I'm Josh Levine. For 25 years, including my years running J. Levine Auction & Appraisal, I've walked through Phoenix and Scottsdale homes after a death and told families, honestly, what was in them. Some of it was worth far less than they hoped. Some of it was worth far more than anyone knew. Either way, the executor needed a number that would hold up, and the family needed someone who wasn't trying to buy anything.
An estate appraisal is that number. It's a written report, item by item, with values as of the date of death, prepared to USPAP standards so your probate attorney, the court, the IRS and every heir are looking at the same page.
When you need an estate or probate appraisal
Not every estate needs a formal appraisal. If the house holds ordinary furniture, dishes and clothing, your attorney may be fine with an inventory and a reasonable estimate. You need an appraiser when the estate holds things with real or uncertain value: paintings, sculpture, Native American jewelry and weavings, silver, coins, firearms, musical instruments, mid-century furniture, a collection someone spent decades building, or anything a relative has already said is worth a lot.
The common reasons families call me:
- Probate inventory. The personal representative has to report what the estate owns and what it's worth.
- Estate tax and step-up in basis. Heirs inherit at date-of-death value. A documented value now can save a real tax bill when something sells later.
- Dividing property among heirs. Three siblings and one painting is a math problem until someone neutral puts a value on it.
- Trust administration. Trustees have a duty to know what they're holding.
- Deciding what to sell, keep, donate or insure. You can't make those calls without knowing what you have.
What you get
A bound or digital report that lists each item with a description, measurements, maker or artist where known, condition, photographs and a fair market value as of the date of death. The report explains how I arrived at each value: comparable auction records, dealer and gallery data and market trends for that category. It includes my credentials and a signed certification, so it reads the way a court or a tax professional expects.
When an attorney is involved, I prepare a copy addressed for their file. For a Scottsdale family in 2025 that meant documenting a 64-item international fine art collection for estate planning and sending a second copy straight to the family's attorney, so nobody had to forward anything.
Where it helps, I also tell you, plainly, which items would do well at auction, which belong with a dealer, which should go to a charity for a deduction, and which are worth more to the family than to any buyer. I don't buy what I appraise, and I don't take a cut of anything that sells.
How the process works
Call me or send a few photos through the form. We'll talk for ten minutes about what's in the house, where it is and what the attorney needs. From there I quote the job and we set a date for a walkthrough.
During the walkthrough I photograph and measure everything in scope. If you have receipts, prior appraisals, insurance schedules, auction records or family letters about where something came from, put them in a box for me. Provenance can change a value more than condition does. And please don't throw anything out before I've seen it. I have watched the valuable thing leave in the donation pile too many times.
Then I research. Each item gets compared against what similar pieces actually sold for, not asking prices, and I write the report. You get a draft to check descriptions and dates, then the final signed version.
Timeline
I reply to every inquiry within one business day. A small estate with a handful of significant pieces moves quickly. A full house or a large collection takes longer because the research is the work. When I quote the job I'll give you a delivery date, and if a court filing or a sale date is already set, tell me and I'll plan around it.
How quotes work
Every estate is different, so I don't post prices. Call or send photos and I'll quote the whole job up front, based on how many items are in scope and how much research they'll need. The fee is never a percentage of the value, which is also what USPAP and the IRS require. You'll know the cost before I start.
The honest part
Most of what fills a house is worth less than families expect. Formal dining sets, china cabinets, encyclopedias and most collectible plates have soft markets right now, and I'll tell you so. But almost every estate I've worked has had a few things worth more than anyone guessed: a painting nobody liked, a turquoise bracelet in a sock drawer, a mid-century lamp in the garage. In 500-plus auctions I learned that the only way to know which is which is to look at everything. That's what I'm there for.