim already open. We ask what the deadline is before quoting so the scope of the work fits the date it has to meet.
Probate and divorce
A personal representative or a party to a dissolution needs a schedule that says what each lot is, what it is worth, and on what evidence. We cite the sales the conclusion rests on so the other side can check them line by line.
Donations
A charitable contribution of household goods or a collection carries its own rules about what the appraisal must state and when it has to be signed. We write to those requirements rather than around them.
Two of the rules below decide how far a household estate travels before a court gets involved, and the third decides what the word replacement means once the figures are on paper.
Exempt property
$20,000
the value in furniture and effects a surviving spouse takes ahead of every claim against a Hawaii estate
On top of the homestead allowance, a decedent's surviving spouse or reciprocal beneficiary is entitled from the estate to a value not exceeding $20,000, over and above any security interests, in household furniture, automobiles, furnishings, appliances and personal effects. Where there is no surviving spouse or reciprocal beneficiary, the decedent's children take the same value jointly.
If the chattels selected are encumbered, or the estate simply does not hold $20,000 worth of exempt property, the shortfall is made up out of other assets. These rights come ahead of all claims against the estate. That makes the figure put on the contents a live question rather than a formality, because what the furniture is worth decides how much of everything else has to be pulled across to fill the gap.
Small estates
$100,000
the gross Hawaii estate under which personal property passes on an affidavit instead of through a court
Anyone holding tangible personal property belonging to a Hawaii decedent must hand it to the claimed successor on presentation of a death certificate and an affidavit stating that the gross value of the decedent's estate in this State does not exceed $100,000, and that no application or petition for appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted here. Motor vehicles registered in the decedent's name are carved out and may be transferred regardless of value.
The threshold is a gross figure, so it turns on what the property is worth rather than on what is left once debts are paid. A collection, a safe full of jewelry, or simply a house full of good furniture can carry an estate quietly over the line, which is why the contents are worth valuing before anyone signs.
Replacement cost
4.7120%
the most a Hawaii seller may visibly add to a price when passing the general excise tax on to the buyer
Hawaii's general excise tax runs at 4 percent on retail sales, and every county now adds a surcharge on top of activities taxed at that rate: 0.5 percent in Honolulu since 2007 and in Kauai since 2019, 0.5 percent in Maui from 2024, and 0.5 percent in Hawaii County from 2020 after a year at 0.25 percent. Passing the tax on to a customer is optional, but where a seller does, the State caps the visible rate at 4.7120 percent.
That matters to any replacement figure written in these islands. A schedule built from mainland retail prices understates what it actually takes to put the same item back in the same room, and that is before freight is counted at all. We read replacement against what the goods cost delivered here.
What Hawaii clients say we are known for
Across 27 published Hawaii appraisal reviews, every one from a client who paid AppraiseItNow for an appraisal, the three things they raise most often are that they would hire us again, how quickly we answer, and how much research is visible in the report.
I never thought about needing something appraised and not being able to find anyone. But we were moving and owned a few pieces of furniture that were of high value. When I realized there was no one in the islands who offered this service, I was grateful to the moving company for finding AppraiseItNow for me. They were quick and communicative, and we had the paperwork we needed within a week. I highly recommend them!
Furniture Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
AppraiseItNow Inc. is the best company I was lucky to find by accident. I was looking for someone to appraise cabinets for a donation to charity. I asked for multiple referrals, called multiple appraisal services, etc., and no one could help me. I found AppraiseItNow and from the moment I started working with them, they were wonderful! Joe guided me on what I needed to send him, what needed to be done and stayed in touch with me the entire time. Their customer service is OUTSTANDING and a welcome surprise in today’s world where good customer service is an anomaly! They returned an appraisal in a timely manner, it was clear, concise, cost-effective and exactly what I needed. They followed up with me multiple times to ensure that I received it and everything was OK. My CPA is also thrilled to have them as an accredited appraisal service he can use for other clients. I rarely leave reviews, but I could not pass giving them 5 stars and I’d give 10 if possible! THANK YOU JOE AND ALL AT APPRAISEITNOW!!👊🏼
Personal Property Appraisal for Charitable Donation
I used AppraiseItNow for the first time last month and I was extremely pleased with the results. I needed an appraisal done for insurance purposes and the level of detail about each of my antique furniture pieces was thorough and very helpful in my being able to get the highest amount possible from my insurance company for the antique items that were damaged. I could see that they spent time making sure that the information she included was correct and current for my antique furniture items in the current market. The team responded to my emails timely to answer any questions I had. I would highly recommend Appraise It Now to get a thorough and professional appraisal done on antique items. I do intend to use them again for other antique furniture and jewelry that I have. Job well done! 😃🤗
Antique Furniture Appraisal for Insurance Claim
It is a pleasure to work with Joe and his team. They communicate every step along the way and made the process simple for us to have more than 35 firearms appraised. It was all done in a timely manner and the final report is easy to understand. I highly recommend their services.
Gun Appraisal for Probate
I was skeptical at first, but the company exceeded all of my expectations. The team responded quickly to every question, and the service was excellent. They’re now my go to source for my collection. I’ve used them twice already, and I plan to use them several more times.
Firearms Appraisal for Personal Use
I had a great experience with AppraiseItNow. I needed a formal insurance appraisal for a very unusual and difficult-to-value Pokémon collectible, and their team handled the process professionally from start to finish. Communication was responsive and helpful throughout, and I really appreciated that they took the time to understand the rarity, provenance, and unusual nature of the item rather than treating it like a routine appraisal. The final report was thorough, well organized, and clearly explained the methodology and reasoning behind the valuation. I was very happy with both the finished appraisal and the overall experience working with their team. I’d absolutely use AppraiseItNow again for another specialty collectible appraisal and would recommend them to anyone looking for a professional insurance appraisal.
Memorabilia & Collectibles Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
Given the USPAP-compliant nature of AppraiseItNow’s appraisal reports, we prepare our deliverables for major legal, tax, and financial reporting purposes for individual and commercial clients.
Popular uses of our appraisal reports include:
Primarily through the sales comparison approach: we identify closely comparable pieces that sold recently through auction aggregators such as LiveAuctioneers and Invaluable, subscription databases like WorthPoint, and major auction house records, then adjust for condition, maker, and size. Original purchase price is a poor guide, since mass-market furniture often loses 30 to 50 percent of its retail value in the first year alone.
No. Hawaii imposes no recurring personal property tax on items like furniture, jewelry, art, antiques, or collectibles; county property taxes apply to real property. Appraisals of these items in Hawaii are typically driven by estates, insurance scheduling, donations, and divorce rather than annual tax filings.
They are listed on the estate inventory at fair market value as of the date of death, and the personal representative must prepare that inventory within three months of appointment under HRS 560:3-706. Hawaii's probate code allows a qualified, disinterested appraiser to value items whose worth is in reasonable doubt, such as antique or designer furniture.
The personal representative must correct the record. HRS § 560:3-708 requires a supplementary inventory or appraisement whenever unlisted property comes to light or an original value proves erroneous or misleading, showing market value as of the date of death and identifying the appraisers or data relied on. Late-discovered antiques and collections are common, and we value them retrospectively so the supplement stays consistent with the original filing.
At market value as of the time and place of the offense. HRS § 708-801 sets that standard for property crimes, allows replacement cost only when market value cannot be determined, and deems value at no more than $100 when neither can be established. Because charge severity turns on those numbers, documented values for household property carry legal weight in Hawaii well beyond insurance claims.