Real Property Appraisals for the Legal Community New York City · Long Island · Westchester  |  516.642.5007

Where Real Estate Valuation Meets the Law.

Real Estate Appraisals for the Legal Profession.

Independent residential real estate appraisals for estate and probate, matrimonial, litigation, and other legal matters throughout New York City, Long Island, and Westchester.

Discuss an Assignment or call 516.642.5007
The Principal Appraiser

MidRome is led by its founder and principal appraiser, Domenico “Nico” Antonelli, who has appraised New York real estate for more than 25 years and oversees the firm’s appraisal work.

Background & review experience →
NYS CertifiedResidential Real Estate Appraiser since 2001
Part 36Approved for court appointments
Regional AdvisorNew York State Department of State, reviewing appraisal reports for potential fraud, misconduct and USPAP compliance issues
Practice Areas

Appraisals built for the matter at hand.

Property value can decide an estate distribution, a settlement or a tax position. Our reports explain the evidence behind the conclusion, not just the number.

01 / ESTATES

Estate & Probate

Date-of-death and alternate-valuation-date appraisals for estate administration, Surrogate’s Court proceedings, beneficiary buyouts and Form 706 reporting.

02 / FAMILY LAW

Matrimonial

Valuations of the marital residence and other real property as of the valuation date set by the court or agreed by the parties, for equitable distribution, buyouts and trial.

03 / DISPUTES

Litigation & Expert Witness

Independent analysis for partition actions, partnership and family disputes and other contested matters, with testimony available in support of the report.

04 / FIDUCIARY

Trusts & Guardianships

Valuations for trustees, guardians and court-appointed fiduciaries: accountings, sales of property, distributions and Part 36 appointments.

05 / TAX

Tax Valuation

Appraisals of real property for gift tax reporting, expatriation (exit tax) matters and assessment challenges, each as of the valuation date the matter requires.

06 / HISTORICAL & REVIEW

Retrospective & Review

Opinions of value as of a past date, and independent reviews of another appraiser’s scope, comparables, adjustments and reconciliation.

MidRome provides real property valuation services only. We do not provide legal or tax advice, and we do not perform mortgage or lender appraisals. See all practice areas →

The MidRome Distinction

Not every appraisal answers the same question.

A mortgage appraisal is prepared for a lender. An estate, divorce or tax matter may call for a different effective date, definition of value, intended use and intended users. We settle those questions first, so the report fits the matter.

Read the Attorney’s Guide
The effective date, definition of value, intended use and intended users shape the assignment before we ever reach a number.
Principles of Legal-Purpose Valuation

Three things every attorney should know about an appraisal.

01

A value is always “as of” a date.

The effective date controls which sales, market conditions and property condition are relevant. In an estate it is usually the date of death. In a matrimonial matter it may be a date the court or the parties set. A report prepared for one date does not automatically answer the question for another.

02

The type of value must match the matter.

Fair market value for tax purposes, market value in a lending appraisal and the value a court is asked to find are related, but they are not interchangeable. The definition of value belongs in the engagement, not as an afterthought in the report.

03

The conclusion is only as strong as its support.

An opinion of value rests on the comparable sales chosen, the adjustments made and how they are reconciled. A well-supported report lets counsel follow that reasoning and see how each step is supported.

More in Insights →
Nico Antonelli presenting to the Nassau County Bar Association Surrogate’s Court Committee
Presenting Beyond the Final Value to the Nassau County Bar Association Surrogate’s Court Committee, October 21, 2026.Photo courtesy of Cheryl Katz
Professional Education

Working with the legal community.

Appraisal reports appear in estate accountings, settlement negotiations and tax filings, yet appraisal methodology is rarely part of legal training.

In October 2026, MidRome’s principal presented Beyond the Final Value to the Nassau County Bar Association’s Surrogate’s Court Committee. It was a section-by-section walkthrough of a residential appraisal report for estate practitioners, covering:

  • Identifying the assignment: purpose, effective date and intended users
  • Reading the sales comparison approach and the choice of comparables
  • Evaluating adjustments and the final reconciliation
  • Questions to ask before relying on an existing appraisal

The material from that program forms the basis of our Attorney’s Guide.

The Attorney’s Guide →
Our Process

How an assignment proceeds.

01

Define the assignment

Property, effective date, definition of value, intended use, intended users and deadline, confirmed before work begins.

02

Develop the analysis

Property records, inspection where access allows, and the comparable sales that matter for the date of value.

03

Deliver a clearly supported appraisal report

A USPAP-compliant report that sets out the evidence and explains the reasoning behind the opinion of value.

Service Area

New York City, Long Island and Westchester.

Retrospective work depends on knowing how individual neighborhoods and property types moved over time. MidRome’s practice is confined to the markets it knows.

Manhattan
Brooklyn
Queens
The Bronx
Staten Island
Nassau County
Suffolk County
Westchester County
Practice Areas

Real property appraisals for legal and fiduciary matters.

MidRome appraises real property in estate, matrimonial, litigation, fiduciary and tax matters. Each report is developed for its stated purpose, effective date and intended users, and explains the evidence behind its conclusion.

01 / ESTATES

Estate, Probate & Form 706

Retrospective date-of-death opinions of value for estate administration, Surrogate’s Court proceedings, beneficiary distributions and federal and New York estate tax reporting.

02 / FAMILY LAW

Matrimonial & Divorce

Valuations of the marital residence and other real property as of the valuation date set by the court or agreed by the parties. Where appreciation between dates is at issue, values can be developed as of more than one date. Assignments may come from one party, from both jointly, or by court appointment.

03 / DISPUTES

Litigation & Expert Witness

Independent valuation analysis for partition actions, partnership and family disputes, and other matters where value is contested. Testimony is available in support of our reports.

04 / TAX

Gift Tax

Appraisals of real property as of the date of the gift, for use by the donor’s attorneys and tax advisors in preparing the gift tax return (Form 709).

05 / TAX

Expatriation (Exit Tax)

Appraisals of New York real property for expatriation (exit tax) matters, for use by the client’s tax counsel and advisors. The valuation date is confirmed with tax counsel when the assignment is scoped.

06 / TAX

Tax Certiorari

Appraisals of market value as of the valuation date that applies to the assessment roll, for use by counsel in assessment review and tax certiorari proceedings.

07 / FIDUCIARY

Trusts & Guardianships

Valuations for trustees, guardians, executors and court-appointed fiduciaries, including Part 36 appointments.

08 / HISTORICAL

Retrospective Appraisals

Opinions of value as of a past date, developed from the market evidence and property condition relevant to that date.

09 / QUALITY

Appraisal Review

Review of another appraiser’s scope, data, adjustments and reasoning, informed by experience reviewing appraisals for the NYS Department of State.

Scope of Services

MidRome provides real property valuation services. We do not provide legal, tax or accounting advice. Questions such as which valuation date applies, how a value should be reported, or how an appraisal will be used in a proceeding are for counsel and the client’s tax advisors. We are glad to work alongside them.

We appraise the real estate only. Furniture and other personal property are outside our scope, though we can refer you to a qualified contents appraiser. We do not accept mortgage or lender assignments.

For the Legal Profession

An informed appraisal begins with an informed assignment.

A concise guide for counsel, executors, trustees and fiduciaries, drawn from MidRome’s October 2026 Nassau County Bar Association presentation, Beyond the Final Value.

01 / Before the Value

Four things to establish.

These four elements define every appraisal assignment. Agreeing on them at engagement prevents most of the problems that surface later.

01

Definition of Value

Is the matter calling for fair market value, market value or another defined type of value?

02

Effective Date

What is the date of value? It may differ from the inspection and report dates.

03

Intended Use

What legal, tax, estate or fiduciary purpose must the appraisal serve?

04

Intended Users

Who will rely on the report, and for what?

02 / The Effective Date

The date that matters.

An appraisal report states its effective date, the date the value applies to, and the date of the report itself. When the property has been inspected, the report also describes that inspection.

In a current-value appraisal, the effective date is usually the inspection date. In a retrospective appraisal, such as a date-of-death valuation, the effective date is in the past. The property and market evidence must then be considered as they stood on that date, not as of today.

DATES TO DISTINGUISH
Effective dateThe date the value applies to
InspectionWhen the property was observed, if inspected
Report dateWhen the report was completed
In a retrospective assignment, these are usually different dates.
03 / Report Review

Six questions worth asking.

A practical checklist for reviewing any appraisal, not a list of automatic defects.

01

Was the appraisal prepared for the right purpose, using the correct effective date?

02

Does the property description reflect the property as of the date being valued?

03

Do the comparable sales make sense for this property and market?

04

Are the significant adjustments explained and supported?

05

Does the appraiser explain how they reached the final value?

06

Did the appraiser have enough information about the property and market to form a reliable opinion?

A question is a starting point for review, not proof that an appraisal is wrong.

04 / An Appraisal Already in Hand

Rely on it, review it, or replace it?

When an appraisal already exists, the question is whether it answers the question the matter now asks. Three outcomes are common.

Existing appraisal

May be suitable when…

  • It was prepared for the same intended use, and the party relying on it is an intended user identified in the report
  • Its effective date is the date the matter requires
  • It describes the property as it was on that date
  • Its comparables, adjustments and reconciliation are explained and supported

Being named as an intended user does not settle every reliance question on its own. The report’s stated intended use, the applicable appraisal standards and the circumstances of the original assignment also matter.

Appraisal review

May be appropriate when…

  • You need to evaluate an opposing party’s appraisal in litigation or a matrimonial matter
  • A report will be relied on, but its support is unclear
  • You want an independent assessment of the scope, data, adjustments and reasoning before deciding next steps

A review evaluates another appraiser’s work. It may or may not include the reviewer’s own opinion of value; that is defined at the outset.

New appraisal

May be necessary when…

  • The matter requires a different effective date
  • The report was prepared for another purpose or user, such as a lender
  • The property has changed in a way the report does not address
  • Review shows the report is not adequately supported for its intended use

An appraisal cannot simply be re-addressed to a new client. A different user or purpose generally means a new assignment.

05 / Getting Started

Five details are enough to begin.

An initial conversation doesn’t require the full case file. These details let us scope the assignment and quote it.

Discuss an Assignment
  1. Property address
  2. Effective date of valuation
  3. Purpose of the appraisal
  4. Owner, executor or access contact
  5. Deadline or court date
06 / Common Questions

Questions counsel often ask.

Can you value a property as of a past date?

Yes. Retrospective and date-of-death appraisals are a core part of our practice. The analysis relies on the sales and market conditions relevant to the effective date, not today’s market.

Do you provide expert witness testimony?

Yes. MidRome provides testimony and litigation support in connection with its appraisal reports. Let us know at the outset if testimony is anticipated so the scope of work reflects it.

How are fees determined?

Fees are quoted per assignment once we understand the property, the effective date, the intended use and the deadline. You will have a quote before any work begins.

How long does an appraisal take?

Turnaround depends on the property, access and scope. Tell us your filing or court date when you first contact us, and we will tell you whether we can meet it.

The property is still full of the decedent’s belongings. Is that a problem?

No. We appraise the real estate only and can photograph rooms with contents in place. If the estate also needs personal property valued, we can refer you to a qualified contents appraiser.

Can you review an appraisal prepared by someone else?

Yes. An appraisal review examines another appraiser’s scope, data, adjustments and reasoning, and whether the conclusions are supported.

What if we cannot get access to the property?

An appraisal can still be prepared with a limited or exterior-only inspection, relying on public records, listing history, photographs and other available information. The report will disclose the limited inspection and any assumptions made about the interior. Its reliability depends on the quality of that information, so photographs, prior listings or a court order for access can make a meaningful difference.

Where do you work?

All five boroughs of New York City, Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and Westchester County.

Do you do mortgage or refinance appraisals?

No. MidRome works exclusively on legal-purpose assignments.

About MidRome

An appraisal practice built for the legal profession.

MidRome works exclusively on appraisals for legal purposes: estates, matrimonial matters, litigation and tax.

Domenico “Nico” Antonelli presenting at the Nassau County Bar Association
Nassau County Bar Association CLE, October 2026.Photo courtesy of Cheryl Katz
Founder & Principal Appraiser

Domenico “Nico” Antonelli

Nico Antonelli has practiced real estate appraisal for more than 25 years. He founded MidRome to serve the legal community exclusively, appraising property in estate and probate, matrimonial, litigation and tax matters across New York City, Long Island and Westchester.

He has been a New York State Certified Residential Real Estate Appraiser since 2001 and is approved under Part 36 of the Rules of the Chief Judge for court appointments. He also serves as a Regional Advisor to the New York State Department of State, reviewing appraisal reports for potential fraud, misconduct and USPAP compliance issues.

Nico also works to help attorneys understand appraisal work, most recently as a CLE presenter to the Nassau County Bar Association’s Surrogate’s Court Committee.

Discuss an Assignment
Review Experience

What regulatory review teaches about a report.

Reviewing other appraisers’ reports for the Department of State means examining whether each conclusion is actually supported by the evidence and analysis in the report.

MidRome applies the same questions to its own work. The aim is not a report that cannot be questioned. It is a report whose reasoning is set out clearly enough to be examined.

Comparable sales

Are the sales truly similar to the subject in location, type, size and timing? Are better alternatives left out without explanation?

Adjustments

Is each significant adjustment explained, and does it rest on market evidence rather than habit or rule of thumb?

Methodology

Does the approach fit the assignment, including its effective date, definition of value and intended use?

Reconciliation

Does the report explain how the adjusted sales were weighed to reach a single opinion of value?

Support for the conclusion

Could a reader trace the path from the data to the final value without filling in gaps?

Insights for Attorneys

Understanding the analysis behind the value.

Short explanations of the appraisal concepts that matter most in estate, matrimonial, litigation and tax matters.

CLE presentation, Nassau County Bar Association
October 2026 · CLE Presentation

Beyond the Final Value: Understanding Residential Real Estate Appraisals

Presented to the Nassau County Bar Association Surrogate’s Court Committee on October 21, 2026. It was a section-by-section walkthrough of a residential appraisal report for estate practitioners.

Read the Attorney’s Guide →
Valuation Fundamentals

Effective date, inspection date, report date

An appraisal report must state its effective date, the date the value applies to, and its report date, when the report was completed. When the appraiser inspects the property, the report also describes the inspection, typically including when it took place.

In a current-value appraisal, the effective date and inspection date are usually the same. In a retrospective appraisal they differ. The appraiser must then consider the property and the market as they stood on the effective date, setting aside renovations, damage or market changes that came later. A report that is unclear about which date it values deserves a closer look.

Estate & Matrimonial Practice

When the appraiser cannot get inside

Access is often the hardest part of an estate or matrimonial assignment. An heir may be in possession, a spouse may refuse entry, or the property may be tenant-occupied. An appraisal can still be prepared from an exterior inspection, public records, listing history and whatever photographs or descriptions are available.

The report must say what was and was not observed, and state any assumptions made about the interior. Counsel should read those assumptions closely: a value that rests on an assumed condition is only as sound as that assumption. Interior photographs, a recent listing or a court order for access can make the analysis considerably more reliable.

Report Review

Why the sales grid matters

In the sales comparison approach, the appraiser selects recent sales of similar properties and adjusts each one for differences such as size, condition, location and timing. The sales grid is where that reasoning becomes visible.

When reviewing a report, ask whether the comparables are truly similar, whether large adjustments are explained, and how the appraiser reconciled the adjusted values into a final opinion. Those are often the points that matter if the value is challenged.

Estate Practice

When the property has changed since the date of death

Estate properties are often inspected months or years after the date of death, sometimes after a cleanout, repairs or a period of vacancy. The appraiser must reconstruct the property’s condition as of the effective date from available evidence: photographs, records, listing history and the knowledge of the executor or family.

Telling the appraiser early what has changed, and what documentation exists, makes the analysis more reliable.

Discuss an Assignment

Tell us about the matter.

A few details are enough to begin. We will confirm scope, timing and fee before any work starts.

If known. Current or past date.

Please don’t include privileged or confidential case details here. We’ll discuss specifics directly once we connect.

Contact

Questions about an appraisal assignment?

Attorneys and fiduciaries are welcome to call or write to discuss scope, timing, or an appraisal already in hand.

516.642.5007 nico@midrome.com Send an inquiry →