Before you start
Use this workflow when a real asset, private asset, collectible or other non-market holding needs a current value. The Appraiser gives you a starting estimate from the facts you provide. It does not certify ownership, inspect the asset, guarantee a sale price or replace an independent appraisal when you need one for tax, legal, lending or insurance purposes.
Detailed steps
Open Add Capital Item from the right portfolio
Start from the portfolio that should own the asset, then open Add Capital Item. Check the portfolio name in the header before you continue. If you add the item to the wrong portfolio, the value will appear in the wrong Net Worth, Forecast, Capital Review and shared views.
Choose Real Assets and select the asset type
Select Real Assets when the item is a property, vehicle, precious metal position or collectible object. Choose the closest real-world type before entering numbers. The type affects how the record is described, which fields appear later and how another person will understand the source of the value.
Review the Real Estate form before estimating
The form separates Name, Source / note, Current value, Currency, the Appraiser action and Amount invested. Keep those concepts separate. Current value is what the asset is worth now. Amount invested is what you paid or contributed. Source / note explains why the current value is credible.
Open Use Appraiser only when you need a starting range
Use Appraiser for assets without a live market quote. It is useful when you need a structured starting point, not when you already have a formal appraisal or current statement. If you already have a stronger source, enter that source directly and use the appraiser only as a reasonableness check.
Describe the asset with valuation-relevant details
Write facts that would change the value: location, size, condition, lease status, zoning, renovation level, special features, missing features, debt if relevant and any known constraints. Avoid vague prompts such as only the city or only the asset name. A weak description produces a weak estimate.
Read the suggested value, range and warnings together
Do not use only the large suggested value. Read the range, confidence percentage, rationale, assumptions and warnings. A wide range or low confidence means the estimate is uncertain. Treat assumptions as items to verify, especially for property condition, exact location, title, defects, renovation quality, parking, elevator access or lease restrictions.
Use the estimate only after you accept its limits
Click Use this estimate only when the number is reasonable enough to become the working value. The appraiser fills the asset name, Source / note, current value and currency, but you still control the final record. If the source is too uncertain, close the modal and wait for better evidence instead of saving a clean-looking number.
Review every field before saving
Check the name, source note, current value, currency and amount invested. Enter amount invested only when you know the original cost or capital contributed. Do not use amount invested to force gain or loss to look better. If the asset was inherited, gifted or has unknown cost basis, document that instead of guessing.
Save and inspect the Real Assets table row
After saving, inspect the Real Assets table. Confirm that the row shows the expected asset name, source note, position detail, invested amount, owned value, currency, liquidity and gain or loss. If the row surprises you, open details immediately before relying on the portfolio total.
Open More details and review the asset-specific tab
Use More details to inspect the saved record. For real estate, check owned equity, owned property value, ownership, gross property value and any linked mortgage status. If there is a mortgage, keep it as a linked liability rather than reducing the asset value manually.
Open Value and verify valuation metadata
The Value tab shows how this record affects the portfolio: owned value, ownership, gross value, amount invested, liquidity, last updated, valuation date and valuation method. The valuation method should say what the value really is, such as Appraiser estimate, independent appraisal, statement value or owner estimate.
Use Edit value when the estimate needs correction
If the value, currency, amount invested, liquidity, valuation date or method is wrong, use Edit value. Update the number and the explanation together. A corrected value without a corrected valuation date or method is hard to trust later, especially when Capital Review flags stale or unsupported values.
Field guide
The asset label that appears in tables, details and review screens.
Use a name specific enough that you can identify the asset later.Short explanation of where the value came from.
Use labels such as Appraiser estimate, independent appraisal, statement value, market comparison or owner estimate.Your working estimate of what the asset is worth now.
This affects Net Worth. Do not enter amount invested here.The currency of the value you entered.
Use the source currency. Do not convert manually unless the source value is already converted.Original cost, contributed capital or known basis.
Leave it blank or explain the gap when the basis is unknown.The appraiser's central estimate based on your description.
Read it with the range, confidence and warnings before using it.A low-to-high band around the suggested value.
A wide range means the asset needs better evidence before major decisions.How strongly the appraiser supports the estimate from the facts provided.
Low confidence should push you to add detail or get stronger evidence.The date the value represents.
Update it when you refresh the value; stale dates weaken Net Worth and Capital Review.The evidence type behind the value.
Do not call an estimate an appraisal unless you have an actual appraisal.How quickly the asset could realistically become cash.
Real estate and collectibles are usually locked even when market demand exists.Decision rules
What it adds
- Improves data quality for private, real and Held Away assets.
- Helps future reviewers understand why a value changed.
- Helps Capital Review distinguish stale marks from recently reviewed assets.
What it does not do
- The app records valuation evidence; it does not certify the appraisal.
- A newer valuation can still be wrong if the source is weak.
- Historical performance attribution may remain limited if prior metadata was incomplete.
Common mistakes
What to check
- Do not overwrite value without updating valuation date and method.
- Keep the original source document when the asset is material.
- Use conservative values for assets with wide bid-ask spreads or low market depth.
- Do not use appraisal output as a promise of sale proceeds.
Using the appraiser result as if it were a certified appraisal.
Saving the suggested value without reading the range, confidence, assumptions and warnings.
Entering original cost as current value or current value as amount invested.
Leaving valuation date and method stale after changing the number.
Subtracting a mortgage manually from the property value instead of linking the debt.
Using a precise-looking value for an asset with weak evidence and no note.
Changing currency to match the portfolio base currency instead of the source value.
Assuming Net Worth equals sale proceeds before taxes, fees, debt payoff, negotiation, closing time or discounts.
After you save
- Check the Real Assets table and confirm the value, currency, liquidity and gain or loss.
- Open More details and verify ownership, gross value and linked debt status.
- Open Value and confirm valuation date plus valuation method.
- Attach or retain the stronger source document when the asset is material.
- Refresh the value when new evidence arrives or when Capital Review flags the record as stale.
- Use Forecast carefully for illiquid assets because an estimated value is not immediate cash.