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RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE APPRAISERS BOSTON, MA
Cullen Real Estate and Appraisal Company | Real Estate Appraisers
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Cullen Real Estate and Appraisal Company is a certified real estate appraisal firm serving Boston and the surrounding Greater Boston area for over 30 years. Tom Cullen, our owner and chief appraiser, is a state-certified residential real estate appraiser who has completed thousands of Boston-area appraisals across every neighborhood, property type, and use case. From historic Back Bay brownstones to South Boston triple-deckers to Jamaica Plain single-families and Seaport District condos, we deliver defensible, IRS-compliant, court-ready valuations.
Boston Real Estate Appraisal: A Local Specialty
Boston is one of the most architecturally diverse real estate markets in the country. A certified appraiser working in Boston needs to understand the differences between a brick rowhouse in the South End and a wood-frame Victorian in West Roxbury, between a Seaport District luxury condo and a Dorchester three-decker, between a Beacon Hill townhouse and an Allston-Brighton multi-family. Each property type has its own comparable sales pool, its own market dynamics, and its own appraisal considerations. Tom Cullen has appraised them all.
We also understand Boston’s unique market characteristics: rapid neighborhood gentrification cycles, condo association complexities (including buildings with pending litigation or special assessments), the historic district restrictions in Beacon Hill and the Bay Village, the multi-family investment property market across Roxbury and Dorchester, and the high-end single-family market in West Roxbury, Roslindale, and Jamaica Plain.
Our services
- APPRAISALS FOR ESTATE SETTLEMENTS
- APPRAISALS FOR DIVORCE SETTLEMENTS
- APPRAISALS FOR PRIVATE SALES OR INDEPENDENT VALUATIONS
- APPRAISALS FOR IMMIGRATION
- APPRAISALS FOR TAX ABATEMENT
- BANKRUPTCY APPRAISALS
- EQUITABLE DIVISION OF ASSETS APPRAISALS
- REAL ESTATE SALES
When You Need a Real Estate Appraiser in Boston
Boston property owners and their attorneys come to Cullen for five primary appraisal scenarios:
Divorce settlement appraisals. Massachusetts Probate and Family Court routinely requires an independent, certified appraisal of the marital home before equitable distribution can be settled. Our reports are accepted by Suffolk County and surrounding Probate and Family Courts and are signed off by Tom Cullen as a qualified expert witness.
Estate and Date of Death appraisals. For probate filings in Suffolk County Probate and Family Court at 24 New Chardon Street, executors and administrators need a defensible value as of the date of the decedent’s passing. We handle these appraisals across all Boston neighborhoods and are familiar with the Massachusetts estate tax threshold and stepped-up cost basis calculations.
Pre-listing appraisals. Before listing a Boston property, owners often want an independent valuation that is not tied to a real estate agent’s commission interest. A pre-listing appraisal gives you a defensible price floor and ceiling and protects against under-listing.
Refinance and PMI removal appraisals. When refinancing or removing private mortgage insurance, lenders may accept an independent appraisal. Our reports are USPAP-compliant and accepted by most lenders for these purposes.
Tax abatement appraisals. If you believe the City of Boston has over-assessed your property, a certified independent appraisal is your strongest evidence in a tax abatement appeal. We have completed hundreds of Boston tax abatement appraisals across all neighborhoods.
Boston Neighborhoods We Appraise
We provide certified appraisal services across every Boston neighborhood:
- Back Bay
- Beacon Hill
- South End
- South Boston
- Seaport District
- Charlestown
- East Boston
- North End
- Jamaica Plain
- Dorchester
- Roxbury
- Mattapan
- Hyde Park
- Roslindale
- West Roxbury
- Allston-Brighton
- Mission Hill
- Fenway/Kenmore
We also serve the inner-ring communities most closely tied to the Boston market: Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Newton, Quincy, Medford, Malden, Everett, and Chelsea.
Our Boston Appraisal Process
Step 1: Initial consultation. Jessica Delmonico in our office will discuss your specific situation, the type of appraisal you need, timing requirements, and pricing. No pressure, no obligation.
Step 2: Property inspection. Tom Cullen will schedule an on-site inspection of the property. He conducts a thorough interior and exterior review and notes quality, condition, and amenities relative to the neighborhood. For situations where access is not possible (occupied properties, properties already sold, retrospective appraisals), we offer desktop and drive-by appraisals using public records, MLS data, and our 30+ years of Boston market knowledge.
Step 3: Comparable sales research. Tom researches the most recent, most proximate, and most similar Boston-area sales. For retrospective appraisals (date-of-death and historical valuations), we pull comparables from the relevant historical time period.
Step 4: Defensible written report. You receive a complete written appraisal report with the value conclusion and all supporting documentation. The report is USPAP-compliant, IRS-accepted, and accepted by Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts.
Why Boston Homeowners and Attorneys Choose Cullen
- 30+ years of Boston and Massachusetts appraisal experience
- 400+ estate appraisals completed per year
- Court-experienced expert witness testimony
- USPAP-compliant, IRS-accepted, court-ready reports
- Familiar with all major Boston neighborhoods and property types
- Available for desktop, drive-by, and full inspection appraisals
- Suffolk County Probate Court approved
Frequently Asked Questions: Boston Real Estate Appraisals
From initial consultation to delivered written report, most Boston appraisals are completed within 5 to 10 business days. Rush service is available for time-sensitive situations such as Probate Court filings or tax abatement deadlines.
Yes. Tom Cullen is a state-certified residential real estate appraiser, USPAP-compliant, and his reports are routinely accepted by Suffolk County Probate and Family Court at 24 New Chardon Street, as well as by surrounding Massachusetts Probate and Family Courts.
Yes. We appraise condominiums across all Boston neighborhoods, including buildings with special assessments, pending litigation, or unusual ownership structures. We review the condo association documents as part of our research process.
Yes. Retrospective appraisals, including Date of Death appraisals, are a core part of our practice. Tom Cullen has 30+ years of Boston-area sales records and can produce defensible historical valuations regardless of how far back the effective date.
Yes. Tom Cullen has expert witness experience and his reports include the documentation and analysis required for court proceedings. He is available to testify in Suffolk County Probate Court and other Massachusetts and Rhode Island courts.
Cost varies based on property type, complexity, and turnaround time. Jessica will provide transparent pricing during your initial consultation. We do not negotiate value, only the appraisal fee.
Yes. Multi-family appraisals are common in our Boston practice, especially across Dorchester, Roxbury, South Boston, East Boston, and Allston-Brighton. We use both sales comparison and income approaches for multi-family valuations as appropriate.
Yes. We complete tax abatement appraisals for Boston property owners across all neighborhoods. The appraisal serves as your primary evidence in the abatement appeal before the City of Boston Assessing Department or the state Appellate Tax Board.
Contact Cullen for a Boston Real Estate Appraisal
Call us at MA: (978) 315-0141 or RI: (401) 919-7114 to schedule a Boston real estate appraisal, or use the form on this page. We will respond promptly and walk you through your specific situation with no obligation.
What is an Estate Appraisal?
Estate appraisals are commonly used for the equitable distribution of assets between surviving heirs. An estate appraisal should be performed by a certified appraiser in the state in which the property is located. An appraisal will take a snapshot in time of the property for future reference. It is important to have a defensible document that is well-presented and supported. Two of the most common reasons why you might need an appraisal are for estate taxes (IRS estate tax), or for probate court. Often, you will be requested to obtain a certified appraisal of the subject property by your attorney, accountant, or by probate court. You may be asked to have the appraisal performed as of the date of death (sometimes referred to as time of death), also known as the date that your loved one passed away. A third type of estate appraisal exists where you may be estate planning, or equitably dividing the asset between interested parties. A certified appraisal will provide the current market value of the property so that you may negotiate a fair settlement. This appraisal may also be useful in the event of a dispute or other legal issues.
What is a Date of Death Appraisal?
Date of Death Appraisals (alternatively called “Date of Death Valuation” or “Time of Death Appraisal”) will help to determine the Fair Market Value of the real estate as of the date or time of the owner’s passing. Date of Death Appraisals should be completed by an experienced, state-certified real estate appraiser. This appraiser is referred to as a “qualified appraiser” by the IRS. The date of death appraisal may be ordered by anyone involved in the estate settlement process. Some of the parties who may order an estate appraisal may be (but are not limited to): the executor, administrator, special master, family member, attorney, accountant, or financial planner. Typically, the appraisal is completed after the date of death, or the date of your loved one’s passing. It also may be referred to as a “retrospective appraisal.” This means that although the inspection date may be later in time, the effective date of the appraisal is a date in the past (date of death or time of death). If there have been market changes since the time of your loved one’s passing and the current date, we can provide a current market value as well for the property for an additional fee.
The Appraisal Process
We are often asked about our appraisal process and what you need to do in advance of the appraisal. The simple answer is you do not need to do anything to prepare in advance! Simply let Tom Cullen and Jessica Delmonico of Cullen Real Estate and Appraisal Company guide you and make this an easy, painless process!
Tom Cullen is the owner and chief appraiser of our company, and Tom will handle this appraisal personally. Tom Cullen is an estate specialist. Tom will come out to your property and conduct an interior and exterior inspection. Tom is looking for quality, condition, and amenities that the home may or may not have over others in the area.
We will fully research the property which includes mapping, location, looking at the flood locus, and updating the FEMA flood maps, municipal data, and public records.
Most importantly, we will look at comparable sales and we look for sales most recent (closest to the date of death), proximate, and similar to the home that you have. We will put everything into a report that contains your value conclusion, along with all the supporting documentation. That report is 100% defensible, and you can use it as the tool in your toolbox, or take it to your attorney, accountant, etc.!
What happens if we cannot enter the property? Sometimes it is just not possible for us to enter the property. Maybe someone is living on the property, but it is a difficult or tenuous situation where they do not or cannot be disturbed. Maybe the property has already been sold, and access is no longer available. This is no problem! Cullen Real Estate and Appraisal Company has over 30 years of experience in this type of situation. We will conduct what is known as a desktop appraisal. This type of appraisal uses information gathered from our intended user, public records, and MLS (multiple listing service) to provide the same type of defensible, credible, and accurate valuation. No inspection of the property is necessary, or we may do a drive-by inspection only depending on the situation and our client’s wishes/needs.
FAQ’s about Date of Death Appraisals
According to the IRS, an appraisal should be done within six months following the date of death. However, we find that every estate situation is different, and we certainly do not proclaim to be attorneys or accountants, therefore we ask that you check with your attorney or tax professional first. We will do our very best to accommodate your specific needs. We want to make sure that you are making a wise financial decision for yourself and your family!
The date of death appraisal is needed to determine the fair market value of the real estate as of the owner’s date of death. This is necessary when settling the estate either in probate, settling the IRS estate tax, or equitably dividing the asset
FMV stands for Fair Market Value. According to the IRS, Fair Market Value is “…the price that property would sell for on the open market. In our words, Tom Cullen says that it is “the most probable price that the typical purchaser would purchase this property for”
If the market has changed significantly and we feel that there is a change in value between the date of death and the current value of the property, we can also provide a current market value either at the time that we issue the date of death appraisal, or we can also do this at any point thereafter. We will have been to the home already, and a second site visit will not be necessary. Please note, if the dates are close enough, sometimes only one appraisal will be needed.
