Personal Property

As appraisers how often have we heard "can I sell this duck mount?" Being a Taxidermist I have had the occasional call asking if I can mount a hawk or a song bird that flew into a window or a car. After explaining the basics of the law they hang up never to be heard from again. Here is the answer to that question and maybe some other ones that will pop up regarding song birds, waterfowl and raptors. Migratory birds cover most any bird including ducks, swans, and loons etc... crows, woodcocks, snipes, song birds, and Raptors including hawks, eagles, and owls etc... Initially, an international agreement was signed Aug. 16, 1916, between the United States, Great Britain and Canada, the Treaty needed implementing through legislation. President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law July...

The question came up the other day "I purchased all my taxidermy mounts in the 80s so why do I need an appraisal? All I have to do is add up the receipts to figure out what I can deduct from my taxes." This statement could be very wrong and cause future problems. IRS Form 526 states "If you donate taxidermy property to a qualified organization, your deduction is limited to your basis in the property or its fair market value, whichever is less. This applies if you prepared, stuffed, or mounted the property or paid or incurred the cost of preparing, stuffing, or mounting the property. Your basis for this purpose includes only the cost of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the property. Your basis does not include transportation or travel costs". IRS Form 526 states original purchase pri...

According to CNN.com, Americans spend approximately $4.4 billion on diamonds, gold and silver for Valentines Day. That's a lot of valuables! What most people don't do, is spend the few extra dollars it costs to properly insure or protect those valuable items.Homeowners policies limit coverage on items such as jewelry and watches for the peril of theft to as little as $1,000. Most households have much more jewelry than this so consideration needs to be given to how much you own and if you want to transfer the risk of loss to your insurance company or by other means. Here are a few options to consider for keeping your valuables safe and/ or mitigating financial loss if stolen:· Obtain a "Floater" policy also known as an "Inland Marine" policy. If you have just purchased the item for Valentin...

When renting an apartment, whether you are a first time renter or an experienced renter, it is important to purchase renters' insurance! It is one product that I definitely recommend getting when leasing an apartment. Renters' insurance is generally not required to get when living in an apartment, but it is necessary and extremely smart to get it anyways.We all think that incidents like theft, fire, flood, etc will never happen to us, but they could. Renters' insurance is there to protect your belongings that you bring into the apartment. Your landlord will not be responsible for damages to your property. The landlord has their own insurance to protect their buildings and the furniture or whatever they provide in the apartment. They will not protect your belongings, which is important to k...

Nowadays, smartphone usage has become ubiquitous, thanks to the many innovative technological developments in mobile phones. It is almost unthinkable to leave the house without the mobile that is widely used to check email, look up reviews for a restaurant, or play a quick game on the device.However, the price tag of a smartphone is quite higher due to the presence of an impressive range of functionalities. The unfortunate thing to happen is losing your phone. It could slip out of your hand and onto the ground, fall into the toilet, or mistakenly get left behind somewhere, never to be found again. Ordinarily, you are on the look out to buy another phone for yourself, and that could cost you a few hundred dollars.A common alternative to the high cost of getting a replacement is to sign up f...

A Persian or Oriental rug is not simply a floor covering but a work of art. A weaver has dedicated months of skilled work in order to create your unique rug or carpet, a skill that has been passed down for centuries from one generation to the next. Like the skill involved in weaving these rugs, handmade carpets are passed down from one generation to the next, becoming valuable and treasured family heirlooms that can often hold not only intrinsic but great sentimental value. Often our memories can be tied up, interwoven in the fibres of our rugs, so if the day does come when something happens to your rug it can be a distressing loss.There are many dangers to handmade rugs from spills and stains to flooding and fire. The first step one should take before or during an insurance claim is to ga...

In today's market, there are many people who shop endlessly during the first purchases for their mortgage while accepting the first offer of the bank during mortgage renewal. However, often the first offer is not the best offer to go for. Even today, banks mostly begin renewal offer at posted rates.It is seen that almost 60 percent of people sign back renewal letters without considering the availability of other offers. Hence financial institutions find it difficult to offer incentives for their best offer.The thing that needs considering is the fact that the arrival time of renewal letters is usually about three weeks before the actual renewal of the mortgage. Hence there is very little time to make use of the lower rates that were available in the previous three or four months or make ar...

There are many reasons why you will have the need of a Personal Property Appraiser in your life time and this article is going to cover three reasons. An Appraiser can do many things to help in your life. When you are in need of cataloging or placing a value on your many collectables call an appraiser.One thing is they can help protect your investment in collectables from art to zebra rugs and everything in between, by providing a complete inventory of all your items in question.Collectables include; Antiques Art work Bronzes Vehicles and Equipment Coins Stamp collections Gun collections Precious Metals Quilts Sport Memorabilia Taxidermy mounts Autographs Etc Second benefit of hiring a Personal Property Appraiser is they are unbiased and not involved in any disputes of value w...