Phoenix Property Appraisals

PahRoo Appraisal & Consultancy provides Phoenix property appraisals for attorneys, bankers, brokers, accountants, and property owners across Maricopa and Pinal counties. Arizona-licensed appraisers based in Phoenix sign our reports. So we write every report to hold up where it will be read, in court, at the board of equalization, or in credit committee.

Phoenix Property Appraisals for Residential and Commercial Property

The firm’s founder, Michael Hobbs, holds both the MAI and the SRA designation from the Appraisal Institute, and sets the review standard every PahRoo report meets. In Phoenix, an Arizona-licensed appraiser based in the market then signs each report under that standard.

Every report also follows USPAP.

Divorce and Family Law Appraisals in Phoenix

Arizona is a community property state, but the house does not split itself. Under A.R.S. 25-318 the court divides community property equitably, though not necessarily in kind, so one spouse often keeps the home and buys the other out. The community ends when the petition is served, so a value as of that date is the usual starting point, and the court may then want a current value too.

When one spouse bought the home before the marriage and community funds paid the mortgage or the remodel, the community holds a lien on the separate property. That needs a date-of-marriage value and one today. When a buyout ends with one spouse deeding the house to the other, see our piece on quitclaim deed divorce transfers first.

Probate and Date-of-Death Appraisals in Maricopa and Pinal Counties

First, the probate clock in Arizona is 90 days. Under A.R.S. 14-3706 the personal representative has that long from appointment to prepare an inventory listing every parcel at fair market value as of the date of death. There is no Arizona estate or inheritance tax, but the same number sets the heirs’ income tax basis, so a weak value costs money when the property sells.

However, many Valley estates pass by beneficiary deed or trust and skip probate, and the heirs still need the basis value. Snowbird parents and out-of-state heirs are the norm, so we inspect and report to counsel wherever they are. Trust funding, partition, and gifts are regular work too.

Phoenix Property Appraisals for Assessment Appeals

The Assessor mails the Notice of Valuation before March 1 for the following tax year, and then under A.R.S. 42-16051 you have 60 days from the mailing to petition. The petition has to state your own opinion of full cash value and support it with sales, income, or cost, so it needs an appraisal from the start. If the Assessor denies it, then the appeal to the board of equalization is due within 25 days. Owners can also go straight to Tax Court by December 15, with or without the Assessor step.

In Arizona, though, the trap is the second number on the notice. Your tax is computed on limited property value, which rises no more than 5 percent a year, so an appeal only pays off when it pushes full cash value below limited value. We check that first. Because Arizona records sale prices, the argument at the Assessor and the board is never about hidden data. Instead, it is about which sales are truly comparable, which is what our reports settle.

Litigation Support and Expert Witness Testimony

We review the other side’s appraisal and then put the problems in writing. Bankruptcy counsel send us Chapter 7 and 11 appraisals, too. In an Arizona condemnation, compensation is the value taken plus severance damages to the remainder, less benefits, under A.R.S. 12-1122, and it accrues at the date of the summons. Prop 207 claims, where a land use law cuts value, also need before-and-after values. Our appraisers also testify at deposition and trial in Maricopa County Superior Court and the Arizona Tax Court.

Commercial Appraisals for Phoenix Lenders

Acquisitions, refinances, workouts, and special-asset files come through our commercial desk. The Valley’s industrial and apartment pipeline changes the comparable set every quarter, so we start from the actual rent roll, not a published cap rate. Our piece on the income approach for commercial property shows how in practice.

Residential Appraisals for Phoenix Mortgage Lenders

Refinance, PMI removal, and new construction files also come from mortgage lenders and banks. A Valley report has to sort out what a buyer pays for: leased versus owned solar, a pool, an HOA, and 55-plus restrictions. In Buckeye or San Tan Valley, where the subdivision is still selling out, comparables also take care. If the lender’s number came in low on your own home, a second opinion is still an option.

Appraisals for Phoenix Brokers and Realtors

Pre-listing appraisals come from Realtors who need a defensible price, especially in Arcadia or Paradise Valley, where a remodel can move a value by a third. On the buy side, agents order pre-purchase appraisals when the comps cannot explain the property, such as an East Valley horse property or a North Scottsdale hillside lot. Commercial brokers also call before listing land.

Appraisals for Phoenix CPAs and Tax Preparers

Since there is no state estate tax, the CPA work here is federal. First, stepped-up basis after a death, and the Form 706 value when the estate is large enough to file. Second, gift tax returns when a parent deeds a Scottsdale condo to a child, and trust funding when a client moves in from Illinois. Third, donated real estate, since a gift over $5,000 needs a qualified appraisal on IRS Form 8283. Finally, assessment appeals when a client’s full cash value is out of line.

Neighborhoods and Cities We Cover

In Phoenix: Arcadia, Biltmore, North Central, Desert Ridge, Moon Valley, Ahwatukee, and Downtown. Also in Maricopa County: Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria, and Buckeye. Pinal County: Queen Creek, San Tan Valley, Casa Grande, and Maricopa. We also cover the rest of both counties.

How to Order a Phoenix Appraisal From PahRoo