Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Becoming an Appraiser (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Jillian Van Volkenburgh

I must preface, I am not an appraiser… yet. I just completed Module 16 of the Online ISA Core Course in Appraisal Studies. I am officially past the halfway point!

Are you thinking about becoming a personal property appraiser? That was me a few months ago – I’m relocating to the East Coast and wanted to begin a career I could take with me. I would like to share my recent entrée into this new chapter of my life with ISA.

Education is an Investment 

I am currently the Director of Education for a large art nonprofit in Northwest Indiana. I am often asked to speak to students about creative careers. The one thing that I stress is that education, regardless of your area of study, is an investment. To invest in your “future you,” you also must invest two incredibly valuable things: time and money. (I know I am not an appraiser yet, so this is not a formal valuation on time or money).

When I made my first steps into researching ISA, I called their headquarters in Chicago. I wanted to know two things: how long the course would be and how much it would cost.

As I mentioned, I work for a nonprofit, so cost was a determining factor for me. And as an adult with full-time adult responsibilities, making a new commitment can be harrowing. Luckily, I found that ISA’s courses and education materials are not unreasonably priced, and that the time I have to complete the coursework is absolutely manageable. But I was definitely nervous about that time commitment before I started!

Those That Appraise Together, Stay Together: Commitment 

Two of the best decisions my husband and I made jointly were getting gym memberships and joining ISA. You thought I was going to say getting married, right? As I alluded to in the previous paragraph, commitment, eh… scares me a little bit. Well, he convinced the girl who vowed never to marry, well, to marry. That was the very best decision that I reluctantly agreed to - now we are on this journey of life, love and appraising together! And I’m glad I have committed to ISA as well.

Joining ISA as a team has many advantages. My husband and I have different strengths and areas of interest. We can discuss the coursework and bounce ideas back and forth. We have ultimately become study buddies. (Yes, I just typed that and he will be mortified for calling him that.) We can challenge each other and celebrate our successes. It even has upped our texting game beyond “Want to get dinner after work?” or “Did you feed the cat?” to “I passed my assignment!”

One important thing to remember, even though I just spent two paragraphs explaining the benefits of joining ISA with my spouse… 

You May Be Unattached, But You Are Not Alone

Even if you haven’t joined ISA with your spouse, that does not mean that you will be alone in your journey toward becoming a professional personal property appraiser. One of the many amazing benefits of joining ISA is that they are setting you up for success. Failure is not their goal. Unlike a certain sadistic college professor that we all have had, they don’t want you to fail. ISA has a number of resources put in place to ensure that you succeed.

First of all, for the online course, you work directly with an instructor via email. The instructor is there not only to evaluate your assessments, but also to answer any questions. Also, you can work with an ISA Ambassador when you first join. Ambassadors are seasoned ISA appraiser that will offer guidance for the year following your completion of the Core Course. There is also a great toolkit - the ISA Means Business! Toolbox - on the ISA website with valuable resources on how to build your business.

As we all know, the Internet is also a social network. Take advantage of it. One site that I have found useful is LinkedIn. I already used LinkedIn for my professional position, but I have extended my network to include ISA appraisers throughout the country. I sent out short messages saying, “Hey, I just wanted to introduce myself. I am becoming an appraiser through the ISA and I wanted to connect with you.” This has opened up dialogue with a number of appraisers who have specialty areas outside of my purview, so they could potentially become great resources in the future.

I Am a Student Again at 40

They say a lady never tells her age, but I will be ethical and truthful in this blog post. I am a few months shy of my 40th birthday. When I was in undergrad, we did not have the option for online learning. I enjoyed academia and being in the classroom and I was not sure if online coursework was for me. I was wrong. I LOVE IT! With a full professional and social schedule, I can dictate when and where I learn. I might be in the comfort of my office or at my local coffee shop. It is fantastic option.

The online lectures are very straightforward and thorough. The instructor gives great examples to illustrate the discussed topics to make them relatable and easy to understand. As a side note, the online proctor is unintentionally funny. His dry humor comes through ever so slightly and unexpectedly.

Read the Chapters First!

The instructor states that at the beginning of each module, you should read the chapter first and then listen to the online lecture before taking the assessment. For the first module, I was like…. oh, I will just listen to the lecture and take the test. When I reached the point to take the assessment, it took me three attempts!

No matter how confident of a person you are, when you see "Failed" in red on your screen, you squirm a bit. Reading the chapters prior to the assessments is critical because the online lectures may not cover everything in the chapter. Always take your instructor’s advice!

A Highlighter is Your Friend 

One study tip I might suggest is making a review packet. Most chapters have a page of review at the end. I made copies of each review sheet and then compiled a quick study packet. Spoiler alert! There is no review for one of the longest chapters in the Core Course Manual, Chapter 12. So l recommend taking notes as you go along and highlight key points through the entirety of the manual.

Find Some “Me Time” 

I recently read a study on the brain and memory retention in Forbes about how multitasking can cause diminished long-term memory and decrease productivity. Even though society commands your attention in every direction with 24-hour ticker tapes on the screen and constant weather/coupon/news updates on your phones, we have to relearn to focus.

Make time to study, especially when you are doing distance learning or the online course. You should set aside time that works around your child/dog/work/Roomba chasing schedule. Give yourself quiet time to absorb the information. Listen, take notes and find a study pattern that works best for you.

Wish Me Luck!

This is is my first of hopefully many blog posts of my adventures in the world of personal property appraising for the ISA website. I will now minimize this screen and begin Module 17. Wish me luck! To be continued…

 - Jillian Van Volkenburgh

Jillian Van Volkenburgh is an aspiring ISA appraiser, currently enrolled in ISA's Core Course in Appraisal Studies. The ISA Core Course is the “original” complete appraisal methodology course for personal property appraising. Its thorough scope includes appraisal objectives, intended uses, market identification and analysis, research methods and skills, ethics and professional conduct, and a detailed presentation of report formats and checklists. Students enrolled in ISA’s Online Core Course program use the same text materials as the onsite course offerings coupled with a series of interactive learning exercises and open book quizzes that must be completed as the course progresses. Learn more about the Online Core Course, our Onsite Core Course, and about becoming an ISA member.

It’s time to update your library!

Did you know that a new version of ISA’s Core Course Manual is now available? A quintessential text in appraisal studies required for the ISA Core Course and the Requalification course, this 2016 version represents the most thorough revision since the late 1990’s.

A culmination of over 30 years in appraisal methodologies and principles, the new Core Course Manual revisits many traditional examples of appraising while enlisting new lessons, updated regulations, as well as the most current samples and checklists available. Complete with a table of contents, as well as a comprehensive index, the Core Course Manual has undergone new revisions to help keep appraisers up to date with the ever-changing industry.

Last year, ISA released the 2015 edition of A Guide to Identification and Evaluation of Antiques and Residential Contents, an important text for those who specialize in general household items. The latest edition covers both the timeless and the modern when it comes to household valuables and residential property. Having undergone a thorough visual update, appraisers can expect quality photos to help guide them through their ARC learning.

Another recently revised text is A Guide to Appraising Fine Art. This reworked manual provides both a basic understanding of the fine art world as well as a fresh look at authentication, connoisseurship, and modern fine art research.

As you develop your career and appraisal skills, it is crucial to stay updated and remain knowledgeable on current practices in your field, as best put by Libby Holloway, ISA CAPP:

“Over the last couple of years both our ARC and FA specialty course manuals have been updated to include new chapters and color photos to make learning easier. These manuals are not only course materials but will hold a place on your reference book shelf for years as some of your most valuable appraising tools. No matter what your specialty, both manuals provide guides for terminology and resources to help you write more professional appraisals.”

To learn more about what ISA has to offer your appraising practice, visit our website here, where you will find all of our educational resources from manuals to webinars and much more.

The Antiques & Residential Contents Guide – Update Your Resource Library with the Newest Edition

Thanks to the tireless efforts of its current co-editors Libby Holloway, ISA CAPP, and Michael Logan, ISA CAPP, one of our primary texts, A Guide to the Identification and Evaluation of Antiques and Residential Contents, has received notable revisions for its 2015 edition. Previous versions were published in 1996 and 2011, with the latest changes in form and content ensuring that the current guide reflects industry trends, best practices, and ever-evolving appraising procedures. The 2015 edition features significant additions, including color photographs, as well as brand-new sections regarding the writing of reports, tips for research, and more.

The ISA Antiques & Residential Contents (ARC) course was developed to provide specialty knowledge to those appraisers who cover the world of general household contents, be they antique or contemporary. This manual, which contains extensive information on 19th and 20th century furniture and accessories that forms the basis for how appraisers examine residential property, is not a price guide but rather a how-to source for procedures that include identification, evaluation, and connoisseurship.

From the preface by Leon Castner, ISA CAPP, Director of Education:
This is one of the only texts that cover the contents of a house from attic to basement, wall décor to floor coverings. It provides the information necessary for anyone seeking to become an appraiser, dealer, auctioneer, or estate sale agent, or anyone seeking a comprehensive and thorough foundation of the world of antiques, collectibles, and general residential contents.

This book has proven itself to be a crucial guide to ISA members seeking reference to the world of antiques and residential contents. Purchase your copy of A Guide to the Identification and Evaluation of Antiques and Residential Contents from ISA’s online store.

It’s Time to Update Your Resource Library with the New Version of ISA's "A Guide to Appraising Fine Art"

Thanks to the hard work and diligence of members of ISA's Fine Art Committee and Fine Art instructors, one of our principal texts, A Guide to Appraising Fine Art, has been updated, extensively expanded, and redesigned as a stand-alone resource for all personal property appraisers, regardless of specialty or background. Released this April, the comprehensive, practical guide is also a companion to ISA's Appraisal of Fine Arts Course.

The manual is an entry-level, step-by-step textbook, developed for professionals engaged in the appraisal of art at any level, from the generalist seeking identification tips for distinguishing an etching from an engraving, to the highly specialized art expert looking for new online research methods. Substantial new content has been added including a 58-page guide to researching value, written exclusively for ISA by Thomas McNulty, author of Art Market Research: A Guide to Methods and Sources, and Librarian for Fine Arts at New York University. Updated and expanded information has been added to the chapters covering art history and terminology, connoisseurship, authentication, identification of frames, paintings, prints and photography.

From the preface by Leon Castner, ISA CAPP, Director of Education:

Most art texts are very broad in scope and tedious in minutia, whether dealing with the numerous schools of art or thousands of individual artists. This text is quite different. It seeks to provide a concise yet fundamental history of predominantly Western art in preparation for understanding and valuing art in the marketplace…. it (also) deals with the difficult yet necessary topic of connoisseurship. By the end of the text, one can expect to have developed a good eye and sharp mind so that when an item not readily identified or covered in the market is discovered, it can be handled in a competent and professional manner.


The International Society of Appraisers thanks editor Rick Casagrande, ISA CAPP, along with Cathy Peters, ISA CAPP; Cindy Charleston-Rosenberg, ISA CAPP; Christine Guernsey, ISA CAPP; and Perri Guthrie, ISA CAPP, all of whom were heavily involved in this endeavor.

This guide has been enthusiastically received by ISA members. Copies on hand for review and sale at Assets 2014 in Kansas City were sold out during the first day of Conference. Purchase your copy of A Guide to Appraising Fine Art from ISA’s online store.

Books, Books and more Books

A few months ago I was sitting in my office looking at the amount of books I had in the bookcases. I knew that they were only the books that were out on the shelves, and there were more in the drawers and under cabinets.   It seemed so overwhelming for some reason and I got to thinking about the need for books in my world today.  I was actually considering selling some, giving some away or even tossing some of the price guides I seem to have the need to hold on to forever.  I could clean my office, it would look like a human being worked here and that being (me) had a head on their shoulders.   But as things seem to go, I didn’t get around to cleaning off the bookshelves that particular day or week and there they stayed.

Thank Goodness.

 In the past two months I have had to do valuations that involved many pieces of property.  One project had over 500 pieces which had to be identified, evaluated and valued.  That is quite a few pieces of property to cover.   The problem with this project was that many of these pieces were Victorian and early 20th Century glass.  Now, you see where my books came into play.  Luckily I have loads of good books on glass and I needed almost everyone on the subject of this type of glass.  I needed to identify the glass if it was Hobbs, Fenton, McKay, Westmoreland, Wavecrest, and on and on.

Sure you can go to the internet and do your identifications by clicking and clicking, saving, printing and reading.  But you know sometimes that takes more time than sitting with your stack of books, opening to the pages you need and doing some actual reading.   Good books have great information and they can answer a mountain of questions before you start to make mistakes that you don’t even realize you made until it is too late.  For example,  how to tell if the milk glass is an original 19th Century or a reproduction.  Or, is that unmarked painted butter dish by Northwood? Is that Tiffany candlestick complete or is something missing?

I know it might not appear that most glass items from the 19th Century are very important in today’s marketplace.  But, you know they are to those who collect and cherish these items.  If they are some ones parent’s collection and you have to help them divide the property you better be on target as to what you are looking at before you start to value.  It can be overwhelming at first but when you find your rhythm you start to move along pretty quickly.  Once I found the type of glass I was valuing, finding the values was rather easy and quick.

It is not just glass that causes this kind of problem, it can be lamps, figurines, vases,  pottery and all sorts of decorative items that somehow are stored in the estates I work with.  After all these years of looking at things my brain can only hold so much at the ready and sometimes it needs a reboot.  Thank goodness for my books . When I go to them, they trigger that particular file in my brain database and automatically refreshes my knowledge that I know I had somewhere in that flash drive otherwise known as my mind.  

So my word of caution is this – be careful when you clean out your library, the one you give away or sell might just be the next one you need for your project.

Judith Martin, ISA CAPP