Maine Antique Digest on Circle of Trust

The Maine Antique Digest has published the Circle of Trust press release announcing that the International Society of Appraisers (ISA), Appraisers Association of America (AAA) and the American Society of Appraiser  (ASA) will work together to promote qualified appraisers.

In short, if you are appraising, you should belong to one of these three organizations.

The Maine Antique Digest reports

Three major personal property appraisal organizations have announced an initiative to educate the public regarding meaningful qualification standards for appraisers. The Appraisers Association of America (AAA), the American Society of Appraisers (ASA), and the International Society of Appraisers (ISA) support the effort as a needed step to improving overall appraiser professionalism and competency, and as furthering public trust in personal property appraisers.

To help guide the initiative and frame the overall scope, new mission and vision statements were developed. Leadership of the three organizations, Deborah Spanierman (AAA), Linda Trugman (ASA), and Christine Guernsey (ISA), explained in a joint statement, “Our mission is simple, to raise the public awareness of qualification standards for credentialed personal property appraisers who are members of the Appraisal Foundation sponsoring organizations.”

The coalition’s vision statement reads, “to protect the public from the risk and abuse of unqualified individuals performing personal property appraisals; to bring the Appraisal Foundation’s AQB (Appraisal Qualifications Board) standard to the forefront of public awareness; and to raise the profile of the credentialed personal property appraiser.”

In addition to adhering to a code of ethics and following the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice(USPAP), members of these associations earn their credentials through accreditation processes, as well as completing continuing education requirements. “These…requirements provide a level of professionalism and trust…, and ensure the public that the appraisals performed by an accredited appraiser are among the most reliable appraisals available,” a press release stated.

All three organizations urge the public to verify the educational and experiential background of an appraiser before retaining his or her services, and to be wary of red flags that indicate an appraiser may not be objective in conducting appraisals, including charging for appraisals based on the appraised value of an item, or offering to purchase an item that the appraiser has appraised. Professional, competent appraisers always conduct appraisals at “arm’s length,” without self-interest, the press release stated.

Questions or requests for further information about this joint initiative may be directed to the Appraisers Association of America, (212) 889-5404; the American Society of Appraisers, 1-800-272-8258; or the International Society of Appraisers, (312) 981-6778.

Source: Maine Antique Digest