ACE Appraisals, Consultations and Estate Services 

... committed to giving you the highest level of expertise for your personal property/business property appraisal or liquidation needs. Our staff is qualified in appraising your personal or business property for insurance, division of property, divorce, charitable donations, bankruptcy, or just the fact that you want to know the value.

If you are in need of an on-site or off-site estate/business liquidation, our staff is qualified to set-up, advertise, and conduct your sale in a professional and timely manner. This includes antiques, fine furnishings, art, silver, jewelry, collectibles, books and all other fine household accessories. ACE can also identify items of higher quality and, if needed, sell them in the appropriate venue such as high end auctions, individual collectors or high end dealers to get the best prices for you.

Call us for a free consultation, we will be glad to visit with you regarding your questions or concerns about appraisals or the task of liquidating your estate.

There are several occasions when you may need appraisal services:

INSURING ART, ANTIQUES AND HOUSEHOLD CONTENTS

Everyone needs some kind of household insurance for day-to-day protection and if you move you will need additional coverage while your property is in transit.

A homeowner’s insurance policy provides for payment if you list items of personal property through fire or theft; however, there are category limits as to how much you will be paid unless you have your valuables specifically listed and their values confirmed by means of a bona fide appraisal prior to the loss.

In the event of a loss, proof of ownership as well as of claimed value must be provided by the owner.  For antiques, collectibles and art this is most easily accomplished by means of a professional appraisal.  Most insurance companies require that appraisals be updated every few years.

DIVORCE & EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION

In an effort to insure an equitable handling of the economic factors surrounding a divorce, the courts can make a monetary award to the disadvantaged spouse based on the determined value of all marital property.  Such an award is often based on the professional testimony of a qualified appraiser.

Additionally, in other instances when valuable property is to be divided, an objective appraiser’s services are necessary in assigning values on which the division will be based.

ESTATE VALUATIONS

Texas tax regulations require that upon death property in the estate be inventoried and appraised to establish a basis for determining estate taxes.  This appraisal also becomes useful when the estate must be divided equally among heirs or when donations from the estate to charitable organizations are to be made.

Federal regulations require that, if a Federal estate tax return must be filed, appraisals meeting strict criteria be performed by a qualified appraiser. Appraisals for estate purposes are conducted in accordance with the Federal Estate Tax Code.

CHARITABLE DONATIONS

The Internal Revenue Service requires that a donor obtain a qualified outside appraisal for any donation worth more than $5000.  IRS publication 561 describes the charitable donation process, including a lengthy explanation of ‘Fair Market Value.”  Changing legislation and strict IRS procedures make it essential that donors seek the assistance of a knowledgeable and qualified appraiser for all Federal related appraisal purposes.

OTHER

Other occasions when an appraisal report may be required include gift tax and estate planning, loan collateral, liquidation and resale.  Many times a client just wants to know the value of an item they have inherited or have owned for many years.

Frequently a descendent inherits and/or is given the task of liquidating of an accumulation of household property collected over several generations.  More often, it is necessary to equitably divide property among heirs or, in the case of divorce, between husband and wife.  In haste, there is often insufficient attention placed on identifying items of worth or of historical or collectible significance.  In such cases, the advice and assistance from a knowledgeable and objective third party can be invaluable.

I offer consultation and inspection service to locate and identify items of value.  At the same time I can make recommendations on the most lucrative means of liquidation.

The decision to liquidate one’s personal property or estate can be necessitated by several circumstances such as receiving an inheritance, retirement, relocation, divorce, or death.  I offer counsel in making the difficult decisions relating to estate disposition, e.g. what to keep, what to throw away or donate, what to sell, what’s valuable and what is not.

I will act as your agent to coordinate the “cleaning” of estates and liquidating property.  This is a particularly helpful in the case of an estate where the heir or personal representative will not or is not capable of performing the liquidation.  In this case, I do not buy. I will only act as agent to assist in the liquidation.

The liquidation of property can be accomplished in several ways.  Most frequently employed are on-site estate sales.  Other options include on-site or gallery auctions.  In this case, choices must be made whether a local, regional, or international auction house would be the best and most lucrative option.

In some cases items having special collector appeal, which would not do as well at a regular local auction, can be sold through a specialty auction or brokered directly to specialized dealers and/or collectors across the country.  If required, our liquidation services include the complete liquidation of estates including the removal of refuse.