Document!!

Fellow HAMB'rs:

As an appraiser, I am called upon from time-to-time to hypothetically value a subject. That most often occurs following some traumatic event when that subject has been seriously harmed, fully destroyed or that plus removed such that no hulk remains. When facing such a task, owner documentation of what the subject was, how it was created, built, restored, re-created or modified and how it was conformed as a finished project. Lacking such information, I am - all tool often - required to make "Extraordinary Assumptions" so as to provide some basic perspective upon which to found a value opinion.

I write this having just completed such a project. Much of the necessary information outlined above was missing. The claimant suffered thereby.

PLEASE ... as you go forward with any restoration, re-creation or custom project ... OBSESSIVELY DOCUMENT both process and results (digital color photographs, no cell photos, please). And keep receipts and/or photocopies thereof. Otherwise, should "life" happen to what you value, being made whole for that loss is a vacant dream.

PLEASE.

 

You make a valid point,,we tend to invest a lot of hard earned fun tickets in pursuit of our idea of the Hot Rod or Custom of our dreams.

I started out taking photos just to document my progress of bringing back to life the sad remains of my wife's "Ranch Wagon" and interestingly enough kept all the receipts and threw them in a drawer in the file cabinet with the thoughts of adding them up someday,,,,

I will never total them up unless there is some catastrophic claim,,but I will be able to confirm my claims. HRP

 

most people do not want to pay for a appr, till they need it I have been asked many time to do after stolen or damage car apprs I will not get involved

 

I keep a pretty good account of my projects on Excel. Though I try not to look very often. Plenty of pics. on my computer as well.

 

I've been doing it for years. It helps when I want to replace something and want to confirm the parts number.