If your tax adviser asked for a value of an inherited Bullhead City home, we can help.
The value is for a day that has already gone by, usually the day the owner passed away, so we look at the home and the market as they were then, not as they are today. Call, or send the address, why you need the value and the date your adviser named. We will go over the work and the fee first, and tell you which records, such as repair receipts or an old valuation, are worth finding.
Request a quote for a Bullhead City date-of-passing appraisal · Call (928) 833-9255
What a step-up appraisal measures, and why its date is in the past
Under 26 U.S.C. § 1014, inherited property generally takes, as the heir's basis, the fair market value it had on the day the owner passed away. The IRS says that rule holds even when no estate tax return is filed, and that the alternate valuation date applies only if the executor elects it on a filed Form 706. "Step-up" is the name for the usual case. When the house had lost value by the date of passing, compared with what the owner paid, the basis goes down instead.
Basis matters when the heir sells: selling for more than basis produces a taxable gain, the IRS says, while the inheritance itself generally does not count as the heir's income (IRS Publication 525). The appraisal develops an opinion of the home's market value on the effective date; your tax adviser decides how that value is used. See the IRS answer on inherited-property basis.
The surviving spouse's half of Arizona community property
Arizona is one of the community property states listed by the IRS in Publications 551 and 555. Section 1014(b)(6) counts the surviving spouse's half of the community property as if it, too, had come from the owner, so long as one-half or more of the whole community interest was includible when the owner's gross estate was valued. The effect is set out in IRS Publication 551: once either spouse has passed away, the community property's total value, the survivor's part included, generally serves as the basis for all of it. That holds, the publication adds, "whether or not the estate must file a return."
For a married couple's Bullhead City home, one date-of-passing appraisal may therefore support the basis of the whole house, not only the half that passed. That depends on the home actually being community property. Under A.R.S. § 25-211, property acquired during the marriage is generally community property, with exceptions such as inheritances, and an Arizona probate inventory must label each item as community or separate (A.R.S. § 14-3706). Title, timing and any agreement between the spouses can change the answer, so confirm the home's status and its basis treatment with your tax adviser.
Three questions a current price can't answer
Which date?
As a rule, the day the owner passed away, which the IRS calls the date of death. An alternate valuation date matters only if the executor elects it on a filed estate tax return, so get the date from your adviser before ordering.
What condition?
The house the heirs walk through today may have new flooring, a new roof or an emptied garage. The appraisal describes the house in its effective-date condition, before any of that.
Which market?
Sales from the months around the effective date carry the weight. Later sales and records can help establish earlier facts, and the appraiser explains how any of them is used.
A market month can't stand in for the date of passing
The September 2026 Bullhead City snapshot on our service-area guide summarizes one month of sales across the whole city. It cannot describe a house on another date, and it cannot tell a river-frontage home from a view home on the higher ground or a manufactured home on a Riviera-area lot. Valuing an inherited house means studying its own period and its own features.
Documenting the house's earlier condition
If the heirs have renovated, an inspection today cannot show the earlier condition alone. Gather dated photographs, earlier listing details, inspection reports and contractor invoices, and note what changed and when. Parcel records from the Mohave County Assessor's Office and the deed recorded with the Mohave County Recorder help confirm ownership dates and property facts; they feed the analysis but do not replace a date-of-passing value.
Confirm the purpose and the date with your adviser
There is no federal inheritance tax. What exists federally is the estate tax, which is levied on the estate and paid by the executor. It can apply only to estates above the filing threshold, and as that threshold the IRS lists $15,000,000 for a U.S. citizen or resident who passes away in 2026 (year-by-year table on the IRS estate tax page). Arizona imposes no estate tax for deaths after 2004 and no inheritance or gift tax (Arizona Department of Revenue). Where a federal return is required, the IRS instructions give a due date of 9 months after the passing, and executors can request more time. In certain cases an heir's basis may also have to match the value finally determined for estate tax. Confirm what applies with your attorney or tax adviser; no appraisal can guarantee a tax result or IRS acceptance.
Records worth gathering first
| Bring or describe | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Property address, parcel number and type of home | Identifies the home and the market to research |
| Date of passing, and any other date your adviser named | Sets the effective date |
| The report's readers, such as heirs, the executor or an adviser | Names the intended users |
| Repair and renovation history, with dated records | Separates what the home was like then from work done later |
| How title read and whether a married couple owned the home | Helps your adviser judge whether the community property rule may apply |
| Entry details and the date you are working to | So the inspection and delivery can be put on the calendar |
From your first call to a finished report
- Agree the scope. Describe the property, how the value will be used, the report's readers, the effective date and your timing; scope, fee and delivery are confirmed before work begins.
- Document the property. Arrange entry if needed, and share what is known about the home on the effective date and since.
- Analyze and reconcile. The appraiser weighs evidence from the relevant period and explains how it supports the value.
- Read the report closely. Review the stated date, use, assumptions and limiting conditions; if a fact looks wrong, tell the appraiser.
USPAP, the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice, shapes how the work is done; acceptance by the IRS, a court or anyone else is never guaranteed.
Fee and timing for a past-dated value
The further back the effective date, the more research may be involved. Ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate; access, the property and your deadline also affect the fee and the schedule. One date-of-passing value often serves several needs: the probate appraisal page covers the Arizona inventory, the estate appraisal page covers settling an inherited home, and the services page lists the rest. Whether one report can serve them all is a question for your adviser and the appraiser.
Begin with the home and the date of passing
Share the Bullhead City address, the purpose and the effective date from your adviser, and we can talk about scope and fee.
Request a quote for a Bullhead City date-of-passing appraisal · Call (928) 833-9255