You were a little surprised when your husband suggested a mediated divorce. While you knew the two of you were going to split up, you thought he was going to attempt to take as much as he could—and now that you’ve been given an estimate on the value of your assets, you suspect you were right all along. You know that your shared wine collection is worth much more than he has listed, but you can’t prove it, and you do not have an attorney. How can you be sure that he is splitting the wine collection—and everything else—fairly?

How Can I Find Out What Our Wine Collection Is Worth?

In many marriages, one person knows more about the family finances than the other. While this might place one spouse at a disadvantage in the beginning, he or she can get fair treatment in a divorce with a little preparation. Consider these methods of getting access to the true value of your wine collection:

  • Request financial records. Washington is a community property state, meaning that all of the property you and your spouse acquired throughout the marriage is shared property. In most cases, spouses can get access to financial records simply by requesting them from the insurance agents, bank, broker, or mortgage company. However, if the property is in your spouse’s name only, or your spouse refuses to provide you with copies, you may need an attorney to intervene on your behalf.
  • Get an appraisal. If the wine collection is in your shared home, you can ask an appraiser to come to your house and give you an estimated value of the collection for a fee. Attorneys who regularly deal with high-value divorces can often suggest trustworthy appraisers, and insurance providers who insure art and jewelry may also be able to point you in the right direction.
  • Ask an attorney. An attorney acting on your behalf is more likely to help you receive a fair resolution to your divorce. Your representative may also be able to compel your spouse to produce tax returns and account records, as well as ask legally binding questions about the value of the assets. They can also make a demand to inspect all shared property, procuring an impartial third-party estimate of your assets’ value.

Want to make sure you get a fair division of property? Click the related links on this page or contact us to set up a private consultation.

 

Molly B. Kenny
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Divorce and Child Custody Attorney Serving Bellevue and Seattle Washington
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