Valuing Assets for Probate Retrospectively

istoria

I am trying to value assets for probate 3 years after the person who owns the assets passed away.

I have read that many people doing this over value personal items and that it is wiser to value them at the market price (the price that buyers are willing to pay). I have tried to find the 'sold' price by using ebay's 'sold listings', but it will only allow me to find the price of items sold in the last week.

I am aware of an overall nominal value for basic household items, but need to find individual prices

Does anyone know a way to find the sold price of something (not a property) without paying. Thank you

istoria

Just to reiterate, I am trying to find the sold price of something (not a property) for 2022. Thank you.

Keep_pedalling

Unless you are also having to make an IHT return there is no need to a professional valuation on the higher value items just go with what you think they are worth.

Over valuation items and especially property for estate well below IHT levels is often done to reduce the risk of having a CGT liability if sold above market value. 

You don’t actually need probate to sell any of this stuff, so you could use the actual sale price if you sold it before submitting the probate application.

Vienss

You’re right — for probate, assets should be valued at their realistic market value, not replacement or sentimental value. eBay’s “sold listings” only go back 90 days, but you can use other free options. Try WorthPoint’s limited previews, Google cached pages, or Facebook Marketplace search filters to gauge recent selling prices. Local auction house websites often list historical sale results for free. If the items are common (e.g., furniture, electronics), use broad market averages. For antiques or collectibles, a brief chat with an auctioneer can often give accurate informal estimates at no cost.