A tenant offers to buy the house directly from the trust. It sounds like the clean, stress-free exit, until you realize the “easy” deal can quietly strip hundreds of thousands of dollars from the heirs.

On Cold Hearted Appraiser I sit down with Los Angeles real estate agent Sarah Rogers to talk about estate and trust real estate through real stories from the field.

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

Glen Kangas, The Cold Hearted Appraiser, and Kiran Dhillon, Multifamily Apartment Broker, break down why a date of death appraisal and a broker opinion of value can land on different numbers for the same apartment building. We walk through taxes, timing, rent rules, and buyer math so fiduciaries, heirs, and attorneys can make cleaner decisions without getting stuck on the wrong benchmark.\n\n• date of death appraisals as a tax and legal snapshot for step-up basis\n• why it can be a win when the date of death value is higher than today’s market\n• the danger of anchoring to an old number when markets move\n• how a BOV prices for today based on what buyers will actually pay\n• buyer-side changes that hit value including reassessed property taxes and financing\n• multifamily versus single-family market cycles and why they diverge\n• incomplete rent and expense data and how estimating creates variance\n• below-market rents, deferred maintenance, and rising insurance costs\n• statewide and local rent control plus tenant rights effects on pricing\n• Prop 19 reassessment pressure and why it can force sales\n• probate referee limitations and why “drive-by” multifamily values can be off\n• when an appraisal is worth paying for versus when a BOV is enough

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

Glen Kangas, the Cold Hearted Appraiser, talks with multifamily broker Kiran Dillon about the trust and probate realities that can make apartment building sales messy fast. We share two real deals that show how title surprises, inspections, and beneficiary expectations shape price and timing.
• Kieran’s path from litigation to commercial real estate brokerage
• Why trust and probate multifamily sales are increasing
• Old deeds of trust and why title problems surface late
• Pulling a preliminary title report early to protect escrow
• Foundation and deferred maintenance issues found during buyer due diligence
• Choosing between repairs, credits, or relisting after inspections
• Keeping beneficiaries aligned with comps, reports, and clear logic
• How below-market rents affect multifamily value through income
• Rent increases under rent control as a strategy before sale

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

One day you’re running errands and watching fire trucks race up the street. Hours later, you’re standing in front of a facade that used to be your home, trying to understand how an 80 mph wind can erase decades in a single night. On the Episode of Cold Hearted Appraiser, I sit down with Compass agents Vance Weisberg and Sherry Lynn plus escrow veteran Judy Pastor to tell the Eaton Fire story from the inside and to translate that experience into real guidance for Altadena homeowners, buyers, and anyone tracking post-wildfire real estate.

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

A fire can turn a normal home sale into a decision you never wanted to make: rebuild, sell the lot, or walk away and start over somewhere else. On today's Episode of the Cold Heart Appraiser, I sit down with Altadena top local agent Michael Bell to get practical about what actually happens after a major wildfire, and what buyers, builders, and insurers care about when the “house” is suddenly a lot, a shell, or a smoke soaked rebuild.

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

Selling a parent’s home can feel like a simple real estate task until probate rules, disclosures, and family stress collide. On Cold Heart Podcast, I sit down with Pasadena-area Realtor Michael Bell, who has spent decades handling probate and trust sales, to get practical guidance that protects heirs, fiduciaries, and successor trustees from expensive mistakes.

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

I am a real estate appraiser, and I love my job.

I am in a different area every day. I get paid to wander through people’s homes. I see on occasion, incredible homes, views, pools, master suites, kitchens, etc.

My favorite story however, is in a home in Santa Monica. Nice older Spanish home, not updated as is common, lots of books, and in the master bedroom, there was a sketch of some work boots. A simple sketch, but it caught my eye and I was taken with it.

Find out what happens of this touching story on today's episode.

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/

Focus on important factors to value, not minor things like not indicating gutters

Was there something important about your property that was missed?

Was the comp selection appropriate? Is there a comp that was missed?

Were adjustments appropriate?

Questions and more as we discusses how to challenge a poor appraisal.

Vlog: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/vlog/
Website: https://gaappraisalsinc.com/