Estate Executors Undervaluing Home
My grandfather passed away this past January. Breakdown is 30% to my father, 30% to my aunt, and my sister and I get 20% each.
My grandfathers home is part of the estate, and my father (recent divorcee who is also a hoarder and underachiever) moved in after he and my mother got divorced. This move was allegedly to "help my grandfather", although really I think my father's horde getting moved into his otherwise tidy home expediated his death due to stress.
To help out where I could during the process of a family death, I offered to get an appraisal for the home (I work in construction, development and real estate), which was initially declined. They came back after the "family friend" couldn't provide a formal appraisal, and it turns out she was just effectively guessing at the value, and is a very green real estate agent that my sister knows.
So, I procured an appraisal from someone I have worked with in the past, and they provided it. Full 10-15 page report with nearby comps and other metrics. I shared this with my aunt, and she said something to the effect of "That house isn't worth this much! We aren't going to claim this much value on the distribution, it would be unfair to your father, etc. "
Is this allowed? Can the executors with no experience in real estate or the like just make up a number for the home's worth? This feels unfair, and it means my sister and I are duped out of a range of 15-23k each.
By no means do I want to sue my family, but I'm not even sure if the lawyers have received the appraisal. First step is obviously that, but is there anything else I can do?
Background info:
Homes appraised value: 325,000 USD
Value they want to claim: 210,000-250,000 USD.
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