Corporations and small business owners need to carry property insurance as part of their cost of doing business. If there should be a catastrophic loss due to fire, flood, hurricane, tornado, etc., the building improvements should be properly insured to allow for total replacement of the physical structure.
At Liberty Valuation Group we provide our clients and their insurance carriers (brokers) with an analysis of both Replacement Cost New (RCN) and Actual Cash Value to determine a reasonable basis for insurance placement. We educate our clients to fully understand the nuances between market value, insurable value, and actual cash value.
The Cost Approach is applied in order to establish the RCN. The replacement cost is the estimated cost to construct, at current prices as of the effective appraisal date, a building with utility equivalent to the building being appraised, using modern materials and current standards, design, and layout. This cost reflects the total labor, material, and incidental costs, as well as contractor’s profit. From this cost a deduction is made for policy exclusions that are not typically included in an insurable value, such as below ground foundations, piping, wiring, and utilities. Actual Cash Value is equal to the RCN less physical depreciation. The term Actual Cash Value is also known as Depreciated Replacement Cost.
Allow Liberty Valuation Group to discuss and consult with you regarding the scope of the appraisal development in processing the Cost Approach, the intended users, date of value, definition of values, and the report format that would be appropriate for the users and recipients.