Estate Appraisal Checklist: Questions to Ask Before You Hire

Which estate question are you asking?

Use these questions to prepare the brief. Confirm actual requirements with the intended recipient or qualified adviser; this table does not decide whether a report is legally required.

1. Separate sale planning from the intended report use

An inherited collection may raise several questions. Ask which decision the work must support before asking for a price. This checklist concerns art, antiques, jewelry, collectibles and other personal property. A real-estate or mortgage valuation needs a different specialist. The header artwork is an AI-generated decorative illustration.

• Sale planning: are you asking about selling options, an auction estimate, or a written appraisal? Ask the provider what each proposed service includes.
• Estate or family administration: name the actual recipient, such as an executor, adviser, court or family member, and ask what information they need.
• Insurance or donation: tell the candidate that intended use separately. Ask your insurer, tax adviser or other recipient which requirements apply; do not assume an estate report can be reused.
• Ask the intended recipient to confirm the purpose, relevant date, format and any appraiser requirements in writing. An adviser can help resolve legal, tax or filing questions. FAIR does not decide those requirements.

2. Copy the existing assignment brief into a private note

Use the linked existing private assignment brief and personal-property selection checklist. Add estate-specific context to that same note instead of starting a second public inventory.

• Object categories and approximate item count; dimensions, condition, signatures or marks, photographs and records you already have.
• Intended use and actual recipient; the date and deliverable they asked for; questions that still need their confirmation.
• Delivery deadline, access arrangements and the area where inspection would take place. Keep your exact address and collection inventory private.
• Ask what photographs can support, what needs physical inspection or further evidence, and whether another category specialist is needed.
• A value opinion and an authentication question are separate requests. State both if needed; ask who can address each and what remains outside the assignment.
• The candidate appraiser defines the work they can accept. Ask for the agreed scope, assumptions and limits before engagement.

3. Compare the evidence in public profiles

Read the source, check date and status alongside each profile field. A specialty label or a Listed profile is a discovery signal, not proof of current competence, availability or suitability for your assignment. Check any credential with its issuing organization.

• Ask for recent experience with your object category and intended use, and a redacted report outline without another client's private details.
• Confirm current service area, travel, remote work and inspection arrangements directly. A location in a profile does not establish service at your address.
• An empty fee, USPAP education or credential field means that specific information is absent from the public profile. Ask rather than filling the gap with an assumption.
• Keep claim, listing and verification status distinct. The linked status guide explains FAIR's profile checks; they do not certify competence or recipient acceptance.

4. Agree on deliverables, fees and possible conflicts

Use the same questions for every candidate. Compare quotes after the scope is clear; this checklist sets no universal fee or legal rule.

• What written output will I receive, who is responsible for it, and what questions or evidence gaps will remain? Can I see an outline or redacted example?
• What does the fee cover: item count, inspection, research, travel, revisions, rush work and follow-up? What would cost extra?
• Do you buy, sell, consign, broker, receive referrals, or have another financial interest related to these objects? How would that affect the proposed work?
• Would any fee change with the value conclusion or transaction outcome? Ask how the proposed fee and independence arrangements fit the assignment and any recipient requirements.
• What happens if inspection, specialist input or further documents are needed? Confirm timing and cancellation or revision terms in writing.

5. Fictional exercise: one inheritance, two different briefs

This is a fictional teaching example. No client, engagement, valuation or outcome is represented. Imagine an owner with inherited paintings, household antiques and jewelry who is considering both a sale and a report requested by an adviser.

• For sale planning, the owner asks what estimate or selling service is proposed, its fees, and the provider's role in any transaction. For the adviser's report, the owner first obtains the actual purpose, date and deliverable from that adviser.
• The linked Aaron Art and Antiques Appraisal Services profile shows estate, fine-art, antiques and jewelry routing labels. It is Listed and unclaimed, with a source-check label of May 15, 2026. Public fee and credential details are missing, and public USPAP education detail is not shown. Ask the provider to confirm current category fit, scope and availability.
• The linked Charles Pharr profile shows fine-art and estate-valuation routing labels and an hourly fee statement. It is Listed and unclaimed, with a source-check label of July 30, 2026. Its credential field is not supplied and public USPAP education detail is not shown. The provider website also describes sale and consignment services: ask about the proposed role and any conflicts.
• Unsuitable-fit example: the Charles Pharr provider site says it does not appraise jewelry except costume jewelry. An owner with a gemstone ring should seek a relevant jewelry specialist and confirm fit, rather than assume the mixed collection can all go to that candidate.
• These two profiles are alphabetical examples for reading fields, not a shortlist or recommendation. Atlanta profile locations do not establish coverage for this fictional owner. FAIR does not rank them by payment or promise a connection.

6. Take one concrete next step

Finish the private brief, resolve recipient questions, and browse the FAIR directory for relevant candidates. Send the same necessary brief privately to candidates you choose and ask whether they can accept the scope. If category or routing is unclear, use FAIR Match to describe the need. A request or contact click does not prove an engagement.

• Keep home addresses, private inventories, ownership records and recipient correspondence out of public comments and shared examples.
• If the public profile is incomplete or a requirement remains unresolved, record the missing answer and seek clarification. Do not treat silence as approval.

Sources, dates and limits

FAIR editorial guidance, originally published February 26, 2026; materially updated October 7, 2026. The practical questions draw on the International Society of Appraisers Questions to Ask an Appraiser and the American Society of Appraisers consumer guidance, checked October 7, 2026. Profile sources and the two provider sites were rechecked on that date; source labels retain their original check dates. General US educational context does not establish a rule for a particular state, estate, insurer or recipient. This guide gives no individualized legal or tax advice. Ask a qualified adviser about consequential requirements. FAIR is a public, source-labelled registry: it does not perform appraisals, license appraisers, certify competence, certify reports, guarantee acceptance or outcomes, or sell rankings.

Common questions

Related resources

• ISA Questions to Ask an Appraiser (general consumer education)
• Read FAIR listing and verification boundaries
• Estate appraisal fee transparency guide

Open the FAIR guidance hub