Sometimes, but missing interior access must be discussed before the appraisal is ordered. A residential date-of-death appraisal needs enough reliable information about the home on the historical valuation date. Whether that can be achieved through records, an exterior visit, a current interior inspection or another agreed scope depends on the property, available evidence and intended use. “Desktop” is not a promise that every estate can receive a report without access.
The practical first step is to send the appraiser the requested date, reason access is unavailable and the records you already have. Explain what decision the report must support rather than choosing an inspection label solely by price.
A date-of-death assignment addresses the home and market at an earlier date. An inspection today cannot directly observe the past, but it may still help identify layout, construction, additions and later changes. Conversely, access today does not by itself establish the earlier interior condition.
The appraiser must separate what each source actually supports. Dated interior photographs may describe finishes near the valuation date; a present exterior photograph may show a later roof. A parcel record may identify reported size without fully explaining an addition. None should silently be treated as proof of every property characteristic.
Our retrospective appraisal guide explains the distinction between the effective date, inspection date and report date. Those dates should remain clear even when no current interior visit is included.
“No access” can mean several different things. Perhaps the home has been sold, a tenant occupies it, the family lives elsewhere, or only one room is inaccessible. Explain whether an exterior visit is possible, whether interior access could be arranged later, and who has authority to coordinate it. An appointment inconvenience and a permanent inability to enter are different scoping facts.
Do not enter the property, ask someone else to enter, or promise access without appropriate permission. The appraisal does not establish entry rights or resolve disputes between an estate, occupant and new owner. Identify those issues with the responsible representative or legal adviser separately.
The result may be a feasible records-based assignment, a scope that includes a visit, a request for additional evidence, or a conclusion that the proposed assignment cannot be completed credibly as requested. Agree on the work and its limits before treating a quote as a delivery commitment.
A prior appraisal or inspection report can be useful evidence if it is available for appropriate use. It is not proof that the appraiser inspected the home for the new assignment.
The Appraisal Foundation's Personal Inspection Q&A, issued March 6, 2024, discusses this distinction. It explains that using information from a prior assignment does not allow the appraiser to certify a personal inspection for a new assignment when no inspection was performed as part of that new work. It also addresses disclosure needed to avoid misleading intended users about the scope.
Tell the appraiser when each earlier report or photograph was created and what has changed since. A prior report's existence does not automatically make its information current, transferable or suitable for a different date and use.
Fannie Mae's Desktop Appraisals guidance describes a particular lending option with alternative property-data sources, reliability requirements and transaction eligibility rules. That program should not be confused with a privately ordered historical estate assignment.
Its existence does not establish that your estate qualifies for a no-visit report, and its loan-program restrictions should not automatically be imported into every private engagement. Start with the actual assignment. Our scope and valuation-approaches guide also explains why inspection scope is not an accuracy ranking.
Begin with the most relevant material you already have:
Keep dates and sources attached to the information. Do not relabel current photographs as historical, omit known damage or ask the appraiser to assume an undocumented remodel never occurred. The appraiser determines whether an assumption is appropriate and adequately supported; an assumption is not a way to manufacture missing evidence.
No fee reduction should be assumed. Historical research and reconciling incomplete records can be substantial work. Request a quote for the actual property, date and evidence rather than comparing inspection labels alone.
No. Inspection and valuation dates can differ. The important distinction is whether the analysis addresses the property and market relevant to the historical date and explains its information and limitations.
No. It develops the specified real-property value opinion. Tax treatment, equity, legal entitlement, debt allocation and an agreed buyout payment are separate decisions. Confirm the requested date and use with the estate's advisers.
Alpha Appraisal provides residential estate and date-of-death appraisal services in King County, Snohomish County and Skagit County. Send the address, purpose, required date and deadline, explain the access limit, and identify the records available.
Request a residential appraisal quote, call 425-753-1971 or email dustin.labrasseur@gmail.com. Residential appraisals start at $695. Final scope, fee and availability are confirmed for the assignment before scheduling.
The primary-source links above were checked October 20, 2026: The Appraisal Foundation's Practicing Appraisers page, Personal Inspection Q&A issued March 6, 2024; and Fannie Mae B4-1.2-02, Desktop Appraisals, section dated December 10, 2025. Foundation Q&As are advisory explanations; the Fannie Mae source addresses a lending program. Neither is presented as a guarantee of acceptance for a particular estate, tax filing, proceeding or lender.