Eagle Home Appraisal Fayetteville
Probate appraisals in Fayetteville
If an estate is opened for someone who lived in Fayetteville, the Clerk of Superior Court in Cumberland County oversees it.
Does the house need a formal appraisal? Often it does not. Call and we will help you work out whether yours does.
You do not have to appraise the house. You do have to file an inventory.
North Carolina says the personal representative may, but is not required to, use an appraiser (G.S. 28A-20-4). The part that is required is the inventory, due within three months after the personal representative qualifies unless the clerk allows more time (G.S. 28A-20-1). Whether the house is worth an appraisal is a decision for you and the estate’s attorney.
Where the house fits
Real estate does not wait for the estate to settle. When an owner passes away, title to the land goes straight to the heirs, or to the people a probated will names (G.S. 28A-15-2).
The clerk comes in when the personal representative needs the house itself, to take possession or to sell it to pay debts. That is when a documented value helps.
The date is the date of passing
The state inventory form, AOC-E-505, asks for date-of-death values (the form). An appraiser who is used is named on the inventory beside the asset. The value does not drift with the market after that date.
Two spousal rules that can call for a value
Two spousal rules can bring a value into it. A surviving spouse may be able to choose a life estate in the home they were living in, and the clerk appoints three disinterested people to set it apart. And the elective share is generally figured from fair market values on the date of passing. Your attorney will know whether either one applies to your family.
Cumberland County, specifically
The right county is the one where the person was living, which for a Fayetteville resident is Cumberland County, listed by the Judicial Branch as District 14 (Cumberland County courts). The clerk’s office or your attorney can tell you how filings work there.
What to have when you call
- The address, and the parcel number or deed from the Register of Deeds if you have it.
- The date of passing.
- Who the personal representative is, and the name of the estate’s attorney.
- Who can let us in, and which days work.
- Photos, repair bills or an old listing, if the house has changed since then.
Missing something? Call anyway. We would rather start the conversation than have you wait until the paper is perfect.
A few questions that come up.
Who decides whether we need an appraisal?
The personal representative, with the estate’s attorney. We can tell you what an appraisal would cost and when it could be ready, so the decision is an easy one.
What if the inventory value turns out to be wrong?
North Carolina fixes a value that proves wrong or misleading with a supplemental inventory (G.S. 28A-20-3). Ask your attorney.
Eagle Home Appraisal Fayetteville