Estate and Date of Death Home Appraisal

Settling an estate often involves establishing what a home was worth on a particular date. Executors, beneficiaries, and their professional advisers may need an independent appraisal to support estate administration, discussions about inherited assets, or decisions about retaining or selling a property. A current estimate is not always suitable when the required valuation date is in the past.

A date-of-death appraisal is typically a retrospective valuation: it considers the property and market conditions as of the specified effective date, rather than simply reporting today's value. Fairway Appraisal works with the information available for that period and identifies the scope and assumptions relevant to the assignment.

Please share the required effective date, property address, intended users of the report, and any instructions from your attorney or tax adviser. Older photographs, records of improvements, prior listings, and information about changes since the valuation date may help document the home's earlier condition. An inspection today does not by itself establish the condition on a past date.

If multiple beneficiaries are involved, a supported valuation can provide a common reference point for discussions. The appraisal does not determine inheritance rights, tax liability, or how assets must be divided. Confirm those requirements with your legal and tax professionals so the report is ordered for the correct purpose.