Precision Valuation &
Appraisal Services
Valuations built on recovery data from sales we ran ourselves. Lenders, sponsors, operators, restructuring counsel, and court-appointed fiduciaries use our appraisals to size a borrowing base, price a transaction, and defend a number in court. Headquartered in Houston, working nationally since 1987.
Request an AppraisalValuations Grounded in Reality,
Not Theory.
Most valuation firms model the market. We are in it. Our appraisal methodology is built on our own disposition and liquidation operations, which means the numbers come from what buyers paid last quarter, not from a database of what they paid three years ago.
We report net orderly liquidation value, forced liquidation value, and fair market value, we show the assumptions behind each, and we stand behind them when a lender's credit committee or an opposing creditor pushes back. The gap between those three numbers is where recoveries are won and lost, and it is not a modelling exercise for us. It is what happened the last time we sold assets like yours.
Appraisal Expertise
Across Every Asset Class.
Retail & Wholesale Inventory
Consumer goods, apparel, footwear, hard lines, and specialized inventory, valued across domestic and international supply chains. Engagements led by our founder James Schaye include Circuit City, Toys "R" Us, JCPenney, Kmart, and Belk.
- NOLV and FLV reporting for asset-based lending and borrowing base certificates
- SKU-level and category-level analysis across multi-site fleets
- Seasonality, shrink, and markdown cadence modelled from actual sale results
Machinery & Equipment
Heavy machinery, production lines, fabrication and processing equipment, rolling stock, and plant infrastructure, valued for lenders, sponsors, and fiduciaries. An equipment number that ignores what it costs to get the asset out of the building is not a number a buyer will honour.
- Orderly and forced liquidation values for ABL facilities and DIP financing
- In-place versus removed value, net of rigging and de-installation cost
- Multi-site rapid deployment, including 40-plus facility engagements
Fine Jewelry, Luxury Goods & Estates
Retail jewelry inventory, luxury watches and handbags, loose stones, and estate collections, appraised by certified gemologists and industry veterans. The practice the firm was built on, and the reason lenders and fiduciaries call us when the asset is small, valuable, and easy to get wrong. Our appraisal division is led by David Lewis, who has spent four decades in the art and antique business and sells estates for banks, trusts, and law firms. Engagements include Michael C. Fina and Ross-Simons, managed directly by our Jewelry Advisory division, along with Whitehall Jewelers and Friedman’s, co-managed through Hudson Capital Partners.
- Retail jewelry inventory and memo goods for ABL, restructuring, and closing sales
- Estate and private collections valued for distribution, insurance, and sale
- Diamond, coloured stone, and timepiece grading by certified gemologists
Fixed Assets & Real Estate
Fixtures, furniture, leasehold improvements, and commercial real estate assessed as part of the estate rather than in isolation. Below-market leases and FF&E carried as fully depreciated are routinely what funds a recovery, and routinely what nobody has priced.
- FF&E appraisal and disposition across retail, industrial, and campus portfolios
- Commercial real estate valuation, lease mitigation, and portfolio rationalization
- Identification of surplus and non-core assets carried at zero value
Business Valuations
Enterprise, equity, and going-concern value for sale processes, refinancings, plan negotiations, and wind-down decisions, tested against what the business would return if it were broken up. That is the comparison every secured creditor makes, so we make it first.
- Enterprise and equity value for transactions, restructurings, and creditor negotiations
- Going-concern value tested against orderly and forced liquidation scenarios
- Certified opinions delivered through credentialed appraisers where an engagement requires one
Valuation of Litigation Claims
Preference and fraudulent transfer actions, judgments awaiting enforcement, arbitration awards, and unliquidated causes of action are estate assets. We value them on what a solvent defendant will actually pay, so trustees, receivers, and counsel can weigh prosecuting, settling, or selling against a real number.
- Valuation of Chapter 5 avoidance actions, judgments, and other causes of action
- Analysis of liability strength, defendant solvency, timeline to recovery, and net proceeds after costs
- Diligence packages prepared to the standards claim buyers underwrite against
Valuing What Does Not
Sit on a Shelf.
Inventory has comparables. Equipment has an auction record. A going concern in distress and a lawsuit that has not been tried have neither, and both still have to be valued, defended, and acted on before the value decays. We price them the same way we price a warehouse: from what someone will actually pay. For a business, that is the break-up floor every secured creditor will price to. For a claim, it is whether the defendant can pay at all. Where an engagement calls for a certified opinion, we engage credentialed appraisers and manage that process end to end.
Selected Eaton Hudson engagements relevant to this practice:
Validating Value in
Complex Restructurings.
Deployed a rapid-response appraisal team across 40+ national manufacturing facilities for a distressed industrial supplier. Delivered a comprehensive M&E and inventory valuation report within 14 days, enabling the primary lender to confidently secure a $150M debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing facility.
Valuation & Appraisal
Frequently Asked Questions.
Know Exactly What Your Assets Are Worth.
Connect with our appraisal team to get a market-tested valuation prepared for lenders and counsel.
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