Estate and date-of-death appraisals in Southern Utah
If you need to know what a home was worth when someone died, today's asking prices cannot answer that question. A date-of-death appraisal develops an opinion of the property's market value as of the date of death, even when the question comes later. If the question instead is what to do with the property now, a current-value appraisal may be the better fit. You do not need to sort out the terminology before getting in touch.
Jeffrey Worthington is a Utah Certified Residential Appraiser. His Southern Utah practice has served homeowners and families since 2011 across Washington, Iron, Kane and Garfield counties. Tell Worthington Appraisals about the property and the question you have been asked to answer; an initial conversation can help clarify which value date belongs in the assignment.
A past value calls for a look at the past property
A home may have been remodeled, damaged or otherwise changed since the date of death. A current photograph or online estimate of today's value cannot establish what that property was worth on the earlier date. Jeff considers the relevant property characteristics and market evidence for the specified date rather than treating later changes as though they were already there.
That distinction matters across Southern Utah. A sale that helps explain the value of a St. George home may tell you little about a rural property elsewhere in the four-county service area.
Jeff has completed thousands of appraisal reports over his career. For an earlier value date, the work is to understand the property as it was then and weigh sales relevant to that place and time.
Which property-value question are you trying to answer?
An executor or trustee may be gathering property information for estate administration. An attorney or accountant may need a value opinion for a specified date. Family members may need an independent valuation when considering how to handle a property among heirs; that opinion does not favor one heir. The people responsible for the estate and their qualified advisers decide the legal, tax and family questions, including how an appraisal may be used.
If the family is deciding whether to sell or keep an inherited home now, today's market value is a different question. The intended use and date can be discussed before the assignment is defined. Jeff's report develops and explains a property-value opinion for the agreed scope; it does not determine ownership, probate requirements, tax liability or what anyone should report.
You can make contact before you have every detail
If you know the property address, the date of death and whether the home has changed since then, those details are useful to share. Instructions from an attorney or accountant, old photographs or records may also help when available. It is fine if some of that information is missing. Start with what you know, and discuss what else may be needed for the appraisal.
Common questions
Can the value date be several years ago?
Yes. Worthington Appraisals accepts date-of-death assignments with effective dates several years in the past when sufficient property and market evidence is available. Whether a particular appraisal can be developed depends on the property, the evidence and the intended use, so share the date and property when you inquire.
What if the home was remodeled after the date of death?
Share what changed and when, as best you can. The property's relevant characteristics on the earlier date matter to the value opinion. You do not need to reconstruct the whole history before making contact.
Do I still need an appraisal if the property has been sold?
A sale does not, by itself, answer whether an adviser needs a value opinion for an earlier date. Check the purpose and date with the person requesting it, then ask Worthington Appraisals whether that specific appraisal is available.
Who can ask about an estate appraisal?
Executors, trustees, heirs and advisers can begin the conversation. Jeff will need to clarify the intended use, client and report recipient before agreeing to an assignment; an inquiry alone does not give every interested party a right to use the report.
Talk through the property and the date
You can begin with the property, the date you have been given and the decision the value opinion is meant to inform. If you are unsure of the date or which type of appraisal to request, say so. Worthington Appraisals can discuss the appraisal question before you decide how to proceed.
Discuss the property with Worthington Appraisals · Call Worthington Appraisals: +1 (435) 215-8785
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