Specializing in retrospective (date of death) appraisals for probate, estate settlement, and IRS reporting.
A Date of Death appraisal in Kensington determines the fair market value of a property as of a past effective date. These assignments are commonly required for estate settlement, probate proceedings, trust administration, and step-up basis calculations.
As an estate appraiser and probate appraiser, I prepare USPAP-compliant reports supported by comparable sales analysis, paired sales techniques, and detailed market research.
Kensington is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County that functions as a hillside extension of the Berkeley market, but with a smaller data set and more limited turnover. Many properties are still associated with the Berkeley Hills in terms of buyer perception, even though they fall under a different jurisdiction.
Unlike Berkeley, Kensington housing tends to be more consistent in style, with many ranch and traditional two-story homes rather than century-old architecture. However, the hillside location, view influences, and limited number of comparable sales still require careful analysis.
One of the primary challenges in Kensington is the relatively low turnover of properties. Compared to larger cities like Berkeley, there are fewer sales available at any given time, which can make it more difficult to find directly comparable properties.
In these situations, it may be necessary to expand the scope of analysis while still maintaining relevance to the subject property, particularly when performing a retrospective appraisal.
Even within Kensington, there are subtle differences that can affect value. Areas west of Arlington Avenue (sometimes referred to as Arlington Acres) tend to have larger lots, while areas east of Arlington align more closely with the Berkeley Highlands in terms of buyer perception and market behavior.
These distinctions are not always formally defined, but they can influence how buyers react to properties, particularly when views, lot size, and access are involved.
My appraisal process focuses on analyzing how the market was reacting to specific property characteristics at the time of the effective date. This includes evaluating location, view influences, lot size, and overall market behavior rather than relying on generalized adjustments.
While Kensington is typically more straightforward than Berkeley, it still requires careful interpretation of limited data and an understanding of how hillside markets behave.
I provide appraisal services throughout Kensington and nearby East Bay communities including Berkeley and Albany.