Free, written, no obligation
What is the house actually worth?
Almost every valuation you will be offered is one number. One number is not much use, because it does not tell you what to do next.
We give you two, and which two depends on why you are asking.
If you are thinking about selling
Two numbers, side by side
- What the home would likely sell for as it stands today, with nothing done to it
- What it would likely bring after preparation
- What that preparation would actually cost, itemised, not a wave at a number
- The comparable sales behind all three, so you can see how we got there
Seeing both together is usually the moment the decision becomes obvious. Then take the top number over to the net proceeds calculator to see what would actually be left.
If you are settling an estate
A date of death valuation
- A written value as at the date of death, which is the date the Canada Revenue Agency cares about
- The comparable sales attached, documented so your accountant can use them rather than take our word for it
- A note of the condition on the day we walked it, with photographs
- Something you can put in front of beneficiaries who were not there and have their own idea what the house is worth
There is no obligation to list the home with us afterward, and we will say so in writing if that helps keep the peace with a sibling who has a friend in the business.
Executors: this one has a deadline attached
When someone dies the Canada Revenue Agency treats them as having sold everything they owned at fair market value on the date of death. For the family home the principal residence exemption usually means no tax is owing on that gain.
The part that catches estates is what happens next. From the date of death the estate holds the property at that value, and if it eventually sells for more, the increase can be a taxable capital gain in the estate's hands.
In practice this rarely produces a large bill. But it produces a question, and the question needs an answer on paper. Getting the value recorded early is the difference between your accountant having a number and your accountant having a problem.
What we actually do
We walk the property with you, or on our own if you are out of province, and photograph its condition on the day. Then we pull the comparable sales, the ones that genuinely compare, and write it up so somebody else can follow the reasoning rather than take our word for it.
It is not a printout of what the neighbour listed at, and it is not a number over the phone. It usually takes a few days.
When you need an appraiser instead, and we will tell you
What we prepare is a documented market evaluation. It is not an appraisal, which is a specific thing produced by a designated appraiser holding an AACI or CRA designation. For most estates and most sales, a market evaluation with the comparables attached is what is needed and what gets used.
Ask for an accredited appraiser instead when:
- The estate is contested, or litigation looks likely
- A separation or divorce is involved
- A lender, court or the CRA has specifically asked for an accredited appraisal
- The property is unusual enough that comparable sales do not really exist, a farm, a large acreage, or a commercial element
If any of those apply we will say so and point you at one, rather than hand you the wrong document and let you find out later.
Ask us what it is worth
No cost, no obligation, and no salesperson turning up afterwards. Tell us which of the two you need and roughly where the property is, and one of us will answer personally.
A market evaluation is an opinion of value prepared by a real estate registrant, not an appraisal by a designated appraiser, and it is not legal or tax advice. Whether a date of death valuation is sufficient for a particular estate is a question for the estate lawyer and the accountant. Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with a brokerage.