When someone passes away and a Henderson home goes to family, the value of the house at that time becomes the heirs' tax starting point if they sell it later. That sounds technical, and it is easier with someone beside you. Call (702) 905-7023 and we will walk through what a retrospective appraisal can and cannot do, in plain words.
If you are a surviving spouse, start here
Nevada is a community property state (see IRS Publication 551 and Publication 555). That matters a great deal when the first spouse passes away. If the home was community property, the whole house, both halves, may start over at its value on the date of passing, not just the half that belonged to the spouse who passed away. Under section 1014(b)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code, the surviving spouse's own half is treated, for tax-basis purposes, as if it had been inherited too.
The condition: at least half of the home's value has to count in the estate of the spouse who passed away, even if no estate tax return is due. Your tax adviser can confirm that for you. Publication 551 says the rule applies even when no estate tax return has to be filed, and Publication 555 notes it does not extend to registered domestic partners.
Was your Henderson home community property? That turns on facts such as when and how the couple bought and titled it and whether they signed a written agreement (NRS 123.220). The call on the full adjustment belongs to your tax adviser. Either way, what the appraisal contributes is the house's value on the date of passing.
What the step-up is, in the IRS's own terms
An heir's starting point for measuring gain is, in the general case, what the property was worth when the owner passed away. The IRS puts it in terms of fair market value on the date of death. A sale above that basis is a taxable gain (IRS explanation of inherited-property basis; 26 U.S.C. 1014). The reset follows the market in either direction, so "step-up" names the common case and is no guarantee of a lower tax bill.
Is it always the value on the day the owner passed away?
Not quite. An executor may elect the alternate valuation date on a federal estate tax return, and if that happens, that date controls.
Could the value be capped?
Sometimes. When including the house in the estate actually raised the federal estate tax, the heir's basis generally may not go above the value fixed for that tax (26 U.S.C. 1014(f)).
Because of both, ask your tax adviser which date and which value apply before you order a report.
No inheritance tax here, and a high federal threshold
Nevada's constitution says "No inheritance tax shall ever be levied" (Article 10, Section 1). For anyone who passed away on or after January 1, 2005, the Nevada Department of Taxation does not require a state estate tax filing. The federal government has no inheritance tax at all. Its estate tax is a charge against the estate, settled by the executor, and it applies only when an estate exceeds the year's filing threshold; for a U.S. citizen or resident who passed away in 2026, the IRS lists that threshold as $15,000,000. An inheritance generally stays out of the heir's taxable income (IRS Publication 525). For an estate below the federal threshold, then, the appraisal's main tax job is documenting basis for a later sale.
Questions families ask us
What value does the IRS look at, and for what day?
Usually the value on the day the owner passed away, or on the alternate valuation date if the executor elected one. The day you order the report and the day of any visit come later and do not change that.
What if the house was cleaned out, repaired or remodeled after the owner passed?
Then the appraiser needs to know what the home looked like on the effective date, not today. Dated photos, listing details, inspection reports and repair invoices help show that. If you have none, tell us when you call.
What were buyers paying then?
Closed sales and the market near the effective date carry the analysis. Later records can confirm facts about that period, but a current price cannot stand in for an earlier one.
Do we need this if we are not selling soon?
The basis matters when the home is eventually sold, since a sale above it is a taxable gain. Whether to document it now is a question for your tax adviser. We can explain what the report would and would not do.
What does it cost to skip it?
We cannot put a number on that, and we will not guess. What we can say is that the basis sets the gain on a later sale, so it is worth asking your adviser before you decide.
Rebuilding a past date in Clark County
- Deed history: the Clark County Recorder records and gives access to recorded documents, including the deed that shows how the couple or the owner held title.
- Parcel facts: the Clark County Assessor's real property search finds the parcel by number, owner, address or subdivision. Its taxable value is a statutory formula, not a market value.
- Market context: our September 2026 Henderson market snapshot on the service area page describes one recent month. A date in another month needs its own sales.
- Family records: photographs, the last listing, inspection reports and repair invoices show what the house was like.
Henderson homes span a wide range, from small 1940s cottages near the original townsite to stucco-and-tile houses in Green Valley and Anthem, so the sales that fit one house may not fit another.
Details that speed up a quote
- The address, the date of passing and any date your adviser has named
- How title was held, and whether the home may have been community property
- Who will use the report: executor, trustee, heirs or adviser
- Changes made since the effective date, with dates
- Photos or records of the home's condition then
- Access arrangements and your deadline
The retrospective assignment, start to finish
- Define it. We agree the house, the effective date, the users and your deadline, with the scope, fee and expected delivery written down first.
- Look and gather. An appraiser sees the home when the assignment calls for it. Your records about the house on the effective date and afterward are reviewed.
- Study the period. Sales and conditions from around the effective date are analyzed, and the report walks through how they lead to the value.
- Check it. Go over the effective date, the stated use, the assumptions and the limiting conditions, and point out any factual slip.
Fee and timing
Ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate. A past date often needs more research than a current one, and property type, records, access and your deadline also affect the fee and schedule. Whether one report can serve the estate, a sale and your adviser at once is a question for your adviser and the appraiser. The IRS and the courts make their own decisions; a report cannot promise how either will treat it. See also what a home appraisal costs in Henderson.
If the house is in a Clark County probate, see probate appraisals; for settling an inherited home, see estate appraisals; if timing is tight, rush appraisals; or browse Henderson appraisal services, our questions and answers and about us.
Name the home and the date
Call (702) 905-7023 or write to us with the Henderson address, the purpose and the date your adviser wants the value to reflect, and we will settle the scope and fee with you before any work starts.
