Appraisal & Valuation Services

Cambridge Partners & Associates is a management consulting firm specializing in valuation services including business and stock valuations, intangible asset and intellectual property valuations, real estate appraisals, machinery and equipment appraisals and cost segregation studies. Our professional background includes experience from Big Four accounting firms, national consulting firms and institutional investors. Our techniques and methodologies are original, well documented, and are designed to withstand the scrutiny of the most discerning authorities.

Challenging problems require creative solutions and our consultants have the necessary academic and professional credentials (MBA, CPA, ASA, CFA) necessary to understand and undertake the most difficult assignments. Important to the valuation industry, professional designations held by our staff include ASA from the American Society of Appraisers and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Our real estate appraisal work conforms to the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).

More than ever, Cambridge Partners is committed to building long-term relationships by meeting or exceeding client expectations through personalized service, rapid turnaround, reasonable fees, and skilled business valuation techniques. We welcome the opportunity to put our expertise and experience to work for you and look forward to hearing from you.

Following is a partial list of our services:

• Cost Segregation Studies
• Machinery & Equipment Appraisals
• Business and Stock Valuations
• Intangible Asset and Intellectual Property Valuations
• Fairness Opinions and Solvency Opinions
• Valuations for Litigation Support
• 409A Stock Option Valuations
• Real Estate Market Studies
• Real Estate Appraisals

Appraisal Uses and Benefits Purpose
An appraisal must have a reason or purpose for being done and this purpose must be clearly stated. This purpose allows the appraisal to have a meaning in content and a significance in result. The statement of the appraisal purpose is a declaration by an appraiser as to the sole objective in preparing the valuation report. The purpose must be clearly stated in a definitive fashion.

At a minimum, an appraisal should consist of a cover letter of transmittal, a summary of the valuation conclusions, a discussion of the scope of the appraisal, an in-depth presentation of the valuation methodology, a statement of assumptions and limiting conditions, a certification along with a statement of the qualifications of the appraiser, the actual valuation process and conclusions, any exhibits that would be informative and any addenda appropriate to the appraisal.

Users
Business owners have need for appraisals. These needs often are a result of the requirements of a third party. Third parties might be accountants, agents, assessors, attorneys, brokers, buyers, government commissioners, corporations, courts, creditors, insurers, lenders of various types, lessees, lessors, managers, owners, partners, sellers, spouses, and so on.

Uses
Appraisals are used for many different reasons. The reason is to be clearly spelled out in the purpose declaration. Appraisals are used for allocation of the purchase price as part of a business combination (see SFAS 141), for bankruptcy considerations and fresh start accounting, for establishing the value of a business or its goodwill (see SFAS 142), for use in condemnation proceedings, for cost studies, for dissolution’s of various types (marriage, partnership, corporation), for estate planning, for incorporation, for insurable value, for insurance loss settlement, for financing purposes, for management considerations, for merger proceedings, for partnership formation, for purchase or sale, for issuance of stock, for ad-valorem taxation issues, for gift and / or estate tax issues, and for other similar uses.

Up-to-Date Appraisal
Markets are constantly fluctuating or changing. These fluctuations affect various properties differently. Because of this constant state of flux, there is no all-inclusive answer as to how long an appraisal may be considered up-to-date. Whether an appraisal needs to be updated depends on any changes that have occurred in the assets that were already under appraisement and whether the value and premise of value at the time of that appraisal are still pertinent. We recommend that an appraisal be reviewed and updated as required at least every year. If the business, asset or market conditions have changed dramatically, a review may be required sooner.