How to find date of death

[Fernando]

Just wondering if y'all check date of death for estate appraisals?
I thought it be public info but not easily available.
Subject's county charges a fee. WTF.
So forget about verification.

 

[sputnam]

Just wondering if y'all check date of death for estate appraisals?
I thought it be public info but not easily available.
Subject's county charges a fee. WTF.
So forget about verification.

You ask your Client what effective date they want you to use.

 

[Fernando]

You ask your Client what effective date they want you to use.

Just wondering if I could verify easily in internet. Surprise it's not readily available online from county records unless with a fee.

 

[timd354]

Just wondering if I could verify easily in internet. Surprise it's not readily available online from county records unless with a fee.

Much of the time you can find an obit online for the decedent which will include the date of death. Otherwise, if you are doing an estate appraisal, the client can provide the date of death (note the client may or may not want the effective date to be the date of death (sometimes they prefer the date of death plus 6 months as the effective date, which is allowable under IRS regs. applicable to estate tax valuations).

 

[Fernando]

Much of the time you can find an obit online for the decedent which will include the date of death. Otherwise, if you are doing an estate appraisal, the client can provide the date of death (note the client may or may not want the effective date to be the date of death (sometimes they prefer the date of death plus 6 months as the effective date, which is allowable under IRS regs. applicable to estate tax valuations).

Just love AI.
This is what Copilot said:

Effective Date for IRS Estate Appraisals​

• Primary Option: Date of Death
  
  • The default effective date for estate appraisals is the actual date the decedent passed away.
  • This is used to determine the Fair Market Value (FMV) of the property for estate tax purposes, inheritance, and probate.
• Alternate Option: Six Months After Death
  
  • The IRS allows an Alternate Valuation Date (AVD) — exactly 6 months after the date of death — but only if it lowers the overall estate tax liability.
  • This election must be made on IRS Form 706, and once chosen, it applies to all estate assets, not selectively.

 

[sputnam]

Why do you think you have to verify? Do you verify that a Client has given you the correct effective date for all your appraisals? It's outside the Scope of Work required to produce credible assignment results.

Quit trying to do other peoples' jobs for them. You the appraiser. That's your job.