Divorce appraisals for Gilbert homes.

When two people are dividing a home, the hardest question is often the simplest one: what is it worth? An appraisal gives you one independent figure, for a date your attorney names, that both of you can read. It is a hard season, and you do not have to have it all worked out to call. Tell us the address and what the number is for, and we will say what comes next: (480) 573-7263.

Ask about a divorce appraisal · (480) 573-7263

Who keeps the house, who owes what on the mortgage and how the rest is split are decided by you, your attorneys, a mediator or the judge. We do not take sides. The report is written for the readers named at the start, so a buyout, a sale or a mediation all begin from the same figure.

The one published fee, and what it is. The VA sets the fee for VA loan appraisals in Maricopa County: $750 for a single-family home, $750 for a condominium, $800 for a manufactured home and $950 for a two- to four-unit property, in its VA appraisal fee table effective May 1, 2026. That is a program fee for VA loans. It is not our price for your assignment, and we do not publish a private fee. We give you a written scope, fee and delivery estimate for your own house before any work begins.

How Arizona treats the house

Arizona is a community property state. A.R.S. 25-211 treats most property either spouse acquires during the marriage as community property, except gifts and inheritances and, in a case that ends in a decree, property acquired after the petition is served. At the end, A.R.S. 25-318 has the court assign each spouse's separate property to that spouse and divide the community property "equitably, though not necessarily in kind." Equitable does not always mean equal. Your attorney will tell you how this applies to your marriage.

Which date does the value belong to?

Arizona's statutes do not name one valuation date for a divorce. In Meister v. Meister, a 2021 Court of Appeals decision on a Maricopa County case, the court found no Arizona authority requiring a community asset to be valued at or near the date of service. So the date is a question for your attorney, not for us. It might be the day of service, a current date ahead of mediation or trial, or another date the parties agree on. If it is in the past, the work is a retrospective appraisal built on sales from that period.

Where a Gilbert case is heard, and the waiting period

Gilbert is in Maricopa County, where the Superior Court's Family Department hears divorce cases. Under A.R.S. 25-329 the court will not hold a trial or hearing on a decree until sixty days after the petition is served or accepted. That is a floor, not a schedule, and your attorney can tell you what is realistic. It helps to order an appraisal well before a mediation date, because arranging inspection access in a home that two households are untangling can take a little time.

A buyout, a refinance, a sale: three different needs

• One spouse keeps the house (buyout). Both sides usually want the same independent figure. Agree on the appraiser and the date before ordering, so neither person feels the report belongs to the other.
• Refinancing to remove a name. The new lender normally orders its own appraisal through its own process. Ask the lender before paying for a separate report you may not be able to use.
• Selling and splitting proceeds. A value for the agreed date helps set the listing conversation. It is not a promise of what a buyer will pay.

Only in Gilbert: the house you are dividing may not look like its neighbors

Gilbert has older homes near the Heritage District and large master-planned areas. The town's 2020 General Plan names character areas such as the Heritage District, Gateway, Santan and Morrison Ranch. A sale two streets over helps only if its size, lot, age, condition and setting are close to yours. If a pool, an addition or rooftop solar was added, bring the paperwork. Permit history can be checked through the Town of Gilbert permit records, and parcel details through the Maricopa County Assessor's parcel viewer.

Our Gilbert page shows a dated September 2026 snapshot of town-wide sales. It is background reading about one month across the whole town. It cannot tell you what your house was worth on your date.

Have these ready

• The Gilbert address and kind of home.
• The valuation date your attorney gave you.
• Who is ordering, and who will rely on the report (one spouse, both, a mediator).
• Records of remodels, repairs, permits or HOA paperwork.
• Who can arrange access for the inspection, and any mediation or hearing date.

From call to report

1. Tell us the address, the purpose and the date. We write down the scope, fee and delivery estimate before work begins.
2. An appraiser inspects the home when the scope calls for it, and studies sales from the right period.
3. You receive the report. Read its date, intended users and limiting conditions before anyone relies on it, and send factual corrections to the appraiser.

If you and your spouse disagree with the figure, a second opinion from a different appraiser is a normal next step. Your attorney or mediator can help you choose it. See also estate appraisals if an inherited home is part of the dispute.

Ready when you are

Call (480) 573-7263, or send us the address, the purpose and the date. A short note is enough to start.