When to request an independent appraisal

An independent appraisal is a valuation prepared by a licensed third-party appraiser. It is documentation you can stand behind when a decision depends on a number, whether that is an insurance conversation, an estate conversation, or a sale you want to enter with something firmer than a guess. It is not a listing price, not a brokerage offer, and not a promise of what a buyer will pay.

Apogee Asset does not prepare the report. Independent licensed appraisers in the network write it. Apogee does not buy, sell, broker, or consign any item, and does not guarantee any appraised value or sale outcome. That separation is intentional. The free digital inventory is yours to build and keep. The appraisal is a paid, third-party document for the moments when a written figure is required.

Households often confuse three different needs: knowing what they own, knowing what something might be worth on paper, and knowing what someone will actually pay. The inventory answers the first. The independent appraisal answers the second as documentation. The third belongs to a market you enter later, if you enter it at all, and Apogee does not run that market.

What the report is for

Use an independent appraisal when you need a documented number before you act. Skip it when you only need an organized inventory of photos and notes. Paying for a report before the photos and descriptions are finished usually means paying again, or receiving a weaker document, because the appraiser is working from an incomplete record.

• Before a sale or consignment. A written figure from a licensed appraiser is documentation in the conversation, not a guaranteed sale price.
• When records are thin. Heirlooms without receipts still need photos, descriptions, and, when required, a professional valuation.
• When several pieces matter at once. Item appraisals stack; a whole-home package coordinates multiple items in one session.
• When guessing is expensive. Underpricing and overpricing both start with undocumented assumptions.
• When an estate or insurance conversation asks for more than a phone photo. A report is structured evidence.

What it is not

1. Not a marketplace listing and not an offer to buy.
2. Not an Apogee-invented number, because the appraiser is independent.
3. Not consent to promotional texts; account notification SMS, if you opt in, covers appraisal confirmations, scheduling reminders, and inventory backup notices only.
4. Not a substitute for finishing the photos and notes first.
5. Not a promise that any buyer, insurer, or heir will accept the figure without their own process.

Document the piece first. Request the number second. Acting in the opposite order usually means paying for a report on an incomplete record.

How the request usually runs

Finish the inventory entry with clear photos, a description, marks, and condition. Choose Item Appraisal at $149 per item or Whole-Home Appraisal at $399 per package on Pricing. Complete checkout. An independent licensed appraiser prepares the written report. You keep the inventory either way. The report does not replace the photos; it sits beside them.

Expect the quality of the report to track the quality of what you send. A sharp overall photo, a hallmark close-up, and honest condition notes give the appraiser something to work with. A dark group shot and a one-word description force guesswork you do not want in a document you may later rely on.

Choosing item versus whole-home

• One decision-driving piece points to an Item Appraisal.
• A long list across rooms with a short calendar points to the Whole-Home package.
• If you are unsure, finish the inventory first, then ask which scope fits the list you actually have.

If you are unsure whether a piece needs a report yet, start with the free inventory and ask: support@apogeeasset.com or (888) 338-7249.