Billy L. Haymaker v. Victoria L. Haymaker (mem. dec.) ( 2015 )


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  •       MEMORANDUM DECISION
    Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this                    Jul 29 2015, 9:12 am
    Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as
    precedent or cited before any court except for the
    purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata,
    collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.
    ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT                                 ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE
    Edward A. McGlone                                      Caitlin M. Miller
    Terre Haute, Indiana                                   Hunt, Hassler, Lorenz & Kondras, LLP
    Terre Haute, Indiana
    IN THE
    COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
    Billy L. Haymaker,                                         July 29, 2015
    Appellant-Respondent,                                      Court of Appeals Case No.
    61A01-1411-DR-495
    v.                                                 Appeal from the Parke Circuit Court
    The Honorable Samuel A. Swaim,
    Judge
    Victoria L. Haymaker,
    Trial Court Cause No. 61C01-1304-
    Appellee-Petitioner.                                       DR-152
    Bradford, Judge.
    Case Summary
    [1]   Appellant-Respondent Billy Haymaker (“Husband”) and Appellee-Petitioner
    Victoria Haymaker (“Wife”) were married in 1980 and separated in 2013 upon
    Wife’s filing of a dissolution petition. Between 1997 and 2000, Wife’s mother
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    had conveyed sixty-five acres of farmland to Wife and Wife’s two siblings as
    joint tenants with rights of survivorship (“the Farm”). Wife had also opened a
    bank account with Old National Bank (“the Account”) into which she
    deposited her share of revenue from the Farm, which is operated by her brother.
    [2]   As part of the dissolution proceeding, the marital residence was appraised by
    three persons, two of whom appraised the property at $190,000 and one at
    $230,000. Wife and Husband also submitted appraisals of certain heavy
    equipment of Husband’s with Wife’s appraisal of its value being significantly
    higher than that of Husband’s. After a hearing, the trial court determined, inter
    alia, that (1) Wife’s gift of her portion of the Farm and the Account warranted
    an uneven division of the marital estate because those assets remained in her
    name and were not comingled with Husband’s assets, (2) the value of the
    marital residence was $230,000, and (3) the value of Husband’s heavy
    equipment was the mean of all of the appraisals that were performed.
    [3]   Husband contends that (1) the trial court abused its discretion in concluding
    that the Farm and the Account warranted a deviation from the presumptive
    equal split of the marital estate, (2) the trial court abused its discretion in
    valuing Wife’s interest in the Farm, (3) the trial court abused its discretion
    valuing the marital residence, and (4) the trial court abused its discretion in
    valuing Husband’s heavy equipment. We conclude that the trial court did not
    abuse its discretion in, essentially, assigning the Farm to Wife but did abuse its
    discretion in assigning the Account to her. We further conclude the trial court
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    did not abuse its discretion in valuing the marital estate or Husband’s heavy
    equipment. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.
    Facts and Procedural History
    [4]   Husband and Wife were married on May 17, 1980. From 1997 to 2000, Wife’s
    mother executed four warrantee deeds for the “Farm,” a 325-acre property held
    by Wife, Wife’s brother Joseph Fessant, and Wife’s sister Mary Beth Walls as
    joint tenants with rights of survivorship. Husband was aware of the Farm but
    never requested that it be retitled to add his name. At some point, Wife opened
    the Account, into which she deposited her share of the Farm’s income. The
    Account was used for whatever family needs arose, “[w]hether it be furniture or
    something the children needed.” Tr. p. 220. The income from the Farm was
    reported on the joint tax returns filed by the parties.
    [5]   On April 15, 2013, Wife filed a petition for dissolution of her marriage to
    Husband. On May 21, the trial court held a hearing on the dissolution petition.
    At the hearing, the evidence included three appraisals of the marital residence
    and four appraisals of certain heavy equipment of Husband’s, three performed
    on his behalf and one on Wife’s. Brian Conley appraised the Farm at $325,000,
    but did not take into account that it was currently a joint tenancy with rights of
    survivorship. Carl Miller, III, testified that it would be difficult to market a one-
    third interest in a joint tenancy with rights of survivorship. Miller further
    testified that the interests in the Farm would have to be separated in order to be
    marketable, which could be accomplished by a partition suit. Wife and Fessant
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    both testified that they wished to give their children their interest in the Farm
    and intended to convert title to the Farm to a tenancy in common. As of the
    date of the hearing, however, Wife and Walls had not spoken in seventeen
    years.
    [6]   On July 3, 2014, the trial court issued its dissolution decree, which provides, in
    part, as follows:
    DECREE OF DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE
    This cause came on for final hearing the 21st day of May,
    2014. Petitioner, Victoria L. Haymaker (hereinafter “Wife”),
    appeared in person and by counsel, Teri M. Lorenz.
    Respondent, Billy L. Haymaker (hereinafter “Husband”),
    appeared in person and by counsel, Edward A. McGlone.
    Witnesses were sworn and evidence was heard. The Court,
    having taken this matter under advisement, now enters the
    following Decree of Dissolution, dissolving the parties’ marriage
    and dividing the assets and debts of the marriage.
    1.      The parties were married on May 17, 1980. The parties
    separated on April 5, 2013.
    ….
    6.      Wife is an employee of the Vigo County School
    Corporation and earned $30,786 in 2013. Husband is an
    employee of Novelis and earned $119,046 in 2013.
    Therefore, Husband’s annual income is nearly four (4)
    times more than Wife’s annual income. However,
    Husband is close to retirement.
    ….
    11.     During the marriage, Wife received a gift of a 1/3 interest
    in 65 acres of farm real estate, in Vigo County, IN, from
    her mother, following the death of her father in a farm
    accident. The co-owners of said farm are Wife’s brother
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    and sister. The real estate is titled to these three (3)
    siblings as joint tenants with right of survivorship. Wife is
    3 years older than her brother, Joseph Fessant, and 15
    years older than her sister, Mary Beth Walls. Mortality
    tables indicate Wife may survive her brother because
    females live longer than males, however, such tables
    would also indicate that Mary Beth Walls will survive both
    her siblings and as the youngest surviving joint tenant with
    right of survivorship, would end up owning the fees simple
    in the 65 acres. The alternative to the last surviving sibling
    owning the fee simple in the real estate would be for the
    three (3) owners to agree to divide the real estate, in kind;
    to agree to sell the real estate and divide the proceeds
    among them; or one or more of the siblings filing a lawsuit
    to partition the real estate.
    12.      The fact that Wife and her younger sister have not spoken
    to each other for years indicates that co-operation to divide
    or sell the real estate will be unlikely and having to file a
    partition action will be likely.
    13.      The fee simple interest in the 65 acre farm was appraised
    by Brian Conley during the pendency of this matter for
    $325,000.
    14.      The costs to Wife of partitioning her interest in the 65 acre
    farm, according to Carl N. (“Chip”) Miller, III, are:
    a. Litigation costs including attorney fees:                $20,000
    b. Real estate appraisal fee:                               $2,000
    c. Realtor’s commission at 6%                               $6,500
    Total:                                                      $28,500
    These expenses would, therefore, reduce the value of
    Wife’s fractional 1/3 interest in the real estate from
    $108,333 to $79,833. In any event, the value of this asset
    is somewhat irrelevant. Regardless of the value, it is
    Wife’s asset alone. She inherited it and Husband has
    contributed nothing toward this asset. The Court would
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    deviate from the 50/50 presumption in favor of the Wife
    by any amount placed as the value of this asset.
    However, its value and income do somewhat
    counterbalance Husband’s superior income earning
    ability.
    15.      During the marriage Wife maintained Old National Bank
    Account #0302, into which she deposited her net farm
    income after payment of farm expenses such as Indiana
    real property taxes.
    ….
    19.      The parties built the home at 10660 S. Rukes Road and
    invested approximately $350,000 in its construction.
    20.      There were four (4) appraisals on the marital residence.
    Wife had the real estate appraised by Johnny Swalls
    ($190,000) and by Chip Miller ($230,000). Both of these
    appraisals were market-analysis appraisals. Wife also had
    a market assessment performed by Becki Busiere of Remax
    Real Estate who inspected the real estate, inside and out,
    and determined the fair market value of the real estate to
    be $230,000 to $235,000. Husband had the real estate
    appraised by Cindy Steiner at $190,000; however, Ms.
    Steiner looked at the home from the road, only, and did
    not view the interior of the home. Ms. Steiner’s appraisal
    was a “lender’s appraisal”.
    21.      Ms. Steiner did not inspect the interior of the residence
    until after preparation of her appraisal report and
    understated the square footage of the real estate by 258
    square feet and determined a value per square foot of the
    real estate at $114.46. Chip Miller opined, that had
    Steiner used the correct square footage, her value of the
    real estate would have increased by $29,530, bringing her
    value to $219,530. Ms. Steiner acknowledged at the final
    hearing that she had underestimated the square footage of
    the residence but testified that her correction of that error
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    would not increase her opinion of the value of the real
    estate.
    22.      Appraiser, Johnny Swalls adjusted his Comparable #1 as
    if it had a larger basement than the parties= [sic] basement,
    when, in fact, it had no basement. Correcting this error
    increased the value of Comparable #1 by $25,460. Swalls
    corrected this error in his appraisal after it was brought to
    his attention by Chip Miller; however he did not increase
    the value of the real estate as a result of this correction.
    23.      Neither Steiner nor Swalls seemed to make any adjustment
    on their comparables for the fact that the basement in the
    parties’ home is fully finished and includes two (2)
    bedrooms and a full bath. Chip Miller believed that the
    value of this improvement, as compared to an unfinished
    basement, was $29,000. Had Swalls or Steiner adjusted
    their values, accordingly, for the fully finished basement at
    the marital residence, which provides substantial
    additional living space, their values of the real estate
    would have exceeded the value of the real estate
    determined by Chip Miller.
    24.      Chip Miller testified that shortly before the parties’ final
    hearing, a home comparable to and in close proximity to
    the parties’ Parke County real estate had sold for $250,000.
    He testified that had this comparable been available at the
    time of his appraisal, he would have relied heavily on it.
    He testified that this recent comparable confirmed his
    value of the parties’ real estate at $230,000.
    25.      The Court determines that the value of the residence, at
    separation, was $230,000. This is a beautiful home for
    which the parties should be proud. It would appear to the
    Court that $230,000 is actually a very reasonable price for
    such a home.
    26.      The date of separation balance of the Wells Fargo
    mortgage against the real estate was $127,806, leaving
    equity in the real estate of $82,194.
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    27.      Each party shall be confirmed in the continued ownership
    of all household goods, furnishings, personal effects, tools
    and heavy equipment in his/her possession, same having
    been allocated between the parties during the pendency of
    this matter.
    28.      There were also four (4) appraisals of some part or all of
    the parties’ personal property.
    a.      Wife commissioned the appraisal by Johnny Swalls
    of all household goods and furnishings, tools,
    equipment and heavy machinery. The value of such
    property as determined by Swalls was $48,331.50.
    Swalls appraised the heavy equipment at $30,100.
    b.      Husband commissioned three other appraisals of
    some part or all of his heavy equipment, only. The
    value of some part or all of the heavy equipment
    determined by Husband’s appraisers were:
    David Hayes:                      $11,825
    Jim Maier (“Diamond”) $13,800
    Wright Implement                  $11,659
    29.      The Court finds Wife’s approach in averaging the 2 to 4
    appraised values of each piece of heavy equipment to
    determine its mean value to be reasonable. Therefore, the
    adjusted value of the parties’ personal property is $35,899,
    of which Wife received property valued at $5,835 and
    Husband received property valued at $30,004.
    30.      The Court accepts Husband’s argument that the 50/50
    presumption should be rebutted because only 33/35ths of
    his Novelis Pension Plan was accrued during the marriage.
    The Court will award Husband with 53% of this Plan.
    31.      The Court finds that the assets which comprise the marital
    estate and the value thereof, at separation, are as follows:
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015   Page 8 of 19
    Marital
    Asset              Titling    FMV          Debt       Pot
    Value
    Parties’ Pre-Marital
    Gifted Assets
    ….
    Wife’s gifted 1/3
    interest as joint tenants
    with right of
    survivorship with W’s
    siblings in 65 acres of
    farmland in Sanford
    (Vigo County),
    w        79,833                  79,833
    Indiana. Appraised by
    Brian Connelly for
    $325,000 reduced by
    costs of partition
    action. $325,000 ÷ 3 =
    $108,333 - $28,500 =
    $79,833
    ONB Savings (Farm
    w        3,540                   3,540
    Account) #0302
    ….
    Additional Assets
    Acquired by Joint
    Effort of Parties
    Real Estate
    Marital residence as
    10660 S. Rukes Road,
    Rosedale (Parke
    County), Indiana,
    including 6 acres;
    subject to Wells Fargo       jt      230,000     127,806     102,194
    mortgage #0359
    ($127,806). Value per
    market analysis
    appraisal of Carl N.
    Miller, III.
    Personal Property
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    Household goods and
    furnishings; value per
    appraisal by Johnny
    Swalls with heavy
    equipment valued at         jt       35,899                  35,899
    mean value
    determined by Swalls
    and 3 other appraisers
    of such equipment.
    ….
    Total Estate                  2,138,827    127,806     2,011,021
    32.      The presumption of an equal division of assets between the
    parties under I.C. 31-15-7-5 is rebutted and the Court
    determines that Wife is entitled to more than fifty percent
    (50%) of the marital estate because of the value of her
    gifted assets which remained in Wife’s name, alone,
    during the marriage and which were not commingled with
    Husband. Wife also argues the court should rebut the
    presumption because of Wife’s inferior earning ability and
    her inferior economic circumstances with respect to Social
    Security retirement benefits and the increased cost of her
    medical insurance. These are valid concerns, but Husband
    is close to retirement and Wife has been keeping her own
    income out of marriage for a significant amount of time.
    While this may not rise to “dissipation” it is an economic
    circumstance the Court has considered. In addition, Wife
    will end up with her acreage in Vigo County. The Court
    finds that each of the parties contributed an equal amount
    of money to the completion of the home Husband was
    building at the time of the marriage and therefore brought
    an equal value of assets into the marriage, and that neither
    party dissipated assets during the marriage. While each
    party alleged that the other party had dissipated assets, the
    parties would not have accumulated the marital estate that
    existed at separation if there had been any significant
    dissipation of assets. The Court intends to equally divide
    the estate, except the premarital assets and gifts. The
    additional amount awarded to Wife ($45,215.38) roughly
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    represents the additional amounts Wife has as a gift or
    premarital item.
    ….
    36.      Husband shall refinance the Wells Fargo mortgage secured
    by a lien against the marital residence and pay Wife her
    $51,097 equity in the real estate within 60 days of this
    Order. Wife shall quit claim to Husband her interest in the
    real estate in the context of his refinancing, under a Quit
    Claim Deed prepared by Husband’s attorney. Husband
    shall continue to pay and hold Wife harmless against all
    expenses associated with the former marital residence,
    pending his refinancing.
    Appellant’s App. pp. 18-23, 25, 28.
    [7]   On August 1, Husband filed a motion to correct error. On October 22, 2014,
    the trial court issued its order to correct error, revaluing some assets that are not
    at issue in this appeal and redividing the marital estate accordingly.
    Discussion and Decision
    [8]           When we review a case in which the trial court has made
    requested findings of fact and conclusions of law, we will not set
    aside the court’s judgment unless it is clearly erroneous. Rose
    Acre Farms, Inc. v. Greemann Real Estate (1987), Ind. App., 
    516 N.E.2d 1095
    , 1097, trans. denied. A judgment is clearly erroneous
    when unsupported by the findings of fact and conclusions
    thereon. Findings of fact are clearly erroneous when the record
    lacks any facts or reasonable inferences to support them.
    Donavan v. Ivy Knoll Apartments Partnership (1989), Ind. App., 
    537 N.E.2d 47
    , 50. In determining whether the findings and
    judgment are clearly erroneous, we will neither reweigh the
    evidence nor judge witness credibility, but we will consider only
    the evidence and reasonable inferences therefrom which support
    the judgment. Agrarian Grain Co. v. Meeker (1988), Ind. App., 526
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015   Page 11 of 
    19 N.E.2d 1189
    , 1191. A judgment is contrary to law if it is
    contrary to the trial court’s special findings. 
    Id. DeHaan v.
    DeHaan, 
    572 N.E.2d 1315
    , 1320 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991), trans. denied.
    I. Whether the Trial Court Abused its Discretion in
    Dividing the Marital Estate Unequally
    [9]    Indiana Code section 31-15-7-5 provides as follows:
    The court shall presume that an equal division of the marital
    property between the parties is just and reasonable. However, this
    presumption may be rebutted by a party who presents relevant
    evidence, including evidence concerning the following factors, that
    an equal division would not be just and reasonable:
    (1) The contribution of each spouse to the acquisition of the
    property, regardless of whether the contribution was income
    producing.
    (2) The extent to which the property was acquired by each
    spouse:
    (A) before the marriage; or
    (B) through inheritance or gift.
    (3) The economic circumstances of each spouse at the time the
    disposition of the property is to become effective, including the
    desirability of awarding the family residence or the right to
    dwell in the family residence for such periods as the court
    considers just to the spouse having custody of any children.
    (4) The conduct of the parties during the marriage as related to
    the disposition or dissipation of their property.
    (5) The earnings or earning ability of the parties as related to:
    (A) a final division of property; and
    (B) a final determination of the property rights of the
    parties.
    [10]   “Subject to the statutory presumption that an equal distribution of marital
    property is just and reasonable, the disposition of marital assets is committed to
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    the sound discretion of the trial court.” Augspurger v. Hudson, 
    802 N.E.2d 503
    ,
    512 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004).
    An abuse of discretion occurs if the trial court’s decision is clearly
    against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances, or the
    reasonable, probable, and actual deductions to be drawn
    therefrom. An abuse of discretion also occurs when the trial
    court misinterprets the law or disregards evidence of factors listed
    in the controlling statute. The presumption that a dissolution
    court correctly followed the law and made all the proper
    considerations in crafting its property distribution is one of the
    strongest presumptions applicable to our consideration on
    appeal. Thus, we will reverse a property distribution only if there
    is no rational basis for the award and, although the circumstances
    may have justified a different property distribution, we may not
    substitute our judgment for that of the dissolution court.
    
    Id. (citations, quotation
    marks, and brackets omitted).
    [11]   Husband contends that the trial court abused its discretion in departing from the
    statutory presumption of an equal division of marital assets. Specifically,
    Husband contends that Wife failed to establish that her interest in the Farm and
    the Account were sufficient to rebut the presumption of an equal split.
    [12]   We reject Husband’s argument so far as the Farm is concerned. As previously
    mentioned, the presumption of equal division may be rebutted by evidence
    regarding the extent to which property was acquired through inheritance or gift.
    See Ind. Code § 31-15-7-5(2)(B). Here, Wife presented evidence that her interest
    in the Farm was deeded to her and her alone and no attempt was ever made to
    retitle Wife’s interest to add Husband, despite his full knowledge of the Farm.
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    Fessant testified that he, Wife, and Walls’s great-grandfather owned the Farm
    originally and that Fessant’s goal was to have his grandchildren have an interest
    in the Farm. Wife testified that she wanted the Farm “for all [her] kids” and
    that her parents’ main objective for the Farm was that it stay in the family. Tr.
    p. 159. In light of the evidence that no attempt was made to incorporate the
    Farm into the marital estate and that Wife and Wife’s family intended it to
    remain the “family farm,” we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its
    discretion in departing from the presumption of an equal division of the marital
    estate.1
    [13]   As for the Account, we reach a different conclusion. 31-15-7-5(4) provides that,
    in deciding whether to depart from the presumption of equal division of the
    marital estate, the trial court may consider “[t]he conduct of the parties during
    the marriage as related to the disposition or dissipation of their property.” Wife
    testified that Farm income was reported on the parties’ joint tax return each
    year and that the income was used “not just for [her], for whatever was
    necessary[,]” including “furniture or something the children needed.” Tr. p.
    220. Wife also testified that Husband had access to the Account. By Wife’s
    admission, the funds in the Account were commingled with the marital estate
    and used for marital expenses. So, while the trial court did not abuse its
    1
    Husband also contends that the trial court erred in concluding that the value of Wife’s share in the Farm
    was to be reduced by the cost of a partition suit when it was unclear that such a suit would be necessary.
    Because we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in assigning the interest in the Farm
    entirely to Wife, however, we not address arguments concerning its specific value.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015             Page 14 of 19
    discretion in concluding that Wife’s receipt of the Farm itself justified an
    unequal division of the marital estate, we conclude that the trial court abused its
    discretion by essentially taking the Account out of the marital estate.
    II. Whether the Trial Court Abused its Discretion in
    Assigning Value to Certain Marital Assets
    A. The Marital Residence
    [14]   Husband contends that the trial court abused its discretion in assigning a value
    of $230,000 to the marital residence. Wife had two appraisals performed on the
    residence, by Swalls and Miller, who valued it at $190,000 and $230,000,
    respectively. Husband had Cindy Steiner appraise the property and she valued
    it at $190,000. In addition, Wife put into evidence an opinion from Becky
    Busiere that the residence was worth from $220,000-$235,000, although Busiere
    specifically indicated that her opinion letter was “not an appraisal and is not
    intended for that use.” Ex. 7. Only Miller and Steiner testified at the final
    dissolution hearing.
    [15]   Husband argues that Miller’s upward adjustment for the residence’s finished
    basement, $48,000 as opposed to Swalls’s $19,000 adjustment and Steiner’s
    $20,000 adjustment, was excessive. Miller justified his adjustment by noting
    that approximately 1400 square feet of the residence’s basement was finished
    “just like living area” with “two bedrooms, a family room, a bathroom, [and] it
    walks out to the back.” Tr. p. 30. Miller, while stopping short of saying that
    Swalls failed to take into account the fact that the basement was finished,
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    testified that Swalls’s adjustment for the basement reflected that “his
    interpretation of the contributory value of a finished basement is not the same
    as mine.” Tr. p. 35. As for Steiner, she testified that she did an exterior-only
    inspection of the residence, and while she looked into some of the windows, she
    was unable to look into the basement. In the end, Miller testified that, in
    addition to his in-person inspection of the residence, he consulted “public
    records and MLS data, talked to market participants. The normal scope of
    work that you would do in any appraisal.” Tr. p. 24. Husbands points to many
    other reasons why we should reject Swalls’s appraisal in favor of one of the
    lower ones. The trial court, however, was in the best position to evaluate the
    expertise and credibility of the witnesses and evaluate their documentary
    submissions, and the trial court chose to accept Miller’s assessment. Husband’s
    argument in this regard is nothing more than an invitation to reweigh the
    evidence, which we will not do. See DeHaan, 
    572 N.E.2d 1315
    , 1320.
    B. Husband’s Heavy Equipment
    [16]   Husband also contends that the trial court abused its discretion in valuing
    several items of heavy equipment that were ultimately assigned to him. Wife
    commissioned an appraisal by Swalls of all of the parties’ personal property,
    while Husband had certain pieces of heavy equipment appraised by David
    Hayes of Hayes Auctioneering, Wright Implement, and Jim Maier of Diamond
    Equipment. The various appraisals of the items at issue are summarized below:
    Item                 Swalls               Hayes               Wright                 Maier
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015       Page 16 of 19
    John Deere      $9500             $4900         $5259             $5500
    tractor
    King Kutter     $900              $450          $500              $500
    finish mower
    Eighteen-foot $1200               $800                            $800
    trailer
    Homemade        $125              $25
    Ford bed
    trailer
    Case backhoe $8500                $2500         $2500             $3500
    Cub Cadet       $750              $225          $150              $500
    mower
    Gehl skid       $8000             $2500         $2500             $2500
    steer loader
    Ford tractor    $1000             $300          $500              $500
    John Deere      $125              $125          $250
    five-foot
    blade
    [17]   As laid out previously, the trial court summarized the results of the various
    appraisals of Husband’s heavy equipment as follows:
    a.      Wife commissioned the appraisal by Johnny Swalls
    of all household goods and furnishings, tools,
    equipment and heavy machinery. The value of such
    property as determined by Swalls was $48,331.50.
    Swalls appraised the heavy equipment at $30,100.
    b.      Husband commissioned three other appraisals of
    some part or all of his heavy equipment, only. The
    value of some part or all of the heavy equipment
    determined by Husband’s appraisers were:
    David Hayes:                      $11,825
    Jim Maier (“Diamond”) $13,800
    Wright Implement                  $11,659
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015   Page 17 of 19
    Appellant’s App. pp. 21-22. The trial court determined the final value for each
    piece of heavy equipment by accepting the average values of the two to four
    appraisals that were made for each item at issue, as submitted by Wife:
    Item                 Average
    appraised
    value
    John Deere              $67532
    tractor
    King Kutter   $6333
    finish mower
    Eighteen-foot $800
    trailer
    Homemade      $75
    Ford bed
    trailer
    Case backhoe $4250
    Cub Cadet     $406
    mower
    Gehl skid     $3875
    steer loader
    Ford tractor  $575
    John Deere    $167
    five-foot
    blade
    [18]   Husband’s argument is essentially that Swalls’s appraisal of his heavy
    equipment in particular—and all of the parties’ personal property in general—
    should be discounted entirely because Swalls’s appraisals of his heavy
    equipment were substantially higher than those of Hayes, Maier, and Wright
    Implement. Husband, however, points to no flaws in Swalls’s methodology, no
    2
    The average of the four appraisals for the John Deere tractor is actually $6289.75.
    3
    The average of the four appraisals for the King Kutter finish mower is actually $587.50.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015            Page 18 of 19
    reason to question his qualifications or objectivity, or any other reason to reject
    his appraisal, for that matter. As with Husband’s previous argument, this
    argument is nothing more than an invitation to reweigh the evidence, which we
    will not do. See DeHaan, 
    572 N.E.2d 1315
    , 1320. Husband has failed to
    establish that the trial court’s valuation of his heavy equipment constitutes an
    abuse of discretion.
    Conclusion
    [19]   We conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in deviating from
    the presumption of an equal division of the marital estate and, in effect,
    excluding Wife’s interest in the Farm from the marital estate. We conclude,
    however, that the trial court abused its discretion in effectively excluding the
    Account from the marital estate. Finally, we conclude that the trial court did
    not abuse its discretion in valuing the marital residence or Husband’s heavy
    equipment. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand for recalculation of
    the final distribution of the marital estate, including the Account, which was
    valued at $3540 at the time of separation.
    [20]   The judgment of the trial court is affirmed in part and reversed in part, and we
    remand with instructions.
    Vaidik, C.J., and Kirsch, J., concur.
    Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 61A01-1411-DR-495 | July 29, 2015   Page 19 of 19