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Personal property appraisals in Washington DC for donations, estate tax, divorce, and probate, prepared in accordance with USPAP and IRS requirements. AppraiseItNow appraises furniture, jewelry, collectibles, art, and electronics across Washington DC and surrounding areas.
DEFENSIBLE, USPAP-COMPLIANT PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISAL REPORTS — QUALIFIED FOR THE IRS, WASHINGTON DC 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 Washington DC household contents, fine art, antiques, silver, jewelry, and whole collections for charitable deductions reported on IRS Form 8283, for estate administration, for the division of property in a divorce, and for the schedules insurers ask to see. Most assignments in the District are handled without a visit, and an appraiser comes out when the collection is large enough to need it.
Charitable gifts
The deduction follows the market on the date of the gift, evidenced by completed sales of comparable property rather than by the price a donor paid years earlier.
Estate administration
Values are written as of the date of death, with Washington DC antique furniture and pictures examined on their own where the rest of a house can be grouped.
Divorce
Property that has to be divided needs a number with visible evidence behind it, so each line names what sold, when, and where, and the whole report holds to one valuation date.
Insurance
An insurer needs the cost of putting the same thing back, priced in the market a replacement would come from. That is a different number from an estate value, and it is the one that settles a claim.
The unit of analysis changes the work, and now and then it changes the answer.
Single objects
A picture, a watch, a piece of silver, a first edition: a single object is a question about its own market, its condition, and what like examples have actually brought at sale. Where a maker or a period is uncertain, the report says so and prices the range rather than settling the question.
Whole households
A full house is sorted first, because most of it prices by category and a handful of pieces carry the value. Sorting it that way is what keeps a large assignment both affordable and defensible.
Two District rules decide when the contents of a home have to be priced: the line a divorce court draws around separate property, and the value below which an estate is administered as a small one.
Divorce
Any increase
the part of premarital and inherited property the District returns to its owner, along with the property itself
On a final decree of legal separation, annulment, or divorce, and in the absence of a valid agreement covering it, the court assigns to each party the sole and separate property acquired before the marriage or domestic partnership, and the sole and separate property acquired during it by gift, bequest, devise, or descent, together with any increase in that property and anything acquired in exchange for it. All other property and debt accumulated during the marriage is valued and distributed in a manner that is equitable, just, and reasonable, whatever the title says.
That puts two dates on the same object: what it was worth when it arrived, and what it is worth now. A brooch inherited during the marriage and a brooch bought with joint funds sit on opposite sides of the line, and often only the record kept at the time can tell them apart.
Probate
$80,000
the value at or below which District property may be administered as a small estate
Where the property of a decedent subject to administration in the District of Columbia has a value of $80,000 or less, it may be administered as a small estate under the abbreviated subchapter instead of through a standard administration. The Council raised that ceiling to $80,000 in 2025; it had stood at $40,000 since 2001, and at $15,000 before that.
Whether a household falls under the line is a valuation question, and it is usually the contents that answer it: furniture, jewelry, art, and a car, priced as of the date of death. Landing a few thousand dollars either side of $80,000 changes the procedure, the paperwork, and what the whole administration costs.
What Washington DC clients say we are known for
Across 23 published Washington DC 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 much research is visible in the report, and how quickly we answer.
By far the best of the best when it comes to an appraisal company. Truly professional owner who provides a detailed appraisal in an efficient and better than expected delivery time. A must GO TO Company. Would recommend to anyone.
Clothing 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
AppraiseItNow's service was expeditious and professional. The report was thorough with plenty of examples and rationale for the valuations. Good service comes at a cost, but for me it was well worth it. Highly recommended!
Personal Property Appraisal for Insurance Coverage
I asked AppraiseItNow to value a piece of sports memorabilia for purposes of a charitable donation. The item is rarely sold. Their research unearthed an important recent sale of a similar item, which I had not found previously, and which the first appraiser I used had not found either. AppraiseItNow was a good deal more expensive than the first service, but they crafted a detailed report in which I have much more confidence. They also helped me make sure the correct tax forms are used. Thank you!
Sports Memorabilia Appraisal for Charitable Donation
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:
Yes, once the claimed deduction for donated property exceeds $5,000, the IRS generally requires a qualified appraisal and Form 8283. Designer wardrobes, furs, and couture collections cross that line more often than donors expect, and the appraisal must value the garments at fair market value, not what they cost new.
Brand and designer, condition, rarity and age, provenance, fabric and craftsmanship, and current demand, because those are the factors that drive real market prices. A well-kept piece from a sought-after house with documented provenance can outvalue a newer garment that simply cost more at retail.
In a supervised District of Columbia administration, D.C. Code § 20-712 requires the fair market value of each item listed in the inventory to be set by appraisal as of the date of death, presented in columnar form that describes each item and is verified by the appraiser rather than an informal list. Valuable clothing and accessories get itemized and supported like any other appraised asset.
Only above set limits. D.C. Code § 15-501 lets the head of a family exempt wearing apparel, household furnishings, appliances, books, and similar items used for personal or family purposes up to $425 per item and $8,625 in aggregate. Item-level values determine what falls inside the exemption, which is where a documented appraisal of a wardrobe or furnishings earns its place in enforcement disputes.
