Probate & Estate Appraisal: Date-of-Death Value, Done Right

After someone passes, settling the estate comes with a list of jobs nobody asked for. One of them is establishing what the property was worth on a specific date — usually the date of death. The court may need it. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) may need it. And getting it wrong can create problems for the estate later.

Bill provides retrospective probate and estate appraisals for executors, administrators, trustees, families, estate attorneys, and Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) across the San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County, and surrounding areas.

What you get:

Retrospective date-of-death valuation: Bill researches what the property was worth as of the date of death — or another date your attorney or CPA specifies — using sales and market conditions from that time, not today's market.

Documented for step-up basis: For many estates, the date-of-death value becomes the property's new tax basis — often called a step-up in basis. A properly documented appraisal gives your CPA the support needed for that filing. Bill provides the value; your CPA or attorney advises you on the tax and legal use of it.

USPAP-compliant and defensible: Every report follows the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), with comparable sales, adjustments, and reasoning shown — not a one-page estimate or a printout from a valuation website.

One report for everyone involved: One clear report the executor, trustee, attorney, and CPA can all work from, so the property value does not have to be revisited.

Why Bill: Bill has been a licensed California appraiser for 28 years. Retrospective work takes care and local knowledge — understanding what a neighborhood was doing months or years ago, and which sales were truly comparable then. That is the work he does, explained in plain language at a difficult time, without pressure and without jargon.

California Licensed Real Estate Appraiser — License AL026006

How it works:

1. Contact Bill — Share the property address, the date of value you need, and who the report is for — executor, trustee, attorney, or CPA. He will confirm exactly what is needed.

2. Inspection and research — Bill visits the property as it is now, then researches its condition and the market as of the required past date.

3. You get the report — A complete, documented appraisal delivered to you and, at your direction, to your attorney or CPA for the estate file.

Settling an estate and need the property value established? Call or text Bill at 626-374-1076. He will walk you through what date and what report your estate needs. Flat fee: $450

Serving Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange County, California.