SecondAppraisal

Bankruptcy

A vehicle value you can put on the schedules and stand behind

A bankruptcy filing asks you to state what your vehicle is worth, and the number matters: it affects exemptions, what a trustee might do with the vehicle, and how a repayment plan is calculated. Guessing low invites a challenge and guessing high costs you. Appraisal Research gives you an independent, documented market value with every comparable shown, so the figure on your schedules is one you and your attorney can explain.

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$199 flat per vehicle · charged only on delivery · no insurance claim needed

Effective date

Petition date

Vehicle values in a bankruptcy are typically measured as of the petition date. If you have already filed, enter that date and the report records it as the effective date for the matter; our comparables come from the market as it exists when we research, and the report states that plainly. If you are preparing to file, leave it blank and the report speaks as of its own date.

What Appraisal Research is — and what it is not

Every purchase includes

  • A written Appraisal Research report (PDF) stating our opinion of the vehicle's market value and how we reached it.
  • Every comparable vehicle we used — source, listing date, mileage, and the adjustments we made — so anyone reading the report can check the work.
  • The effective date your proceeding uses (date of death, date of separation, or petition date) recorded in the report, with a plain statement of how it relates to the research date.
  • Your VIN decoded to the exact trim and factory options, so the comparables match the vehicle you actually have.
  • Delivery within 24 hours of the point where we have the vehicle details and photos we need.

It does not include

  • No negotiation. Nobody at SecondAppraisal contacts an insurer, a court, a trustee, or the other party on your behalf as part of this purchase.
  • No physical inspection. This is desk research built from your VIN, mileage, photos, and documents, plus the live market of comparable vehicles.
  • No guarantee of acceptance. Whether a court, trustee, attorney, insurer, or anyone else relies on the figure is their decision.
  • No legal or tax advice. Your attorney, executor, or accountant decides how the report fits your filing.

Where the value gets used

  • Schedules and exemptions

    A documented value with its sources for the schedule of assets, and for working out with your attorney how much of it your exemptions cover.

  • Questions from the trustee

    If the trustee asks how you arrived at the figure, the report answers that: which comparables, which adjustments, which sources, and as of which date.

  • Repayment plan calculations

    When a plan is built around the value of what you keep, an independent figure gives your attorney a defensible starting point.

  • Reaffirmation and redemption decisions

    Knowing what the vehicle is actually worth — versus what is owed on it — is the first question in deciding whether to keep it.

How it works

  1. 1

    Tell us about the vehicle

    Plate or VIN, mileage, condition, and why you need the value. If your proceeding has an effective date, enter it — about three minutes.

  2. 2

    Authorize $199

    A $199 hold goes on your card. It is charged only when the research is delivered — nothing before.

  3. 3

    We research the market

    We decode the VIN to its exact trim, pull comparable vehicles from the actual market, adjust for mileage, options, and condition, and document every source.

  4. 4

    Your report arrives

    Within 24 hours of us having what we need, you get a PDF you can hand to an executor, attorney, trustee, or the other party.

Research only

$199 flat, charged when the report is delivered

One vehicle, one written report, every comparable shown. Your card is authorized when you order and charged only when the research is delivered. Nobody negotiates on your behalf, nobody inspects the vehicle, and whether a court, trustee, attorney, or other party relies on the figure is their decision.

Start bankruptcy Appraisal ResearchSee full pricing

Appraisal Research is an independent opinion of market value, not a guarantee of any outcome. The $1,000-minimum guarantee applies only to our insurance appraisal-clause service and does not apply to a research-only purchase. See terms.

Frequently asked questions

Is this what the trustee wants to see?
Trustees and judges vary in what they require, and your attorney is the one to ask. What we provide is an independent, fully documented market value — every comparable, adjustment, and source shown — which is the kind of support a bare book value lacks. We cannot promise any trustee or court will rely on it.
Does ordering this affect my bankruptcy in any way?
It is a flat-fee purchase of a research report, nothing more. We do not contact the trustee, the court, or your creditors, and the report goes only to you. How and whether to use it is between you and your attorney.
How much does Appraisal Research cost?
$199, flat, per vehicle. Your card is authorized when you order and charged only when the report is delivered. There is no negotiation fee and no percentage — this product does not include negotiation at all.
Do I need an insurance claim or a valuation report from an insurer?
No. Appraisal Research for an estate, divorce, or bankruptcy has nothing to do with an insurance claim. You only need the vehicle's plate or VIN, its mileage, a few photos, and the reason you need the value.
Is this a certified or court-ordered appraisal?
No. Appraisal Research is our independent, documented opinion of the vehicle's market value. We show every comparable and every adjustment so an executor, attorney, trustee, or judge can check the work — but whether any of them relies on it is their decision, and we cannot guarantee that they will.
Do you inspect the vehicle in person?
No. This is desk research. We work from the VIN, the mileage you report, the photos you upload, and any service records you have, plus the live market of comparable vehicles. If your proceeding requires an in-person inspection, tell us before you order and we will say so plainly rather than sell you the wrong thing.
How long does it take?
24 hours from the point where we have the vehicle details and photos we need. If we are missing something, we ask once and the clock restarts when it arrives.
Is Appraisal Research available in my state?
In most states, yes. A few states require an appraiser license we do not hold, and we do not sell research there. The intake asks for your state before anything else and tells you right away if we cannot help, so you never authorize a fee for something we cannot deliver.
What if I later end up in an insurance total-loss dispute on the same vehicle?
Appraisal Research and our total-loss appraisal-clause service are separate products. The research report is yours to keep and use; if you later need us to negotiate a total-loss settlement with your own insurer, that is a different engagement with its own terms and fee.

Where to go next

Estate valuationWhat was the vehicle worth on the date of death?Divorce / marital propertyAn independent vehicle value neither side has to take on faithAppraisal ResearchA documented vehicle value, for whatever needs oneInsurance total loss instead?If an insurer has declared your vehicle a total loss, our appraisal-clause service negotiates the settlement for you — a different product with a different fee.