Most personal property can be appraised remotely, which is why NextPhase accepts those assignments worldwide. The quality of your photographs largely determines how tight the conclusion can be — and a poorly documented item gets a wider, more conservative range.
Shoot in daylight or bright, even indoor light. Avoid direct flash, which blows out detail on metal, glass, and glossy surfaces. Place the item on a plain, neutral background — a bedsheet works.
For every item: one overall shot, one of any maker's mark, signature, hallmark, label, or serial number, and one of any damage, repair, or wear. Detail shots should fill the frame; step back for the overall.
Include something for scale where size is not obvious — a ruler is ideal, a coin will do. For collections, photograph the group first, then anything individually significant.
Send original files rather than screenshots or messaging-app copies, which are compressed and strip the detail that matters most.
Written by
Jeremy C. Johnson — President / Valuation Specialist. AQB Certified USPAP Instructor, Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, 21+ years and 7,000+ valuation assignments. Statement of capability →
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What the work actually looks like
Real assignments, client details removed — what each engagement actually turned on, rather than how it felt.
A house, a workshop of machine tools, a forty-year firearms collection and a stake in the family company — four disciplines that three appraisers had only partly covered. One engagement, one effective date, one set of assumptions.
A donation the regulations would have aggregated past the appraisal threshold, which the donor had assessed item by item. One qualified appraisal covering the group, itemized, signed inside the window the regulations allow.
An opposing report whose number was not obviously wrong — which is what made it dangerous. It failed on its own certification, and was answered section by section with an independent valuation to the correct definition of value.