I just finished an appraisal on an antique watch. That's not the reason for this blog. The watch is white gold, has lots of diamonds and works great. I appraised this same watch back in 1999. In reviewing the old data, I felt a little laugh coming on. How primitive that report looked! Now you need to know that in 1998, I purchased "state of the art" cameras, software and all the things one needs to do a real appraisal, not the feel good kind you get with your purchase. But I digress......
Today, I can touch up, enlarge, shade and crop to make the photo on the report look almost 3D! And the report itself, well, there is so much information on it, that even the worst detective in history could match my report to a stolen item if found in the local pawn shop!
My point of this entire soapbox is, that technology has changed so dramatically in only six years! What will it be like in the future? Will I still be doing appraisals? Probably. There will always be a need for insurance. And insurance companies are waking up to the new world, where overpriced "feel good" appraisals are ruining them.
And then, there's me!
