Estate Planning Appraisals: Current Valuations for Future Security
Today's Property Values for Tomorrow's Estate Plans
Planning your estate means making informed decisions about your property's current value. Unlike Date of Death appraisals that look backward to a specific date, estate planning appraisals provide today's market value to help you and your advisors make confident decisions about trusts, gifting strategies, and equitable distribution while you're still in control.
Whether you're funding a trust, planning asset distribution among heirs, or working with your attorney on tax strategies, our current-value appraisals give you the accurate foundation needed for sound estate planning decisions.
Need a a date of death appraisal for probate or income tax filings? We specialize in retrospective appraisals that meet IRS and legal standards.
Why Estate Appraisals Matter:
Support Strategic Planning - Get current values for informed trust funding and gifting decisions.
Meet Trust and Tax Requirements - Professional reports that satisfy fiduciary standards and gift tax documentation.
Prevent Future Family Conflicts - Establish clear current values before disputes arise.
Protect Estate Planners and Attorneys - Provide solid documentation that supports strategic planning decisions.
What Makes Our Estate Appraisals Different?
We tailor each report to the planning purpose—whether for trust documents, gift tax strategy, or family discussions. We work regularly with attorneys, CPAs, fiduciaries, and heirs—and we speak their language.
FAQs: Estate Appraisals
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An estate planning appraisal is a professional opinion of a property’s current fair market value, typically used as part of a broader estate plan. Unlike a retrospective (date of death) appraisal, this one reflects the property's value as of the date the appraiser visits the property and helps families, attorneys, and financial planners make informed decisions about asset distribution, tax strategies, gifting, or trust funding.
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Getting a current appraisal ensures you have a clear understanding of one of your most valuable assets: your real estate. This can help reduce future disputes among heirs, guide decisions about gifting property during your lifetime, and assist in creating an equitable and tax-efficient estate plan. It also documents a fair market value for reference in future legal or financial matters.
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Estate planning appraisals are most often ordered by property owners, attorneys, financial planners, or trustees. Sometimes adult children or beneficiaries initiate the process when helping their parents prepare or update estate documents. The goal is to provide a clear and neutral basis for decisions about real estate.
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Not quite. A Date of Death appraisal is a type of retrospective appraisal that determines a property’s value as of the exact date someone passed away, usually for tax filing or probate purposes. An estate planning appraisal, on the other hand, reflects the property’s current market value and is used to help make informed decisions while the owner is still living. Both follow professional appraisal standards and provide fair market value, but they serve different purposes and are based on different effective dates.
Need a Date of Death appraisal instead? Learn about our Date of Death Appraisal services here.
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It’s generally a good idea to update your estate planning appraisal every three to five years, depending on your goals and the market. You may also want to update it sooner if you’ve made major improvements to the property, if local real estate values have changed significantly, or if you’re revising your estate plan. Keeping your appraisal current ensures your planning decisions are based on accurate information and helps ensure your planning stays current.
Ready to Move Forward with Your Estate Planning?
Whether you're updating your estate plan, working with your attorney on trust strategies, or planning for the future, we're here to help. We deliver timely, accurate, and professional current valuations tailored to your planning needs.