Why "Fair Market Value" Is the Wrong Question for Surplus Assets

Fair market value is a price concept. Surplus assets are an outcome problem. The difference matters because surplus does not fail at pricing. It fails at decisions.

The Price vs. Outcome Problem

Fair market value assumes a market that is accessible, informed, and orderly. Surplus often exists in markets that are fragmented, time-sensitive, and condition-dependent.

The question is not "What is it worth?" The question is "What outcome can we achieve given the constraints?"

Constraint-Driven Value

Constraints are not noise. They define the outcome. Market access, time pressure, and condition uncertainty are not exceptions—they are the rule.

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Ideal MarketConstrainedTime PressureOutcome
Market AccessTime ConstraintCondition Risk

Outcome-based pricing accounts for constraints: market access, time pressure, and condition uncertainty.

Why "Fair Market Value" Creates Bad Decisions

Anchoring on fair market value creates predictable, value-destroying behaviors.

The Waiting Trap

Teams delay disposition waiting for "fair" market conditions. They wait for the perfect buyer, the perfect timing, the perfect condition. Meanwhile, constraints accumulate and value decays.

The Mispricing Trap

Teams price based on theoretical value rather than achievable outcomes. They miss high-ROI recovery opportunities because they're optimizing for the wrong metric.
The Solution

Outcome-Based Decision Making

Instead of asking "What is it worth?", ask "What outcome can we achieve?" This shifts focus from theoretical pricing to practical decision-making.

"In surplus, the enterprise is not pricing the asset. It is pricing the likelihood of a successful outcome given the constraints."

Outcome-Based Framework

  • Identify constraints: market access, time, condition, compliance.
  • Model outcome ranges, not point estimates.
  • Choose the path that maximizes expected value given constraints.
  • Learn from realized outcomes to improve future decisions.

What Good Looks Like

A surplus-capable enterprise does not discard fair market value. It simply refuses to treat it as the primary decision metric. It introduces outcome-based decision-making.

Constraint-Aware

Decisions account for market access, time, and condition constraints.

Outcome-Focused

Optimizes for achievable outcomes, not theoretical prices.

Range-Based

Models outcome distributions, not point estimates.

Learning-Driven

Realized outcomes update future decision ranges.