An estate appraisal service page is the one page on your website that explains, in plain words, how you appraise real property for an estate: date-of-death values, who you work with, the area you cover, and how to request a quote. Executors, heirs, and estate attorneys often land on it after a search or a referral. If it answers their questions, they call. If it reads like a lender bio, they keep looking.
This article is one piece of our guide on how private clients find appraisers. Related reading: what is a date-of-death appraisal?, when a local site actually helps, and responding to a private appraisal inquiry the same day.
Write for the person who just lost someone
The reader is usually not a real estate professional. It may be an adult child named executor, a surviving spouse, or a paralegal working a file for an attorney. They have a deadline from the attorney or accountant, a property they may not have visited in years, and very little patience for jargon. A good service page sounds calm and clear. It explains the work, not your credentials first.
Lead with what they came for: you appraise homes for estates, including values as of the date of death, in the counties you actually serve. Put that in the page title and the first heading, using the words people really search, such as “estate appraisal” or “date of death appraisal” plus your county or main town.
Answer the questions executors actually ask
Most estate inquiries circle the same handful of questions. Your page should answer each one briefly:
- What is a date-of-death appraisal? A short, plain definition, and a note that the value is as of a past date, not today.
- Who uses the report? Typically the executor or administrator, the estate attorney, and the accountant preparing tax filings. Say you will confirm intended use and users when you are engaged.
- Can you appraise if the house has changed or been sold? Explain at a high level that retrospective work is common and that you will discuss condition as of the date of death.
- Do you need access? Say what an inspection involves and that you can coordinate with whoever holds the keys.
- How long does it take, and how do I get a quote? Give a realistic turnaround range you can meet and one simple way to start.
You do not need to publish a fee schedule. Many appraisers say fees depend on the property and scope, then quote quickly. That fits estate work, where properties vary widely.
Show the area and the scope, not a neighborhood sales pitch
List the counties and main towns you cover so both readers and search engines can match you to the property. Keep descriptions factual. Do not characterize neighborhoods or the people in them; stick to geography and the work you do. That keeps the page Fair Housing–safe and more useful.
It also helps to mention the related estate situations you handle, for example trust administration, sale of estate property, or values for heirs dividing property, but only those you truly take on. One honest page per assignment type beats a long list of services you would turn down.
Make contact easy and fast
Estate clients often call two or three appraisers and go with whoever answers clearly first. Put a phone number and a short request form near the top and again at the bottom. Ask only for what you need to quote: property address, date of death if known, the reason for the appraisal, and the best way to reach them. Then reply the same day. The page earns the inquiry; speed earns the file.
Keep it consistent with your Google profile
Your service page should match your Google Business Profile: same business name, phone, service area, and a matching “estate appraisal” service listed on the profile. Linking the profile to this page, rather than only your home page, sends estate searchers straight to the answers they want. Regular informational posts on the profile keep it active between estate files.
This is a practice note, not legal or tax advice. Estate valuation requirements vary by jurisdiction and purpose, so follow the client’s counsel and USPAP. For scope on these files, see the USPAP and scope of work section of the Private Appraisal Work Guide.
Part of the Private Appraisal Work Guide — assignment types, USPAP scope, fees, and how private clients find appraisers.
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