Estate and probate real estate appraisers in Canada
An estate appraisal establishes what real estate was worth on the date the owner died. The executor needs that figure for the final tax return, where the property is treated as sold at fair market value on death, and in several provinces for the probate application or estate administration tax as well.
The appraisers listed here prepare date-of-death appraisals of homes, cottages, rental properties and land for executors and estate lawyers across Canada. This page covers real estate only; contents, art and jewellery need a personal property appraiser.
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Are you an appraiser? List here freeDate of death appraisal and the final tax return
On death, capital property is deemed to have been disposed of at fair market value. A principal residence is usually sheltered by the principal residence exemption, but a cottage, a rental or a second home generally is not, and the gain is reported on the deceased’s final return.
The value on the date of death therefore sets the tax, and it also becomes the cost base for whoever inherits the property. An appraisal prepared for that date, by someone independent, is the evidence an executor would want if the value were ever questioned.
Probate appraisal: what the executor needs
Provinces that levy probate fees or estate administration tax calculate them on the value of the estate, and the executor declares the value of real estate in the application. The executor is personally responsible for getting it right, which is the practical reason to use an appraiser rather than an assessment or an online estimate.
Where the estate will sell the property soon after death, an arm’s-length sale can itself be good evidence of value. Where it will be kept, transferred to a beneficiary or sold much later, a date-of-death appraisal is the clearer record.
Estate home appraisal when beneficiaries disagree
When one beneficiary wants to keep the home and buy out the others, the appraisal becomes the basis of that transaction, and the others have every reason to want it independent. Executors in that position often commission the report themselves, share it with all beneficiaries, and let any objector commission a second.
Condition matters more than usual in estate homes, which are often dated or have been vacant. A good appraisal reflects the property as it stands, not as it might be after renovation.
Common questions
Do you need an appraisal for probate?
Not in every case, but the executor must declare a value and is accountable for it. An appraisal is the usual way to support that value, especially for property that will not be sold at arm’s length soon after death.
Can the appraisal be done months after the death?
Yes. A date-of-death appraisal is retrospective: the appraiser inspects the property now, or relies on records if it has changed, and values it using sales from around the date of death. It does not need to be commissioned immediately.
Is property tax assessment good enough for an estate?
Usually not. An assessment is a mass valuation at a fixed base date set by the province, which can be well before the date of death and does not reflect the individual property’s condition. It can be a starting point, but it is not an opinion of market value on the date that matters.
Does a cottage in an estate need an appraisal?
It is one of the most common reasons for one. A cottage or second home is usually not covered by the principal residence exemption, so its value on the date of death drives the capital gain on the final return.