Understanding your options
Appraisal, Evaluation and Offer: What's the Difference?
These three words get used loosely, and sometimes interchangeably. In everyday conversation they can describe quite different things. This is a plain-English explanation, not a legal or professional definition.
In general terms
- Evaluation
- Often an informal assessment — a professional looking over a collection and sharing an opinion.
- Appraisal
- May refer to a more formal valuation service, sometimes documented in writing and sometimes needed for a particular purpose.
- Offer
- An amount someone proposes to pay you in a transaction.
Why the distinction matters
An offer reflects what one buyer is willing to pay. An appraisal or evaluation is a different kind of service. Knowing which you're receiving helps you understand the information in front of you.
Just ask
The simplest approach is to ask the professional directly what service they're providing, whether there's a fee, and whether they're also interested in buying. Clear professionals are generally happy to answer.
InheritedCollection.com does not perform appraisals, evaluations or valuations. Independent professionals provide their own services and opinions.
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