Pinnacle Auto Appraisers' Blog

Did you know we offer certified auto appraisals on all types of vehicles including motorcycles, rv's and commercial vehicles?  All certified auto appraisers are trained to handle any vehicle available on the market today.  Types of appraisals and inspections we offer are total loss, diminished value, classic car, exotic car, stated value, pre-purchase inspections, dmv form, lease turn-in, bank loan, bankruptcy, donation, non-cash charitable contribution, motorcycle, heavy machinery, commercial, heavy truck and more! 

Did you know we service 44 states in the United States?  We strive to offer appraisal services to customers in Birmingham, Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, Phoenix, Arizona, Little Rock, Arkansas, Los Angeles, California, Denver, Colorado, Hartford, Connecticut, Washington, D.C., Dover, Delaware, Orlando, Florida, Tampa, Florida, Miami, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Boise, Idaho, Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, Des Moines, Iowa, Wichita, Kansas, Louisville, Kentucky, New Orleans, Louisiana, Portland, Maine, Baltimore, Maryland, Detroit, Michigan, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Jackson, Mississippi, Kansas City, Missouri, St. Louis, Missouri, Billings, Montana, Omaha, Nebraska, Manchester, New Hampshire, Newark, New Jersey, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Charlotte, North Carolina, Fargo, North Dakota, Las Vegas, Nevada, Cleveland, Ohio, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Portland, Oregon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Providence, Rhode Island, Charleston, South Carolina, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Memphis, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas, Houston, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, Salt Lake City, Utah, Burlington, Vermont, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Seattle, Washington, Charleston, West Virginia, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Cheyenne, Wyoming.  We are constantly expanded out services areas so give us a call today, we'll do whatever it takes to get your certified auto appraisal taken care of.

The Appraisal Foundation (TAF) announced that the 2012-2013 edition of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) is now available. The 2012-13 edition of USPAP will be valid for two years, effective January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013. According to a TAF press release “the new edition includes the standards of professional practice for all appraisal disciplines as well as guidance from the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) in the form of USPAP Advisory Opinions and USPAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).”

As with the prior edition, the new edition includes the standards of professional practice for all appraisal disciplines as well as guidance from the Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) in the form of USPAP Advisory Opinions and USPAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Changes to the document include:

1. Revisions to DEFINITIONS of “Client,” “Extraordinary Assumptions,” and “Hypothetical Condition,” as well as a new definition of “Exposure Time”;
2. Creation of a new RECORD KEEPING RULE and related edits to the Conduct Section of the ETHICS RULE;
3. Revisions to Advisory Opinion 21, USPAP Compliance; and,
4. Revisions to STANDARDS 7 & 8: PERSONAL PROPERTY APPRAISAL, DEVELOPMENT & REPORTING.

We receieved several calls today regarding classic car inspections and all brought up a good questions.  Should you trust the person selling the vehicle?  Several times in the past month we have found problems with the vehicle that the seller did not inform the potential buyer about.  In Houston, TX we had a guy tell our customer there was no rust not even surface rust on the frame rails.  When we arrived at the location of the vehicle, everything looked fine from the engine to the interior.  Than we had the owner lift the car up and sure enough there was surface rust.  So than the certified appraiser started looking more into the rust; so he started pulling up carpet and trunk liner and found rust holes in the passenger floor pan.  This customer that hired us to inspect this vehicle lived in michigan.  With michigan weather this would not be a smart purchase as the rust will get worse over time.  In Dallas, TX we inspected an antique roadrunner.  The seller told the customer the paint was flawless, no surface scratches or chips anywhere.  The appraiser arrived at the location for inspection and found rust bumples underneath the rear glass and rock chips on the front of the hood.  Our client was looking for a show quality classic car.  With todays competition any flaw in the paint would cause a car show judge to deduct points off your total score.  In Denver, Colorado we inspected a classic truck that was supposibly "show car quality."  During inspection of the truck we found bolts with surface rust and carpet stained from the leaking evaporator core.  In San Antonio, TX a customer hired us to do a second inspection for him as the classic car dealership said it was in perfect condition.  During inspection found trunk near quarter panel was starting to rust and rear main seal was leaking down the oil pan.

The purpose of this post is to inform you to always trust your instinct and hire a certified classic car appraiser to inspect the vehicle.  For the few hundre dollars you spend on the inspection can save you thousands of dollars in repairs.  Please contact us and one of our certified auto appraiser will assist you.