We had a wonderful experience with a current client and felt it important to share. Let’s call her Ms. White.

Ms. White is 92 and was considering moving into a retirement community when she called us for some assistance. She had a lovely condo in which she had been living for 33 years and although her age was a potential indicator it was time to move, she wasn’t really convinced it was time, just yet.

In the meantime, she did ask us to assist her with her valuable items. She wanted to create an inheritance list for her family, so that they could select what they would like from her possessions upon her passing. She was never married and had no children but was a wonderful, loving aunt to many nieces and nephews.

And so began the process. We photographed her most valuable pieces, even those she wasn’t sure were valuable, yet, and sent the photographs to an accredited appraiser. Following the review of the photographs, the appraiser felt it would be worth her time to visit the client to evaluate the items in person.

Once the appraiser had visited, she took another series of photographs, shared her insights regarding Ms. White’s items, and then submitted a full report to support the value of each item.

Ms. White and I were equally surprised by the values presented. Some items were worth in the $20K’s and $30K’s, while other items, were just as valuable at $500 to $1,000. In total, her valuables were appraised at over $70K.

Our next step was to prepare a document with a photo and a description of each item without its appraised value. Ms. White then happily mailed the ten-page document to her nieces and nephews. It was now their turn to choose the items they wanted as their inheritance, without knowing their true value – something they will only find out upon receipt of the gift from their loving aunt, should they want to know.

Our client is thrilled with this outcome. She is so relieved that each niece and nephew has chosen pieces they want and all is legally listed in her will. Later, upon her passing, her wishes and theirs can be fulfilled without any fighting or bickering. Their choices have been made and Ms. White has the peace of mind and satisfaction of knowing her prized possessions are being received lovingly in her honour.