What Happens During a Home Appraisal

Before the visit: who lets the appraiser in

The appraiser needs someone who can open the door and answer questions about the house. When the owner has died, that is usually the executor, the administrator or the successor trustee, and the attorney handling the estate can confirm who holds that role. For a divorce, access is arranged with both spouses or their attorneys. We ask for the access arrangements when you first call, along with who will read the report, whether attorney, trustee or court.

Access can change the fee and the schedule, so say early if the house is locked up, held by a lockbox, or still has someone living in it.

What the visit looks like at an inherited or vacant house

1. The appraiser walks every room. They measure the home, draw a floor plan, photograph each room and take notes on structure, layout, features and condition. The visit runs from about 30 minutes to a few hours, depending on the size of the home.
2. The condition is recorded as it is, and the report asks what it was. A past-date report values the home as of an earlier day, usually the date of death. A house that has since been cleaned out, repaired or left empty can look very different from the house on that day. The report states the effective date and says what it assumes about the earlier condition.
3. You do not have to stage anything. Having the utilities on, so the appraiser can see the kitchen, baths and mechanical systems, helps. Furniture, belongings and a full garage do not change what the appraiser is looking for.
4. Back at the desk. The appraiser researches sold homes from around the valuation date that resemble the house, and checks public records. The report goes to the people named on the assignment.

Records worth gathering

These are the papers we ask about for an inherited home. None of them has to be perfect before you call.

• The date of death
• The recorded deed, or the trust documents if the home was held in trust
• The latest property tax bill
• Photos, listings, inspection reports or earlier appraisals from around the date of death
• Dates and descriptions of any work since the death
• The attorney, accountant or trustee who will read the report, and their instructions
• Access arrangements and any deadline, such as a sale or a Proposition 19 filing

For a divorce, the valuation date and each side's attorney take the place of the date of death. The full list for estates is on our estate appraisals page.

A Riverside fact worth knowing: the date of death is a tax date too

In Riverside County the date of death is also the date of transfer for property tax. The County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder treats it that way and, unless an exclusion applies, reassesses the home to its fair market value as of the date ownership changed. That is one reason the appraiser pins down the effective date before the visit. The Assessor lists transfers that can be excluded from reassessment, and it says a claim must be filed as soon as possible after the transfer or date of death to prevent a supplemental tax bill. Whether an exclusion fits your family is a question for your attorney. Riverside County Assessor: change of ownership.

The same visit for a purchase or refinance

When a mortgage is involved, the lender orders the appraisal, through an appraisal management company or an individual appraiser, once an offer is accepted or a refinance is applied for. The report is usually the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report and goes to the lender, and borrowers are entitled to a free copy before closing. The visit itself looks the same.

How long it takes

The visit time is above. For the report, delivery timing depends on the appraiser's availability, access to the property, how complex it is and how much historical research it needs, so we give you a delivery estimate before you rely on it.

Who pays

The fee depends on the property and the purpose of the appraisal. When the appraisal is part of a mortgage, the borrower generally pays it, and it appears in the closing disclosure. For anything else, we give you a written, property-specific scope and fee before work begins. See what an appraisal costs.

Ready to set up a visit? Call, or send us the address, the purpose, the valuation date and your deadline.