Each appraisal answers one question about one Long Beach property: its value on a stated date, for a stated use. The use decides which date matters, and for several of the services below, California rules set that date.
Estate Appraisals
An inherited home is generally valued as of the date of death. That value can bear on the heirs' tax basis, a sale or a family buyout, and a Proposition 19 claim with the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor.
- Date-of-death or other past date
- Condition then, not after later work
- Sales from the matching period
- Purpose confirmed with your adviser
Probate Appraisals
In a California probate, a court-appointed probate referee appraises the house for the inventory unless the court waives the referee. A separate appraisal can serve other needs: basis records, a sale or buyout among heirs, or a dispute over value. Ask your attorney whether one fits.
- The referee's role explained first
- Date-of-death effective date
- Use and readers set by your attorney
- Condition records from that time
Divorce Appraisals
California divides community property equally unless the spouses agree otherwise, and values it as near the trial date as practicable unless the court sets an earlier post-separation date for good cause. Settle the date with your attorney first.
- One home, one effective date
- Readers named before work starts
- Hired by one spouse, both, or counsel
- Entry planned for an occupied home
IRS Step-Up Appraisals
An heir's basis is generally the home's fair market value at the date of death, and California community property can take a new basis on both halves when a spouse dies. A retrospective appraisal documents that past value.
- Retrospective effective date
- The home as it stood then
- Sales evidence from that period
- Use confirmed by your tax adviser
Residential Appraisals
Long Beach housing varies block by block, from Bluff Heights Craftsman bungalows to Naples canal-front houses and Downtown condominiums. Tell us the property, the decision it supports and who will read the report.
- Houses, condominiums and two- to four-unit buildings
- Purpose and recipient named up front
- A current value or a January 1 value
- Scope confirmed before work begins
Rush Appraisals
A Los Angeles County court date, a mediation session, a probate hearing or an expiring rate lock can compress the calendar. Share the exact date and what it supports; availability, access and scope decide what is workable.
- The exact deadline and its purpose
- Who can open the property, and when
- The research the file needs
- Availability confirmed for your file
Not Sure Which Appraisal Fits?
Describe the property, the decision and the date that matters, and ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate before any work begins.
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