01 / THE HOUSE
Send the address
Include the parcel number if you have it. A West Chester mailing address can be in the borough or a township.
WEST CHESTER, PA / ESTATE APPRAISALS
An inherited home in West Chester. A value for the date you need.
Settling an estate often means finding what the house was worth when its owner died. We help executors, families and attorneys establish that value. Tell us the address, date of death and who needs the report; we will talk through the assignment.
1442 Pottstown Pike
West Chester, PA 19380
02 / THE DATE
Tell us when the owner died
The inventory and inheritance tax return use the date of death. A later sibling buyout may need a current value.
03 / THE REPORT
Name the purpose and deadline
Tell us who will rely on the report. We agree on scope, fee and a delivery estimate before work starts.
What should I have ready for the first call?
Start with the address, parcel number if available, date of death, intended use and deadline. Have any requirements from your attorney or accountant ready before we set the fee. If letters testamentary or of administration have been granted, they identify the estate's personal representative.
Keep dated photos, old listings, inspection reports and invoices, especially if the house has been cleared or repaired. You do not need to have every record in hand to start the conversation. Ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate; mention any planned tax payment within three months of death.
Start with the address, parcel number if available, date of death, intended use and deadline.
What if we have already emptied or renovated the house?
Tell us what changed and when. A date-of-death appraisal describes the house as it stood then, even if today's inspection shows a new kitchen. Photos, listings, inspection reports and invoices help establish that earlier condition. Later paperwork can still support an earlier fact, such as the year a furnace was replaced.
We research sales and market conditions around the effective date, rather than using today's prices. Where records are thin, the report explains its assumptions.
Tell us what changed and when.
What happens after we agree on the assignment?
You arrange access and share the records you have. We inspect and research comparable sales around the agreed effective date, then reconcile the evidence into an opinion of value.
An older Everhart tract house and a newer township single can share a mailing address but appeal to different buyers. We consider age, construction, size, lot and location when choosing comparisons.
When you receive the report, check the effective date, intended use and assumptions. Flag factual errors for correction. The appraisal supplies an opinion of value; your attorney or tax adviser determines the estate's tax method and date.
You arrange access and share the records you have.
Does every estate need an appraisal for inheritance tax?
No. Pennsylvania Revenue accepts several ways to support value. Schedule A lists real estate held alone or as a tenant in common at date-of-death fair market value. Its instructions allow a sale price when the house sold within 15 months of death, an appraisal, or county assessed value multiplied by the common level ratio.
A sale to a relative or someone connected with administering the estate requires an appraisal or other documentary proof of fair market value. Ask your adviser which support fits your estate.
Pennsylvania uses the date of death for inheritance tax, without the federal-style six-month alternate date. Chester County residents' estates file with the Register of Wills, the Commonwealth's local agent for inheritance-tax filing and payment.
No.
Which Pennsylvania tax deadlines and rates should we discuss?
Chester County's estate timetable lists the return as due within nine months of death, with a 5% discount for tax paid within three months. Tell us your deadline when asking about delivery. The discount concerns the tax, not the appraisal fee.
Inheritance-tax rates depend on the recipient: surviving spouse, 0%; parent inheriting from a child aged 21 or younger, 0%; child aged 21 or younger inheriting from a parent, 0% for deaths on or after January 1, 2020. Children, grandchildren and other lineal heirs: 4.5%; siblings: 12%; other heirs: 15%. Charities, exempt institutions and government entities are exempt.
Pennsylvania imposes no estate tax for deaths on or after January 1, 2005. Review the official guidance below with your adviser; an appraisal does not determine the tax you owe.
Chester County's estate timetable lists the return as due within nine months of death, with a 5% discount for tax paid within three months.
Is this also the value an heir needs for tax basis?
An heir's starting basis is generally the home's fair market value when the owner died. An inheritance generally is not income to the heir. Tell us if basis records for a later sale are the purpose of your report.
There is no federal inheritance tax. Federal estate tax is paid by the executor; the IRS estate-tax filing threshold for a U.S. citizen or resident dying in 2026 is $15,000,000. Your adviser decides which rules apply and whether a different valuation date is appropriate.
An heir's starting basis is generally the home's fair market value when the owner died.
Can I use a West Chester median instead?
A median cannot account for your house's condition or a different date of death. September 2026 RPR figures for its area labeled West Chester, Pennsylvania were: $687,500 median sold price; 102 sold listings; 7 median days in RPR.
Observed October 7, 2026, using RPR's Single Family + Condo/Townhouse/Apt filter. The RPR boundary may differ from West Chester Borough and our service area. These figures cover one month and all types in that filter; they do not value an individual inherited home.
A median cannot account for your house's condition or a different date of death.
Where can I check the filing and tax guidance?
Use these Pennsylvania, Chester County and federal references with your attorney or tax adviser. We provide the property's value opinion, not legal or tax advice.
Pennsylvania inheritance-tax return instructions →
Use these Pennsylvania, Chester County and federal references with your attorney or tax adviser.
CONTINUE READING
LET’S TALK THROUGH THE PROPERTY
A clear next step starts
with your address.
Tell us why you need the appraisal and when the report is needed. We’ll discuss coverage, timing and a quote.