Most people facing this question have just been named executor or successor trustee, or they are an adult child sorting a parent's house and belongings. They have been told the estate "needs an appraisal" without being told by whom. They are trying to work out who values the house, who values the stock account, and who values a drawer of jewelry, and whether they choose that person or the court does. This page explains the kinds of appraisers involved in settling a California estate, what each one does, and how a family can check credentials. It does not name or rank anyone.
What an Estate Appraiser Does in California
An estate appraisal puts a value on what the person who died (the decedent) owned, as of the date of death rather than today. Several later decisions depend on that backward-looking value.
In a probate case, the value goes into the estate's inventory, the court's record of what the estate holds. Probate Code section 8900 provides that "the appraisal of property in the inventory shall be made by the personal representative, probate referee, or independent expert." A personal representative is the person the court appoints to represent the estate. That may be an executor named in a will or an administrator appointed when there is none.
The same value also matters for income tax. Under 26 U.S.C. § 1014(a), the basis of property acquired from a decedent is generally "the fair market value of the property at the date of the decedent's death." The statute also allows alternate values in certain elections. Basis is the starting figure used to measure gain when the property is later sold. Fair market value, in plain terms, is roughly what the property would bring in an ordinary sale between a willing buyer and a willing seller.
Real property, meaning land and buildings, is valued differently from personal property such as cars, jewelry and furniture, and different kinds of professionals value each. A real estate agent's estimate of a likely listing price is a sales tool, not an appraisal. Who has authority to sell estate property is a separate question about selling estate property.
The Probate Referee: California's Court-Appointed Appraiser
The State Controller appoints California's probate referees. The State Controller's Probate Referees page says the Controller appoints them "to perform reliable, prompt, and low-cost appraisal of all types of estate assets." It adds that a referee's service "is required for court resolution of an estate and also available for non-probate trust administration," though the court may, for good cause, waive appraisal by a probate referee.
The same page says prospective referees must pass a state-administered test on probate procedures and appraisal principles. The Controller then appoints at least one referee per county, based on recommendations from a panel of lawyers and judges. Referees complete 15 hours of continuing education each year, and the page publishes the Controller's standards for referees and referee contact information.
For a family, this means that in a probate case the probate referee is part of the process itself, not a vendor the family shops for. The court's inventory and appraisal form records the values. Which items the personal representative may value directly, and which go to the referee, follow the rules that surround Probate Code section 8900. The timing for filing the inventory is set by the Probate Code, and the probate court or the estate's attorney can say when it is due in a particular case.
The referee's compensation is set by law. Its amount depends on the estate, and the probate court or the referee can explain how it is figured. For a trust being settled outside court, the Controller's page notes the referee's service is available but does not describe it as required.
Licensed Real Estate Appraisers for California Estate Property
California licenses real estate appraisers through the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers, known as BREA. The BREA About page describes the Bureau as "a single program comprised of two core components, licensing and enforcement." It says applicants must meet minimum education and experience requirements and pass a nationally approved examination. Its Enforcement Unit investigates complaints of violations of national appraisal standards against licensed appraisers.
The licensing rule itself is in Business and Professions Code section 11320. It says no person shall engage in federally related real estate appraisal activity, "or assume or use the title of or any title designation or abbreviation as a licensed appraiser in this state without an active license." In plain words, someone who calls themselves a licensed appraiser in California is expected to hold an active BREA license.
An estate may need a real estate appraisal for reasons beyond the court inventory, such as documenting the house's date-of-death value for the heirs or a property-tax question with the county assessor. Valuing a house as of a past date is called a retrospective appraisal. Not every appraiser does this work often, so families commonly ask about that experience. BREA is the place to ask about a California appraiser's license status. The executor's wider duties toward the house are covered under executor responsibilities for real estate.
Personal Property Appraisers: Credentials and What They Cover
Personal property appraisers value the contents of an estate, including jewelry, fine art, antiques, collectibles, furniture, vehicles and household goods. A real estate appraiser values the house itself, not the silverware in it.
Credentials for personal property appraisers usually come from professional appraisal organizations rather than from the BREA license described above. Those organizations award designations by specialty, which tell a family which kinds of items an appraiser is trained to value. The issuing organization can explain what a particular designation means.
Matching the specialty to the item is the central point. A gemologist-trained jewelry appraiser and a fine-art appraiser look at very different things. A general household-contents appraiser may be the fit for furniture and everyday items. Some estates need more than one appraiser for different groups of belongings.
Fees vary with the type of property, the number of items, the report needed and the appraiser. Many families sort belongings in the same weeks they are grieving, and an appraisal often comes before decisions about keeping, dividing, donating or selling items. Those later choices, including estate sales and cleanouts, are a separate step with their own tradeoffs.
IRS Qualified Appraiser Requirements for Estate Tax and Charitable Deductions
The IRS has its own standards for appraisals used on certain federal returns, such as a federal estate tax return or a deduction for property the estate gives to charity. The IRS uses the terms "qualified appraisal" and "qualified appraiser" for these standards. Its rules cover who may prepare the appraisal, what the report contains and when it is prepared. IRS Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated Property, is the IRS's own explanation of these terms for donated property.
Whether an estate files a federal estate tax return at all depends on the size of the gross estate and other facts, and many estates never file one. When one is filed, it can limit the heirs' basis described earlier. Under 26 U.S.C. § 1014(f), where a property's inclusion in the estate increased the estate tax, its basis generally cannot exceed the value finally determined for estate tax purposes, or the value on a required statement furnished to heirs.
California property tax raises a related valuation question. For a parent-to-child or qualifying grandparent-to-grandchild transfer on or after February 16, 2021, Rev. & Tax. Code section 63.2 measures the excluded amount against the home's fair market value at transfer. That calculation is based on taxable value plus one million dollars ($1,000,000). A claim must be filed with the assessor, generally within three years after the transfer, or before transfer to a third party, or before an eligible transferee stops occupying the residence, whichever is earliest. A claim is also treated as timely within six months after a supplemental or escape assessment notice is mailed. A later claim can still be considered, but only going forward and only if the property has not been transferred to a third party.
These are tax matters. A CPA, an enrolled agent or a tax attorney reviews income-tax and estate-tax questions, and the county assessor's office handles the reassessment exclusion claim.
How Families Find the Right Appraiser for a California Estate
The usual starting point is a list of what the estate holds and how each item is titled. That list also shapes whether probate is needed at all. The California Courts guide to property after someone dies describes the first step as gathering information about what the person owned and owed and estimating the value of all of it.
From there, the property sorts into groups. In a probate case, the probate referee and the court's inventory process come with the case. Real property calls for a BREA-licensed appraiser when a separate appraisal is wanted. Jewelry, art and other belongings call for a personal property appraiser whose specialty fits.
Families often ask an appraiser a few plain questions before hiring:
- Do you prepare estate or date-of-death appraisals?
- What license or designation do you hold, and who issued it?
- What will the written report include, and who is it addressed to?
- How is your fee set for this assignment?
The estate's attorney or CPA can usually say which kind of appraisal a particular asset needs, and which return or filing the value will support. The California estate professionals directory describes those other roles. If heirs disagree about a value in a way that turns into a dispute, that is a contested matter for an attorney who litigates probate and trust cases.
