A Personal Property Appraiser's Story--In Her Own Words...by Suzanne Houck
Behind every estate plan are the lives of immediate family members, relatives, and friends. The two words--"estate plan"--do not do justice to the emotional aspects and human lives that are affected by their instructions.
Recently I was having a conversation with a personal property appraiser and she was sharing her interesting and colorful accounts of what it is like to perform an estate inventory. Given her gift for storytelling, I figured she must also be a great writer--so I asked her, or I should say begged her to please write something I could post that sheds some light on performing a personal property appraisal, and the need for having your property inventoried when you set up an estate plan.
Suzanne Houck, a personal property appraiser in the Coachella Valley was generous to provide the following article to this blog:
As the third born of four children in our family I grew up well acquainted with sibling rivalry. Slammed doors, stolen clothes and bathroom takeovers were routine. Despite many utterances of “That’s mine” and “It’s my turn” to this day all our battles have been minor, and we would still choose each others company over anyone else. However, we have yet to deal as a family with the issue of division of property.
I am not really sure what my parents have done regarding estate planning. It is a topic occasionally brought up but never resolved. Years ago when my parents went to China my mother said that she was going to put stickers on everything indicating who was to receive what. (She never did.) Without ever going to the house or discussing it with mom, I called my sister and jokingly told her how surprised I was that I had been left their most expensive painting. Taking the bait she said she had no clue what I was talking about and quickly ended the conversation claiming she was off to lunch. That afternoon she called back and confessed that she had gone over to our parents at lunch but didn’t find any tagged property. I had a good laugh and confessed that I was teasing her and just wanted to see what she would do. Now, years later I wonder if that was just wishful thinking on my part. Since then I’ve spent fifteen years appraising personal property, and many times I’ve seen first hand the effect an unplanned estate can have on a family.
One memorable case occurred in Virginia in the early 1990’s. Formerly close siblings were no longer speaking as each accused the other of stealing from their parent’s estate. When I arrived to begin the onsite work I encountered lawyers and paralegals from both sides, not something that usually happened to me for ordinary estate tax appraisals. Even more unusual than that, though, was the fact that in a perceived effort to save the estate money the electricity and power had been turned off even though it was an unusually cold December.
One attorney informed me that if I discovered any important documents I was to alert him immediately. The opposing attorney insisted his paralegal spend the day by my side “helping me”. She lasted one hour and made excuses to leave. “And I thought being a paralegal was tedious.” She muttered to herself as she left.
Without removing my hat, coat and gloves I grabbed my flashlight and began inventorying room by room. I looked high and low in kitchen counters. I checked inside rusty tin cans and felt around the tips of well-used oven mitts. I checked the freezer. I looked under mattresses. With flashlight in hand I rummaged around the dark and damp basement. I checked all the usual places for hidden valuables but had not yet found anything worth singling out.
As I worked I overheard various versions of “Mom and Dad had to have more money than that.” From what I understood the heirs were convinced that their parents had more money concealed somewhere. It turns out they were right.
Resting against the wall at the end of the narrow hallway sat a Chippendale fall front desk. You have seen the type. They have a slanted front which folds down revealing a series of drawers and pigeonholes. These desks developed in the 18th century from designs by the English cabinetmaker Thomas Chippendale. As a self-contained “office” the desk was originally intended to be closed and positioned against a wall when not in use. The pigeonholes inside served as an early version of the filing cabinet. To accommodate clients with sensitive letters and documents the cabinetmaker would sometimes add hidden compartments. (George Washington had one of these desks). The more money the client had the more elaborate the hidden compartments could be.
An initial search of the desk revealed the usual contents, pens, papers, clippings and photographs. “Anything?”, someone asked as they walked by. “Not yet.” I answered.
The desk I was examining was a twentieth-century reproduction but even so I had seen enough of them to know that they often had some kind of secret area. These are the little details that keep appraisers on their toes. I was not disappointed. When I gently pulled at the base of the carved column mounted next to the central pigeonhole it moved slightly. With a little coaxing I was able to pull out a vertical storage area. I saw right away what was preventing the “drawer” from sliding easily. It was stuffed with envelopes. Each was stamped and pre-addressed to David Koresh, Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Inside every one of them was a signed check, dated chronologically over the upcoming year and made out to David Koresh. The attorneys were nonplussed. The heirs were stunned.
Maybe if the kids had spent more time with their parents and less time bickering they would have been more aware of their parents’ beliefs and priorities. Maybe they could have discussed it. The parents had given plenty of thought to their eternal state just none to their worldly estate. My parents will be spending Christmas with us this year. I plan to have “the discussion”.
Thank you Suzanne for the interesting and compelling accounts that put the emotional aspects and lives behind estate planning in perspective.
Suzanne Houck has been a personal property appraiser for over fifteen years. She has studied with Sotheby's London and been certified as an appraiser through the International Society of Appraisers. She has recently added detailed Home Inventories to her services. Her contact number is 760.668.4445.
