A date-of-death appraisal is an independent opinion of a property's market value as of the day the owner died. It matters because, for property inherited from a decedent, the heirs' cost basis generally resets to fair market value at the date of death, and that value is what a CPA uses to work out gain when the house is later sold. The appraisal can be prepared months or years after the death, and even after the house has sold. We are appraisers, not attorneys or tax advisors; your CPA or estate attorney decides how the value is used.
Why does the value on the date of death matter?
Because it generally becomes the heirs' starting point for tax purposes. IRS Publication 551 says the basis of property inherited from a decedent is generally the fair market value of the property at the date of the individual's death, or the value on the alternate valuation date if the personal representative elects it. The Internal Revenue Code sets the same rule in 26 U.S.C. section 1014.
In plain words: for a house bought decades ago, the gain that built up during the owner's lifetime is generally not carried into the heirs' basis. The basis starts again at what the house was worth on that one day. How that plays out on a return, and whether any exception applies, is a question for the CPA.
If the family guesses at it, uses the county's assessed value, or copies a figure from a website, there is nothing behind it. The assessed value is not an appraisal, and an automated estimate, an agent's comparative market analysis or a cash offer is not an appraisal either. An appraisal documents where the number came from, which sales support it, and what condition the house was in.
What is a retrospective appraisal?
A retrospective appraisal is an appraisal whose effective date, the date the value opinion applies to, is in the past. For estate work that date is usually the date of death.
The method is the same one used for a current value, with the clock turned back:
- Sales that closed on or before the date being valued. The comparables are the sales a buyer could have known about then, not sales that happened afterward.
- Market conditions as they were at the time. Whether prices in that pocket were rising, flat or softening, and how long houses were taking to sell, is read from the data of that period.
- Condition as it was on that day. This is the part families worry about most, and it is usually more recoverable than they expect.
It's not too late if the death was years ago
Retrospective appraisals, appraisals of a value as of a past date, are routine. The process is the same for a date last season or a date well in the past; an older date takes more research into sales and market conditions of that period, and that is reflected in the scope of work, the type and extent of research and analysis.
Condition evidence from the time is what makes an older date workable. In Claremont and Pomona the kinds of records that tend to exist include:
- Old listing photos, if the house was listed or refinanced near the date.
- Permit history, which shows when an addition, a garage conversion, a reroof or an ADU was finaled.
- Repair and contractor invoices, dated, showing what was replaced and when.
- Family photographs taken around the date.
- A walkthrough today, with the changes made since the date of death identified and accounted for.
Even if the house has already sold
A sale after the date of death does not establish the date-of-death value. It shows what the house brought later, often after repairs or a change in the market. The appraisal can still be prepared as of the earlier date, using records and photographs of the house as it was.
When a fact cannot be observed directly, such as the condition of a kitchen that has since been remodeled, the report may rely on an extraordinary assumption, an assumption about uncertain facts that, if false, could change the result. Any such assumption is stated plainly in the report so the CPA, the attorney and the heirs all read the same limits.
A note on the alternate valuation date
An estate can elect to value property as of the date six months after death instead of the date of death, under 26 U.S.C. section 2032. The statute allows that election only when it decreases both the value of the gross estate and the estate tax, and property sold or distributed within those six months is treated differently. Whether the election is made is the CPA's and the personal representative's decision, not the appraiser's. If it is being considered, say so at the start: it changes the date the value applies to, not the process, and both dates can sometimes be handled in one assignment.
What is the difference between the probate referee and an independent appraisal?
In a California probate, the probate referee is a court-appointed role, and the appraiser does not replace it. Probate Code section 8900 provides that property in the estate inventory is appraised by the personal representative, the probate referee or an independent expert, as the chapter sets out.
Executors still order independent appraisals: to understand the value before the inventory is filed, to support an heir buyout, to document basis for the CPA, or to raise a question about a value that does not match the house's condition.
Property held in a living trust generally passes without formal probate, so it is typically administered without a probate referee. A successor trustee who needs a documented value for distribution or basis orders the appraisal directly. The trust, conservatorship and fiduciary appraisal page covers that assignment.
Question | Probate with a referee | Living trust | Independent appraisal |
|---|---|---|---|
Who values the house | Usually the referee, for the inventory | No referee; the trustee arranges a value | A licensed appraiser engaged directly |
Date valued | The date the probate process calls for | Usually the date of death | Whatever date the client needs, current or past |
Who can rely on it | The court and the estate | The trustee and beneficiaries | The intended users, the people entitled to rely on it, named in the report |
What does this look like locally?
These are the kinds of files that come in, described without names, addresses or figures.
- A Claremont Village bungalow held for decades, never remodeled, where the date of death was some time ago and one heir now wants to sell. Old family photographs and the permit file carry the condition analysis.
- A North Claremont postwar house with a later addition, where the permit dates decide whether the addition existed on the date of death and belongs in the gross living area, the finished, above-grade living space.
- A house in one of Pomona's historic residential districts, Lincoln Park, Wilton Heights or Hacienda Park, where the era and character of the house narrow the pool of sales that are genuinely comparable, and the report explains the choice.
- A house sold by the estate before anyone thought about basis, where the appraisal is prepared as of the date of death from the listing photos and the invoices for work done before the sale.
What we'll need from you
Nothing here is a dealbreaker if you do not have it. It shapes the scope.
- The date of death and the property address
- Who is ordering: executor, administrator, trustee, heir, attorney or CPA
- The intended use, what the report will be used for, and who else will read it
- Access to the property, if it is still available
- Any photographs from around that date
- Known repairs, permits or additions, and roughly when
- Whether the property has since sold, and the closing documents if it has
The inspection runs 30 to 60 minutes for a standard single-family home, longer for hillside, custom, multi-family or homes with additions. Turnaround is typically three to five business days from the inspection, and older dates or missing records can extend the research; the timeline is confirmed before the engagement. The fee is set by the scope of the assignment and quoted before work begins, and the fee does not depend on the value.
Next step
If you are handling an estate with a house in Claremont, Pomona or nearby, read how the estate and date-of-death appraisal is scoped, then order an appraisal with the date of death and the address, or call (909) 324-6122. Attorneys, CPAs and fiduciaries who order regularly can start with the page for professionals.
Sources
- IRS Publication 551, Basis of Assets (inherited property): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p551 (accessed 2026-09-28)
- 26 U.S.C. section 1014, basis of property acquired from a decedent: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/1014 (accessed 2026-09-28)
- 26 U.S.C. section 2032, alternate valuation: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/2032 (accessed 2026-09-28)
- California Probate Code section 8900 (appraisal of inventory property): https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PROB§ionNum=8900 (accessed 2026-09-28)
- Judicial Branch of California, when formal probate may not be needed (property in a living trust): https://selfhelp.courts.ca.gov/probate/simple-transfer (accessed 2026-09-28)
- Lincoln Park Historic District, Pomona (with Wilton Heights and Hacienda Park): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Park_Historic_District_(Pomona,_California) (accessed 2026-09-28)
- Claremont Heritage, architecture: https://claremontheritage.org/architecture.html (accessed 2026-09-28)
Gordon Hall, California Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser, BREA No. AR003877 (lookup: https://www2.brea.ca.gov/breasearch/faces/party/view.xhtml?id=23601). Reports are prepared in conformity with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). Nothing here is legal or tax advice; admissibility is always the court's decision.
Frequently asked questions
Can you appraise a house as of a date many years ago?
Yes. That is a retrospective appraisal, an appraisal whose effective date, the date the value opinion applies to, is in the past. Sales and market data from that period are used, and condition is reconstructed from records, photographs and permits.
The house already sold. Isn't the sale price the value?
Not for the date of death. The sale shows what the house brought later. The appraisal values it as of the earlier date, with the evidence and any assumptions stated.
Will the IRS use this value?
The CPA decides how the value is reported. The appraisal's job is to document the reasoning well enough to be reviewed.
Can one appraisal cover the date of death and a current value?
Often, yes, as one assignment that states both dates the value opinions apply to. Say so when you order.