The way clients choose a professional valuer in Australia is changing, with experience and reputation remaining important while recognised valuer certification and evidence of adherence to national professional standards become increasingly influential in appointment decisions. For valuers who have spent decades establishing their reputation, this change may not be particularly visible because existing clients already understand the quality of their work, trust their judgement and have little reason to seek further assurance.
The change becomes more apparent when a new client is looking for a professional valuer for the first time. A lawyer, accountant, insurer, trustee, government agency, business or private client may have no previous experience with the practitioner and limited knowledge of the valuation profession. While referrals and reputation remain valuable, independent certification gives the client a clear way to identify an experienced valuer whose professional standing has been independently recognised.
For valuers working across fine art, antiques, memorabilia and collectables, household items, motor vehicles, rare books and coins, jewellery, aviation and marine, plant and equipment, the respected independent credential is that of AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu). Its growing relevance reflects the broader professionalisation of valuation in Australia, where clients and their advisers are placing greater emphasis on recognised credentials, professional valuation standards, continuing professional development, professional indemnity insurance. and the quality of valuation reports.
It is understandable that a valuer with 20 or 30 years of successful practice might question what professional certification adds to a career that already demonstrates considerable experience. The respected CVAu credential is designed to recognise that experience rather than replace it, providing independent recognition of a valuer’s professional standing and communicating it to prospective clients who may never previously have worked with them.
An important part of the AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu) credential is demonstrating the ability to produce professional valuation reports that meet AVAA Professional Standard 6, Minimum Valuation Report Requirements. Applicants for the CVAu credential provide reports addressing matters including the asset, purpose and intended use of the valuation, valuation date and basis of value, valuation methodology, relevant market evidence, assumptions and limitations, with sufficient analysis to explain how the valuation conclusion was reached.
These requirements in a professional valuation report carry particular weight where valuations are relied upon for taxation, insurance, litigation, estates, financial reporting, finance or significant commercial decisions. In these circumstances, clients and professional advisers increasingly want confidence that the valuation has been undertaken by an experienced practitioner working within a recognised professional framework and that the resulting report can withstand scrutiny.
Of note is that professional certification also connects individual valuers with the broader development of the valuation profession in Australia. AVAA represents certified valuers in discussions with the Australian Government and state and territory governments on regulatory and policy matters affecting valuation practice, allowing the practical experience of professional valuers to contribute to reforms affecting the sector.
A professional reputation built over decades remains an enormously valuable asset, and valuer certification complements rather than replaces it. Existing clients know the experience, judgement and capability behind a valuer’s name because they have seen it firsthand. New clients rarely have that advantage, particularly when comparing valuers, seeking assurance about professional credentials or undertaking their own due diligence.
For experienced valuers, this is where the value of the respected CVAu credential is becoming increasingly apparent. Certification provides independent recognition of the experience, judgement and professional reputation already established over a long career, while making those qualities readily identifiable to new clients, professional advisers, government and others who may have no previous relationship with the valuer.
As client expectations continue to evolve, the question for an established valuer is increasingly not whether certification can replace a strong reputation, because it cannot. The more relevant question is whether that reputation should also carry independent professional recognition. For valuers with substantial experience and a demonstrated commitment to professional practice, earning the respected AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu) credential is a practical way to ensure the market recognises what has taken years to build in a form clients increasingly understand and value.
If you have already built the experience, expertise and reputation of a professional valuer, now is the time to have it independently recognised. Apply for the AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu) credential.
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Interested In Finding Out More?
If you’d like more information on the AVAA Certified Valuer (CVAu), send an email to certification@avaa.com.au or telephone 1300 928 165. You can also stay up to date by following AVAA on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and Facebook.
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