The Certified Appraisers Guild of America is a professional accrediting organization
providing certification of personal property appraisers. With members in 49 states
and 6 Canadian Provinces, 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 North America.
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 standards of
personal property appraisal practice and appraisal report writing. Special areas of
emphasis in 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 courts 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 Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
Practice.
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
The Appraiser shall obtain the relevant facts relating to the subject property to
form the final conclusion of value.
All formal appraisal reports shall be in writing signed by the Appraiser.
The Appraiser shall disclose any interest in the subject property and will accept
an appraisal assignment only if the appraisal can be performed without bias.
The Appraiser shall maintain the confidential nature of the appraisal report.
The contents of the report shall not be disclosed without consent of the client
or by court order.
The fee charged by the Appraiser shall be independent of the value in the report.
The Appraiser shall maintain respect for others in the appraisal profession.