Certified desktop appraisals, delivered within 24 hours
Order online, send a few photos, and a signed appraisal from a state-certified appraiser arrives in your inbox within 24 hours of payment. For date-of-death and step-up in basis, trusts and estates, divorce, family transfers, gift tax and more, anywhere in California.
- 24 hours or less
- $450 Basic · $675 Standard
- All 58 counties
- License AR036053
The clock starts when payment and photos are in.
It doesn't stop for weekends.
From request to report in one day
The 24-hour clock starts when both your payment and your photos and property details have arrived, and it runs seven days a week, weekends and holidays included. Everything happens by email and online, so nothing waits on a phone call or an appointment.
- 1
Request online
Use the order form or email us, any hour of any day.
- 2
Get your invoice
Brian reviews the request and emails a secure invoice and any questions.
- 3
Pay and send photos
Upload photos on the site or attach them to an email.
The clock starts
Payment plus photos starts the 24 hours, weekends included.
Report delivered
Your signed PDF arrives by email within 24 hours.
Twelve purposes, one deadline-proof service
Date-of-death valuations for the step-up in basis are still the most common request. The same 24-hour report also serves trustees, divorcing couples, families moving property between generations, tax filers, sponsors and sellers.
Date of Death & Step-Up in Basis
Retrospective value on the date of death to support the heirs' new tax basis.
24-hour details →
Trust & Estate Administration
Certified values for trustees and executors: accountings, distributions and trust sales.
24-hour details →
Divorce & Family Law
Current or date-of-separation values for buyouts, mediation and settlement talks.
24-hour details →
Family Transfers & Co-Owner Buyouts
A fair, documented price when a home changes hands inside the family.
24-hour details →
Gift Tax (Form 709)
Fair market value of gifted real estate on the date of transfer, for the gift-tax return.
24-hour details →
Prop 19 Parent-Child Transfers
Market value on the transfer date, to see how much of the old tax base survives.
24-hour details →
Property Tax Appeals
Independent market value evidence for Prop 8 reviews and assessment appeals.
24-hour details →
Bankruptcy
Home values for Chapter 7 and 13 schedules, exemptions and plan math.
24-hour details →
Pre-Listing Pricing
An independent value before you set the list price.
24-hour details →
Pre-Purchase Value Check
An independent price check while your contingency period is still open.
24-hour details →
Immigration Sponsors (Form I-864)
Home equity documented for an I-864 Affidavit of Support.
24-hour details →
Bail & Property Bonds
Current value to document equity for a property bond or bail collateral.
24-hour details →Prepared for every purpose on this site. Brian Ward has prepared desktop appraisals for every purpose listed on this site. Some situations still call for an inspection-based appraisal, so check with your attorney or tax advisor before you order to be sure a desktop report fits your matter.
Same standards. Same analysis. No appointment.
A desktop appraisal isn't a shortcut. It is a full appraisal by a state-certified appraiser, built from the same research and comparable sales as any other, with one difference: your photos and records describe the house instead of a site visit.
The analysis is the appraisal
Research, comparable selection, adjustments and reconciliation don't change when the visit is skipped.
Comparables are always remote
Appraisers never tour comparable sales. They study them through records and photos, the same way a desktop studies yours.
You know the house best
Your photos and repair history often say more than a half-hour walk-through.
Fully accountable
Signed under USPAP by a California Certified Residential appraiser whose license anyone can verify.
Two reports, one flat fee each
No mileage, no inspection charge, and no extra cost for a past valuation date.
Standard Desktop
- Full comparable-sales analysis with adjustments explained
- Property description, subject and comparable photos
- Location maps and market conditions analysis
- Best when attorneys, CPAs, courts or agencies will review it
Basic Desktop
- The same market and comparable-sales analysis
- Condensed report without maps, photo pages or market section
- Signed, USPAP-compliant and upgradeable later
- Good for straightforward needs
Why there's no phone number
Phone calls feel fast and slow everything down: voicemail, callbacks, addresses read aloud and typed in twice. Cwift runs on email and online submissions because that is the quickest route from your request to a finished appraisal.
Nothing waits on a callback
Your request lands in the appraiser's inbox the moment you send it, with every detail in writing.
Photos travel with the order
Upload them on the site or attach them to an email. No appointment, no texting back and forth.
Any hour, any day
Send it at midnight on a Sunday. The 24-hour clock doesn't pause for weekends or holidays.
Anywhere in California
A desktop appraisal doesn't depend on driving distance. Brian has appraised California homes for more than twenty years, and every county is covered, from the Mexican border to the Oregon line and from the coast to the desert.
Before you order
When does the 24-hour clock start?
When both your payment and your photos and property details have arrived. From that moment the appraisal is emailed to you within 24 hours, and the clock runs seven days a week, weekends and holidays included.
What is a desktop appraisal?
A complete appraisal prepared without a site visit by the appraiser. The appraiser researches the market, selects and adjusts comparable sales, and reconciles a value exactly as in any appraisal, describing the home from your photos, public records, listing history and the details you supply.
Why is there no phone number?
Because email and the online form are faster. A written request arrives with the address, the dates and the purpose already spelled out, photos travel in the same message, and nothing waits on a callback. Send questions to contact@cwift.com at any hour.
Is 24-hour delivery available for every property?
For most California single-family homes and condominiums, yes. Very old valuation dates, highly unusual properties and orders covering several properties can need more time. Every request is reviewed before invoicing, so you'll know before you pay.
Need it by this time tomorrow?
Send the request now. The 24-hour clock starts as soon as payment and photos are in.