Divorce appraisals · San Bernardino, California
Divorce Appraisals in San Bernardino
The report gives you and your spouse, or your attorneys, one neutral opinion of what the marital home was worth on the date you agree on. It is written for a settlement, a buyout or the court. Expert witness testimony is available if required.
1353 W Mill St, San Bernardino, CA 92410 · Monday–Saturday, 7am–7pm
Your Next Steps, in Plain Words
A divorce appraisal answers one narrow question: what one San Bernardino home was worth on one date, for a stated purpose. You do not need the legal detail below to get started. Three things settle it.
Ask your attorney two things
Which date should the house be valued as of? And who orders the report: one spouse, both of you together, or an attorney? A report ordered jointly and one ordered by a single spouse are set up differently, so settle both before anyone books the inspection.
What we need from you
- The address and type of home: single-family house, condominium or townhome, 2-4 unit building, or manufactured home
- The purpose and the date
- Who engages the appraiser and who is an intended user
- Who lives in the home and who can arrange the inspection
- Repairs, additions, permits or damage since the effective date
- Any stipulation, court order or deadline, and the date of any hearing or settlement conference
What the report gives both sides
One neutral opinion of the home's value on the agreed date, for named users. It supplies the value of the house only. The equity, the loan and any buyout figure are for the two of you, your attorneys and the court. If a hearing is close, see rush appraisals.
For Your Attorney
The legal background, with sources. Open any section. Tell us the purpose, the effective date and the intended users up front, plus any stipulation, court order or deadline.
Community property and the house
California starts from community property: Family Code section 760 covers what a married person acquires during the marriage, and section 2550 has the court divide the community estate equally unless the spouses agree otherwise. A house can be partly community and partly separate (California Courts self-help: property and debts). The appraisal supplies the value of the house; sorting out the equity, the loan and any buyout figure is for the spouses, their attorneys and the court.
How California sets the valuation date
The default under Family Code section 2552(a) is a value "as near as practicable to the time of trial." The court chooses the date, not the appraiser. Under section 2552(b), if the party asking for another date gives 30 days' notice and shows good cause, the court may pick a date after separation and before trial, for all of the property or only part of it. The date of separation is a different question: it helps sort community property from separate property.
Settle the effective date with your attorney before the appraisal is ordered. A value for an earlier date is a retrospective appraisal, the same past-date method described on our estate appraisals page.
Case law, rule and form references
In re Marriage of Simonis (2023) quotes Family Code 2552; rule 5.390 covers a separate trial on an alternate valuation date; form FL-142 lists real estate at current fair market value unless another valuation date is given.
Where San Bernardino family law cases are filed
The Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino lists its Family Law Division of the San Bernardino District, at the Historic Courthouse on North Arrowhead Avenue, as accepting family law filings for the city of San Bernardino (where to file).
Three questions to answer first
As of when? The day you call, the inspection day and the effective date of the value can all differ. When the value must describe an earlier date, the research turns to the sales and market conditions of that time.
A value for what? An opinion of market value is developed for a named use and named users. A listing price, an online estimate or a figure printed on a tax bill was produced for some other purpose and does not stand in for it.
Compared with which sales? The city's 2021-2029 Housing Element reports that at least half of San Bernardino's housing stock is 50 years old or older. Homes of the same age on one street can differ widely in repairs, additions and upkeep, so comparable sales have to match the subject house on size, lot, age, condition and location rather than on a ZIP code alone.
One City Median, Many Different Houses
For September 2026, Realtors Property Resource (RPR) reports a median sold price of $515,000 for the City of San Bernardino, with 48 properties sold. The figure combines single-family homes with condominiums, townhouses and apartments, and it covers the city boundary, not San Bernardino County.
Suppose one spouse quotes that median and the other quotes an online estimate. Each number describes something other than the house being divided. A median drawn from 48 mixed sales cannot see one home's roof, floor plan, converted garage or lot. Our service area page shows the complete September 2026 figures and what they leave out.
Source: Realtors Property Resource (RPR), Sold Listings; September 2026; Single Family + Condo/Townhouse/Apt.; area: San Bernardino, California; accessed October 7, 2026.
How the Assignment Runs
- Scope. We talk through the property, purpose, intended users, effective date and deadline; the written scope, fee and delivery estimate comes before any work.
- Inspection and records. Access is arranged, and you share the records you have about the home's condition and changes. You are welcome to be there; if you can't be, make sure we can reach every area and any documents.
- Analysis. The appraiser selects comparable sales, adjusts them to the effective date and reconciles the results into one opinion of value.
- Reading the report. Confirm the effective date, the purpose and the named users, read the assumptions and limiting conditions, and point out any factual error in how the property is described.
If you or your spouse disagree with the value
Read the report closely for the method and data. Raise specific concerns with the appraiser, who can address a misunderstanding or an overlooked factor. If the disagreement persists, you may consider a second appraisal from a different appraiser, or a mediator or attorney to help reach an agreement.
Fee and schedule
Ask for a written scope, fee and delivery estimate. Property type, a past effective date, access and your deadline all affect the fee and the schedule. If the two of you want a single appraiser, settle who engages the appraiser and who the intended users are before anyone schedules the inspection. A hearing close at hand? See rush appraisals. An inherited property in the mix? See estate appraisals.