Probate appraisals for Gilbert homes.

You have been asked to settle a Gilbert owner's affairs, and somebody has already asked what the house is worth. Take a breath. In an Arizona probate an appraisal is more flexible than most people expect, and the choice is yours, made with your attorney.

Want to talk through a particular house? Call (480) 573-7263 or send us a note. We will explain what an appraisal would involve, with no pressure.

Does Arizona require an appraisal?

Not as a rule. Within 90 days after being appointed, a personal representative prepares an inventory that lists each item with its fair market value on the date of death, whether it is community or separate property, and any loan against it (A.R.S. 14-3706). The value is required. How you arrive at it is up to you. The law says the personal representative may hire a qualified, disinterested appraiser for an asset whose value may be in reasonable doubt, and the inventory then names the appraiser (A.R.S. 14-3707). Nothing in those sections calls for a court-appointed referee to set the house value. An appraisal is a well-supported number for the inventory and for what comes after.

Where a Gilbert case is heard

A first probate case goes to the county where the owner lived (A.R.S. 14-3201). For Gilbert, that is the Maricopa County Superior Court's probate department. The court's Law Library Resource Center posts probate forms with instructions. The personal representative may file the inventory with the court, or send copies to the heirs or devisees instead (A.R.S. 14-3706(B)). Your attorney will tell you which.

When the house may not need probate

• A beneficiary deed, recorded before the owner passed away, sends the house to the named person without a court case (A.R.S. 33-405).
• A small-estate affidavit for real property is possible six months after the date of passing when nobody has been appointed and the real property, less liens, is $300,000 or less by the assessor's full cash value for the year of passing (A.R.S. 14-3971(E)). The statute uses the assessment roll, not an appraisal.

What a private appraisal is good for

• Standing behind the inventory number if heirs may question it.
• Tax records. Arizona is a community property state, so when a spouse passes away the whole home may receive a new tax basis (IRS Publication 551; 26 U.S.C. 1014(b)(6)). The value on that date is the record to keep. Arizona has no state estate or inheritance tax (Department of Revenue).
• A sale or a buyout among heirs, where today's value is the fair starting point.

Three things to tell us

Which date

The inventory looks at the date of passing. A sale usually needs today's value.

The condition then

If the house was cleaned out, repaired, or has sat empty since, send photos or receipts from before the work.

Who will read the report

The representative, the heirs, the attorney and the accountant may use it differently. Name them at the start.

What we ask about a Gilbert house

We will ask about the HOA, a pool or irrigation, owned or leased solar, citrus and any permits. An older ranch home near the Heritage District and a newer master-planned house are compared with different sales, and a past date means using sales close to that date. A town-wide figure, such as the September 2026 Realtors Property Resource median of $576,500 across 238 sales, shows the market in general only. It does not value a house. You can find the parcel number on the Maricopa County Assessor's website.

Before you call

• The address and parcel number.
• The date the owner passed away, and the appointment date if a case is open.
• Your attorney's note on the purpose of the report.
• What changed in the house since then.
• Who has keys, and any hearing or sale date.

Whenever you are ready

We will walk through the scope, fee and timing in writing before work starts. Reports follow USPAP, which is a professional standard; it does not make any court or agency accept a report. Call (480) 573-7263 or write to us. If part of this is unclear, that is fine. Call and we will go through it with you.

General information, not legal advice. Your attorney decides what is filed.