Do You Need a Date of Death Appraisal? What Atlanta Property Owners Should Know…
A property inherited years ago may be worth far more—or far less—than anyone remembers. When the IRS, an attorney, CPA, executor, or beneficiary needs to know what that property was actually worth on the date of death, today's Zillow estimate or current market value may not answer the question.
For families and estate professionals throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area, a Date of Death appraisal can establish a professionally supported opinion of a property's fair market value as of a historical date.
What Is a Date of Death Appraisal?
A Date of Death (DOD) appraisal is a retrospective real estate appraisal that develops an opinion of the property's value as of the property owner's date of death rather than today's date.
For federal estate-tax purposes, property included in a gross estate is generally valued as of the decedent's date of death unless an applicable alternate valuation election is made.
That means an appraiser may be asked today to determine what an Atlanta-area property was worth months—or even years—ago.
Why Would You Need a Date of Death Appraisal?
A Date of Death appraisal may be requested for:
Estate administration and settlement
Establishing the value of inherited real estate
Federal estate-tax reporting, including applicable Form 706 matters
Determining historical fair market value for tax or accounting purposes
Supporting discussions with an attorney or CPA
Probate and estate documentation
Establishing support for the tax basis of inherited property
Resolving disagreements among heirs or beneficiaries
Preparing an inherited property for a future sale
The appropriate valuation and reporting requirements depend on the specific estate and intended use. Your attorney, CPA, or other tax professional should determine which tax filings and supporting documentation are required.
Who Does a Date of Death Appraisal?
For real estate, look for a state-licensed or state-certified real property appraiser with experience performing retrospective valuations and analyzing the type of property involved.
A credible Date of Death appraisal should do more than provide a number.
The appraiser should be able to research historical market conditions, analyze sales that were relevant to the retrospective effective date, understand the property's characteristics as they existed at that time, explain the valuation methodology, and provide sufficient support for the final opinion of value.
What Should You Look for in a Date of Death Appraisal?
Before hiring an appraiser, ask:
Is the appraiser properly credentialed?
Verify the appraiser's state license or certification and experience with the property type.
Does the appraiser understand retrospective valuation?
The relevant question is not necessarily, “What is this house worth today?” It is, “What was this property worth as of the required historical date?”
Will the report explain how the value was developed?
The analysis should provide enough information for the intended users to understand the property, relevant market evidence, methodology, and value conclusion.
Does the appraiser understand the intended use?
An estate appraisal, charitable-contribution appraisal, gift-tax assignment, divorce appraisal, and ordinary mortgage appraisal can involve different requirements. The intended use should be identified before the assignment begins.
Will the IRS Accept a Restricted Appraisal Report?
There is no universal answer simply based on the report's title.
The appropriate scope and reporting format depend on the intended use and applicable IRS requirements. For example, the IRS instructions for Form 706 require real estate to be adequately described, require an explanation of how reported values were determined, and instruct filers to attach copies of appraisals used to value property reported on the return.
Separately, the IRS has specific definitions and requirements for a “qualified appraisal” and “qualified appraiser” when certain noncash charitable-contribution deductions are claimed.
Because those requirements are assignment-specific, tell your appraiser before engagement if the appraisal will be used for Form 706, gift-tax reporting, a charitable contribution, estate administration, or another tax-related purpose.
What Is an IRS “Qualified Appraiser”?
The term qualified appraiser has a specific meaning under IRS rules governing certain charitable contributions.
Generally, the IRS requires qualifying education and experience in valuing the type of property involved, regular preparation of appraisals for compensation, required declarations regarding the appraiser's qualifications, and compliance with other applicable requirements.
For many noncash charitable contributions exceeding $5,000, a written qualified appraisal may be required. Additional requirements can apply at higher deduction amounts.
A Date of Death appraisal for inherited real estate should therefore not automatically be treated as identical to a qualified appraisal for a charitable contribution.
How Much Does a Date of Death Appraisal Cost in Atlanta?
There is no single standard fee.
The cost can depend on the property type, complexity, historical effective date, availability of reliable market data, intended use, reporting requirements, and whether the assignment involves residential, commercial, income-producing, or unusual real estate.
Before ordering the appraisal, provide the appraiser with the property address, date of death, property type, intended use, and any deadline so the scope and fee can be properly determined.
Do You Need a Date of Death Appraisal?
If you inherited real estate or are administering an estate, the first question should not be whether you can find an online estimate.
The better question is:
“What value do my attorney, CPA, executor, or tax professional actually need—and what evidence will support that value?”
Once the required valuation date and intended use have been established, a properly developed retrospective appraisal can provide a defensible opinion of value based on the market evidence that was relevant at that time.
Need a Date of Death Appraisal in Metro Atlanta?
REI Valuations and Advisory provides independent real estate appraisal services throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area for estate, Date of Death, tax-related, and other private-party valuation needs.
When appropriate for the assignment, our appraisal process can include:
Retrospective market research and comparable-sale analysis
Historical market-condition analysis
Property inspection and documentation
A professionally prepared appraisal report
Coordination regarding the intended use with your attorney, CPA, or other professional adviser
An initial consultation to determine the appropriate appraisal scope
Estate and retrospective appraisal assignments are accepted on a limited scheduling basis to allow adequate time for research and analysis. If you have an upcoming probate, tax, estate, or property-sale deadline, contact us early to confirm availability.
Call: 404-692-3878
Email: REIvaluations@gmail.com
REI Valuations and Advisory
Independent Real Estate Valuation for Decisions That Matter.
September 13th 2026 4:04pm
