Probate appraisals in Michigan

    A Michigan probate inventory needs a date-of-death value for the house. When that value could be questioned, the code names an appraiser as the help.

    When an estate is opened in a Michigan probate court, the personal representative lists a house the decedent owned on the inventory, at what it was worth when the owner died. Send the address and the date of death, say who will read the report, and check with the estate's attorney that an appraisal is the right tool for this estate.

    Request a probate appraisal quote · Call 231-638-4774

    Does Michigan probate require a home appraisal?

    Not automatically, as the inventory rules in Michigan's Estates and Protected Individuals Code (EPIC) show:

    • What the inventory holds. The personal representative has 91 days from appointment to list what the decedent owned, give each item a fair market value as of the date of death, and note any lien or other encumbrance (MCL 700.3706(1)).
    • An appraiser is optional. The personal representative "may employ a qualified and disinterested appraiser" for property whose value "may be subject to reasonable doubt" (MCL 700.3707). When one is used, the appraiser's name and address go on the inventory beside the item appraised.
    • Corrections later. If property turns up after the inventory, or a listed value proves wrong or misleading, the personal representative prepares a supplementary inventory or appraisal showing the date-of-death value (MCL 700.3708).

    The statewide inventory form, SCAO PC 577, values each parcel of real property on its own, deducts a lien on that parcel without letting the parcel's value fall below zero, and asks for the appraiser's name and address when real property is valued by appraisal.

    Whether this estate should use an appraisal is for the estate's attorney to advise. What the statutes do make plain is that someone must state a date-of-death value for the house, and that an appraiser is the help the code names for a value that may be in doubt.

    Who sees the value, and why it matters

    • The heirs. A copy of the inventory goes to the presumptive distributees and to any other interested person who asks for it; the personal representative may also file the original with the court (MCL 700.3706(2)).
    • The court's inventory fee. The probate court charges a fee figured on the value of all assets as of the date of death, with debt secured by real property deducted from that property's value (MCL 600.871). Under Michigan Court Rule 5.307(A), the information for that fee is due within 91 days of the date of the letters of authority. The statute makes the fee itself due on or before the closing of the estate or within one year after probate proceedings began, whichever comes first (MCL 600.871(3)).
    • Supervised estates. In supervised administration, the inventory must be filed with the court (MCR 5.310(C)(1)).

    Which probate court

    Each Michigan county has its own probate court unless it is one of the ten counties that combined into five probate court districts (MCL 600.803; Ottawa County Probate Court). The court in the county where the decedent was domiciled handles the estate (MCL 700.1302). An estate opened informally begins with an application for informal probate or appointment, which an interested person directs to the probate register (MCL 700.3301).

    Smaller estates can use other procedures, but the sworn-statement route in MCL 700.3983 is not available when the estate includes real property. The estate's attorney can say which procedure fits.

    What the date-of-death value rests on

    One date for the inventory

    The inventory looks only at the date of death. If the heirs also plan a sale or a buyout, that decision may need a value on another date, so list every date you need before anyone visits the house.

    The house on the day of death

    If the house has been emptied, cleaned, repaired or updated since the death, the appraiser needs evidence of its condition on that day: dated photos, a prior listing, inspection reports or receipts.

    Everyone who will read the value

    The personal representative, the heirs, the court and a tax adviser may all read the report. Naming them at the start shapes how it is written.

    Taxes to confirm with your adviser

    Michigan has no inheritance tax for deaths after September 30, 1993, and no Michigan estate tax is collected on current estates. In a supervised estate, the court rule calls for either Treasury's proof that Michigan estate tax was paid or a statement that none is due (MCR 5.310(D)). Federal law adds no inheritance tax either; the federal estate tax is owed by the estate and paid by its executor, and an estate below the yearly threshold owes none. That line is $15,000,000, applied for a U.S. citizen or resident who dies in 2026, Michigan decedents included (IRS estate tax page). For income tax, the federal basis rule generally ties an heir's starting point to the home's fair market value on the date of death (IRS). Whether any return is due, and which date governs, is for the estate's attorney or tax adviser to confirm. For property-tax steps after a death, see estate appraisals.

    Records worth having on hand

    • Where the house is, what kind of property it is, and when the owner died.
    • The date of the letters of authority, if a personal representative has been appointed.
    • The attorney's instructions on purpose, effective date and intended users.
    • Photos, receipts or reports that show how the house looked when the owner died, and what has changed since.
    • Who holds the keys, and the deadline you are working to.

    Four stages of a probate assignment

    1. Scope agreed up front. We confirm the property, effective date, readers of the report and deadline, and put the scope, fee and delivery estimate in writing first.
    2. Entry, plus any records. The personal representative or a family member lets the appraiser in and hands over any condition records for the date of death.
    3. Study the market as it was. Comparable sales from around the date of death are studied, adjusted and reconciled to a single value.
    4. Report and review. The report states the effective date, intended use, assumptions and limiting conditions, and the appraiser answers any factual questions about it.

    Price and schedule for a probate appraisal

    In a Michigan probate estate, ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate early, ideally in the first weeks after the personal representative is appointed. A death further in the past, missing records, the size of the property and a deadline inside the 91-day inventory window can each affect the price and the schedule. For a value tied to an inheritance outside probate, see estate appraisals; for a tight date, see rush appraisals.

    Request a date-of-death value

    Call 231-638-4774 or request a quote. Give us the street address, the decedent's date of death and who will rely on the value (personal representative, heirs, attorney).

    Prepared with AI assistance for Eagle Home Appraisal Michigan. This page explains Michigan's probate inventory rules in plain words. It is general information, not an appraisal of any home and not legal or tax advice.