Ross Ronne
The Certified Personal Property Appraiser
Office: 402-362-5595
Cell: 402-366-7818
Fax: 402-362-4875
The Certified Appraisers Guild of America is the result of the recognition of the need for certified professional personal property appraisers. The Certified Appraisers Guild grew out of the teaching of personal property appraisal principles at the Missouri Auction School.
History
Founded in 1905, the Missouri Auction School, from its beginning, taught personal property appraisal principles. For nearly a century, it has provided personal property appraisal training as part of its curriculum. It has been recognized world wide for its quality training programs by such organizations as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian Magazine, the Times of London, England and ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC news.
It recognized that both the government and the private sector were becoming more demanding concerning the practices of the personal property appraisal profession. It expanded and added to its appraisal program to form the Certified Appraisers Guild of America.
A National Appraisal Organization
The Certified Appraisers Guild of America is a professional accrediting organization providing certification of personal property appraisers. With members in 49 states, 6 Canadian Provinces and England, the Certified Appraisers Guild of America is North America's #1 trainer of personal property appraisers. On an annual basis, it trains more personal property appraisers than any other organization in the world. The guild has been instrumental in helping to standardize the personal property appraisal profession. The members of the Certified Appraisers Guild form a network of valuable appraisal contacts throughout the United States and Canada.
Membership Requirements
Each member is required to attend professional training and pass a comprehensive exam before becoming certified. No one is allowed to be a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America without completing the certification program. There are no 'grandfathered' or 'Associate' members that have not completed the training and exam. Each member has completed the course work required to be certified by the Guild.
Educational Standards
The training each member is required to complete includes the uniform standard of personal property appraisal practice and appraisal report writing. Special areas of emphasis in the training include Internal Revenue Service appraisal requirements, estate and gift appraisals, charitable donation appraisals, bankruptcy appraisals, insurance appraisals, appraisals for divorce, and casualty loss appraisals. In addition, each member is required to attend our courtroom expert witness seminar with special emphasis on appraisals for court and testifying in court.
Certification
The Certified Appraisers Guild of America confers the professional membership designation CAGA to recognize the completion of the appraiser's certification education. Members are professionals who have completed the certification process. In addition, the members have made a commitment to the Certified Appraisers Guild's Code of Professional Ethics and to the Standard of Professional Appraisal Practice.
What to look for in a Professional Personal Property Appraisal Report
With the government, courts, judges, banks, attorneys, accountants, insurance representatives and other professionals examining more closely the personal property appraisal report, it is important to know what to expect from a professional personal property appraisal report.
Here are a few points that a professional report should have:
- a complete and accurate description of the property
- analysis of the factors affecting value reflecting the appraiser's research in accordance with the standards required by government authorities
- a definition of value appropriate to the type of appraisal
- a value for the property appraised substantiated by the report analysis
- the appraiser's qualification page
- the appraiser's signature
- the appraiser's statement that the appraiser does not have a financial interest in the property
- you should confirm with the appraiser that the appraiser's report can be defended in court if needed.
