SecondAppraisal

Divorce / marital property

An independent vehicle value neither side has to take on faith

Dividing property means agreeing on what things are worth, and vehicles are where that agreement breaks down: one side quotes a trade-in figure, the other quotes a retail listing, and both are right about something. Appraisal Research is an independent, documented market value with every comparable shown, so you, the other party, a mediator, or the court are looking at the same evidence.

Start divorce Appraisal Research

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

Effective date

Date of separation

Many states value marital property as of the date of separation or filing rather than the trial date. Enter the date your attorney tells you applies 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 says so plainly, so both sides and the court know how the figure was measured. If you are not sure which date matters, leave it blank.

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 an independent value helps

  • One spouse keeps the vehicle

    The one keeping it wants a low number and the one being bought out wants a high one. A documented market value with its comparables shown gives both sides something to check instead of argue.

  • Mediation and settlement conferences

    Walk in with a written value and the evidence behind it, rather than a printout from a pricing site that the other side can dismiss.

  • Financial disclosures

    Disclosure schedules ask for a value; this gives you one you can explain, with the date it was measured and the sources it came from.

  • Multiple vehicles

    Each vehicle is its own report at the same flat fee, so a household with two or three cars gets a consistent method across all of them.

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 divorce 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

Will the other party's attorney accept your figure?
We cannot promise that — no one honestly can. What we can do is show every comparable, every adjustment, and every source, so the figure can be checked rather than merely asserted. In our experience a documented value is far harder to dismiss than a book-value printout.
Can both spouses order the same report?
Either of you can order it, and the report is the same independent research regardless of who pays. We do not take instructions to push the number in either direction; if you want an advocate, that is what your attorney is for.
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?BankruptcyA vehicle value you can put on the schedules and stand behindAppraisal 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.