The defensible number your lender accepts, your carrier relies on, and your operation plans against.

The situations that require a defensible number.

• Financing & refinancing

  Lenders require current, credentialed appraisals before equipment-secured loan approvals, refinancing, or borrowing base certifications. An Equipment Appraisal gives your lender a number they can defend to their examiner — and gives you a number that isn't the lender's appraiser's number.

• Insurance schedule updates

  Replacement cost coverage is only as good as the schedule behind it. An Equipment Appraisal establishes defensible replacement cost values for carrier submission, renewal documentation, and claim support — before a loss event makes accuracy non-negotiable.

• Transactions & acquisitions

  Buying or selling a business with significant equipment assets requires a credentialed independent appraisal. An Equipment Appraisal provides the defensible value both sides can rely on — not a seller's estimate or a buyer's lowball.

• SBA & USDA loan requirements

  SBA and USDA loan programs require USPAP-compliant, qualified appraisal reports. BAZZLE Equipment Appraisal reports meet SBA and USDA qualified appraisal standards and are accepted by all major participating lenders.

• Estate, divorce & partnership dissolution

  Equipment-intensive businesses in legal proceedings require credentialed valuation. An Equipment Appraisal produces the defensible number the court accepts — not a number that gets challenged by opposing counsel's appraiser.

• IRS & tax matters

  IRS qualified appraisals for charitable contribution, estate tax, and business valuation matters require USPAP-compliant reports from credentialed appraisers. An Equipment Appraisal meets IRS qualified appraisal standards.

Each situation has its own playbook — what value type applies, what a defensible report contains, and how to prepare. Read the trigger guides →

What to expect from an Equipment Appraisal engagement.

Every equipment appraisal engagement is scoped individually. These are the questions most clients ask before they start.

• What does an appraisal cost?

  Each Equipment Appraisal is individually quoted based on asset count, engagement method (onsite, desktop, or virtual), location count, and timeline. Factors like duplicate items, travel, multiple locations, and urgency all affect the quote. We review each job and try to save you money while giving a realistic scope-based bid. Most quotes are returned within the hour. We are consistently at or below market rate for MCMEA-credentialed work. See a full cost breakdown, typical ranges, and what drives the number →

• How long does it take?

  Most small-to-medium engagements are delivered within 3–5 business days after data collection is complete. The site visit or data collection phase adds time and should be planned for. Large engagements — 100+ assets or multiple distant locations — receive a specific timeline upfront. Our longest engagement was a 5-state, 12-location, 1,200-item job delivered in two weeks. Our turnaround is roughly one-third of typical appraisal firm timelines.

• Onsite, desktop, or virtual — what's the difference?

  All three methods produce the same USPAP-compliant report with the same research and the same value conclusions. The difference is how asset data is collected. Onsite: our appraiser visits the equipment directly. Desktop: you or your team provides data using our collection form. Virtual: live video walkthrough with your team. Desktop and virtual engagements cost less because they don't involve appraiser travel time. We provide a free data collection form to make desktop collection straightforward. Onsite vs. desktop — full comparison and what lenders accept →

• What value types can you appraise?

  There are 12 defined value types under USPAP. Most clients need one or more of these four: Fair Market Value in Continued Use (going concern, including setup and installation costs), Fair Market Value (going concern), Orderly Liquidation Value (sale over time), and Forced Liquidation Value (sale on a specific date — auction). We can appraise at all value levels and many clients request multiple values in a single report. FMV vs. OLV vs. FLV — which value you actually need →

• Do you use AI to determine value?

  No. We use modern tools to accelerate the research behind an engagement — pulling comparable sales, market data, and equipment specifications faster and more thoroughly than manual methods allow. But every Fair Market, Orderly Liquidation, and Forced Liquidation value is Nathan Bazzle's professional opinion as a Master Certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser, developed under USPAP and signed by him. The research can be automated. The opinion never is — because when the number is challenged, a person has to stand behind it in front of a lender, a carrier, or a court.

• What do you need from us to get started?

  To quote and schedule the engagement we need: the name of the requesting party, the business and equipment locations, the value level(s) required, the timeline, the purpose of the appraisal, an asset list or depreciation schedule, and contact information. In most cases this initial step takes less than an hour.

• Do your reports qualify for SBA, IRS, and lender submission?

  Yes. BAZZLE produces only USPAP-compliant Qualified and Certified Equipment Appraisal Reports. Our reports meet the qualified appraisal standards required by the SBA, IRS, USDA, and all major commercial lenders. All appraisers hold recognized certifications — MCMEA, CMEA, or ASA — and maintain continuing education requirements.

• Can your appraisers serve as expert witnesses?

  Yes. Nathan Bazzle holds the MCMEA credential and has passed the Daubert challenge in every court appearance on record — the federal standard for expert witness qualification in valuation matters. BAZZLE appraisal reports are structured for courtroom presentation and have been positively received by every judge who has reviewed the documentation.

• Why not just use a dealer or auctioneer?

  Dealers, auctioneers, and equipment resellers are almost never certified by a recognized credentialing body. Their valuations are frequently biased by their own buying or selling interests. Their reports are routinely rejected by the SBA, IRS, banks, and courts. The most expensive appraisal you will ever buy is the second one — because the first one wasn't accepted.