Date of Death & Probate Appraisals in Whittier, 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 Whittier, prepared by Jim Tanner — a Certified General Appraiser with more than 45 years of experience. Our office is in Downey, a short drive from Whittier, and we've appraised homes across this community for decades.
Appraisal services in Whittier
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 Whittier homes
Whittier is one of the oldest communities we serve — a Quaker-founded city with historic homes around Uptown and Whittier College, Craftsman and Spanish Revival houses from the early 1900s, and mid-century tracts climbing toward the Puente Hills. Older homes make date-of-death appraisals genuinely harder: comparable sales are thinner, lots are bigger, and a century of additions and updates has to be weighed honestly. A generic valuation misses what these homes are worth; a careful one documents the character, the lot, and the market for historic Whittier property — and defends the number to the IRS, the court, and the family. Many of these homes have been in the same family for generations, which is exactly the situation this work is built for.
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 Whittier and the surrounding communities for decades
Expert witness testimony available