IRS step-up appraisals in Snohomish.

What to gather before asking for a quote

A past-date valuation in four steps

1. Frame the assignment. Name the home, the purpose, the readers of the report, the effective date and your deadline; you get a written scope, fee and delivery estimate before work starts.
2. See the home and its history. Inspect as needed and collect records of features and of changes since the effective date.
3. Rebuild the market of that time. The appraiser gathers sales and market data from around that date and shows in the report how they lead to the value.
4. Read the report against your instructions. Make sure the effective date is the one your adviser asked for, that the intended use is stated, and that you understand the assumptions; send factual corrections to the appraiser.

USPAP governs how the report is prepared, but the IRS, a court or another reader can still question it, and the appraisal itself decides no tax result.

Fees and timing for retrospective work

Ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate. A past effective date usually takes more research than a current one, and size, complexity, access and your deadline also affect the fee and schedule. The same date-of-death value may also serve a probate inventory or a Washington estate tax return; see probate appraisals and estate appraisals, and ask your adviser whether one report can serve each use.

Three questions for a past-date value

Which date?

Usually the date of death, sometimes an alternate valuation date. The inspection happens now; the value is reported as of the earlier date.

Which condition?

A home can change after a death: furniture is removed, repairs are made, rooms are updated. Dated photos, prior listing details, inspection reports and invoices show what the appraiser should treat as the condition on the effective date.

Which market?

Comparable sales and market conditions from around the effective date, not today's listings. Later records can still help establish earlier facts; the appraiser explains which evidence was used and why.

What the basis rule says

For inherited property, the IRS generally uses fair market value at the owner's death as the heir's starting basis, and whatever a later sale brings above that basis is taxable gain (IRS guidance on gifts and inheritances). When an estate makes the section 2032 alternate valuation election, the alternate-date value takes the place of the date-of-death value (26 U.S.C. 1014). The same IRS page notes that, in certain cases, an heir's basis must be consistent with the value finally determined for federal estate tax purposes.

The rule uses the date-of-death value whether it is higher or lower than what the owner originally paid, so a "step-up" appraisal reports a value, not a guaranteed tax saving. Your tax adviser should name the date and the use before you order.

Washington community property and the surviving spouse

Property a married couple acquires during the marriage is generally community property in Washington (RCW 26.16.030), and Washington appears on the IRS list of community property states (IRS Publication 555). Federal law then adds a rule for couples: section 1014(b)(6) of the tax code lets the survivor's own half of community property count as acquired from the decedent, provided that at least one-half of the whole community interest was includible in determining the value of the decedent's gross estate. Publication 555 explains that, in that case, the fair market value of the whole community property, including the survivor's part, generally becomes the basis of the entire property, and that the rule does not apply to registered domestic partners.

The appraisal can report the value of the whole home as of the date of death; your tax adviser decides how the basis rules apply to it. If you and your spouse owned the home as community property, ask your tax adviser how those rules apply before relying on a basis figure.

Inheritance tax: there isn't one here

There is no federal inheritance tax, and Washington has none either (DOR estate tax FAQ). Congress taxes the taxable estate's transfer instead, and the executor settles that bill (tax code section 2001 and section 2002). The IRS estate tax page sets the 2026 filing line at $15,000,000 of gross estate and some lifetime gifts, which the IRS estate tax FAQ states for a U.S. citizen or resident who died in 2026; below that line a federal return is generally not needed. An inheritance generally isn't counted as the heir's income, though rent the home earns afterward is taxable (IRS Publication 525).

Washington does have its own estate tax, with a filing threshold that depends on the date of death; the figures are on our estate appraisals page. A Washington-only alternate valuation election is a state matter; whether it has any bearing on federal basis is a question for your tax adviser.

Assessed values and monthly medians are different numbers

The Snohomish County Assessor updates assessed values each year, and those values represent market value as of January 1 of the assessment year (Assessor; Tax Statement vs Assessed Value Notice). That figure is set for property tax on a fixed date, rarely the same day as the death. The September 2026 sale figures on our Snohomish neighborhood guide describe a month of sales across RPR's Snohomish reporting area. Neither one isolates a single home's condition and features on the date your adviser needs.

Start with the home and the effective date

Send the Snohomish address, the purpose and the date your adviser named, and we will go over the scope and next steps.

Request a retrospective appraisal quote · Call (425) 287-5343