Date of Death & Probate Appraisals in Cerritos, CA
When a loved one passes, settling the estate usually requires knowing exactly what their property was worth on the date of death. Tanner & Associates provides certified date-of-death and probate appraisals in Cerritos, prepared by Jim Tanner — a Certified General Appraiser with more than 45 years of experience. Our office is in nearby Downey, and we've appraised homes in Cerritos for decades.
Appraisal services in Cerritos
Date of death appraisals (retrospective value as of the date of death)
Probate appraisals for executors, administrators, and attorneys
Estate tax appraisals and stepped-up basis valuations
Trust valuations
Divorce settlement appraisals
Bankruptcy appraisals
Relocation appraisals
Residential and commercial appraisals
Expert witness testimony
When you need a date-of-death appraisal
For most estates, the property's value on the date of death becomes its new tax basis — the 'stepped-up basis.' The IRS expects that value to be supported by a qualified appraisal, not an online estimate. A date-of-death appraisal is retrospective: even if months have passed, the report establishes the value as of the date of death, documented to the standard the IRS, the courts, and your CPA expect. If the estate is in probate, the court process runs through Los Angeles County — probate cases are filed at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles — and an accurate, well-documented appraisal keeps the filing moving.
Appraising Cerritos homes
Cerritos — the former Dairy Valley — grew into one of the area's most carefully planned suburbs, with tracts of larger, well-kept homes from the 1970s and 80s, many still owned by the families who bought them new. Those homes are now valuable estates assets, and the numbers involved make the appraisal matter more, not less: a defensible date-of-death value sets the stepped-up basis that determines how much tax the heirs owe when the home is eventually sold. Getting it right — supported by the best comparable sales around the date of death, including the premium the Cerritos market and its schools command — can mean a real difference in the family's tax bill. From the neighborhoods near the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and the Auto Square to the quiet tracts off South Street and Artesia Boulevard, we know what this market pays for and why.
How it works
Call or request a quote
— tell us about the property and what the appraisal is for; we'll give you a clear price and timeframe.
Property visit
— we inspect the home and document its condition and features.
Research and report
— we analyze comparable sales as of the relevant date and prepare a thorough, well-documented report.
Delivery and support
— the report goes to you (and your attorney or CPA, if you wish), and we're available for questions — including expert witness testimony if the estate is contested.
Why families and attorneys choose Tanner & Associates
Jim Tanner, Certified General Appraiser — 45+ years of experience
Reports prepared to the standards courts and the IRS expect (USPAP-compliant)
BBB A+ rated
Local knowledge: based in Downey, serving Cerritos and the surrounding communities for decades
Expert witness testimony available