After a two-month break from his blog, veteran valuer Chris Mercer (Mercer Capital) has started a series of thoughtful posts focusing on appraisal review, a process he deems “essential.” In his first post, he talks about when appraisal reviews are important, what the reviewer needs to know before doing a review (i.e., valuation body of knowledge), and an effective methodology for reviews. Bottom line, “replication lies at the heart of good appraisal review,” he writes. That is, given what’s presented in the report, the reviewer should be able to come to the same outcome.

Let us add that, while having a solid body of BV knowledge is essential to a thorough review of a valuation report, having a layperson also review the report can be very helpful. A person who knows nothing about business valuation, or is not numbers-oriented, should be able to grasp the “story” behind the valuation. If the valuation is of a going concern, the reader should come away with what makes the company tick and clearly see how the report’s narrative ties to the numbers.

In future posts, Mercer will discuss appraisal review methods in detail. Recommended reading!