Do I need two different valuations for the same property?

Often yes, if the property was inherited and is now being sold. Your US return typically uses the date of death value, and your Indian return uses the 1 April 2001 value or the previous owner's cost. One inspection produces both certificates, which is much cheaper than ordering them separately.

My CPA has never dealt with Indian property. Will that be a problem?

It is very common and it is workable. We set out clearly in the report what has been valued, on which date and on what evidence, so an accountant unfamiliar with Indian records can use it with confidence. We are happy to speak to them directly.

I am selling and the buyer says tax will be deducted on the whole sale price.

That is correct by default for NRI sellers, and it is why the lower deduction certificate matters so much. The application rests on a defensible cost figure, which is the valuation. Start it early, because it cannot be fixed after the sale completes.

For NRIs in the USA: Valuing Your Indian Property

You live in the United States and own property in India. Something has made you find out what it is worth: a sale, an inheritance, a divorce, or your accountant asking for a number. We have handled exactly this for Indian families in America since 1995, without any of them flying back.

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How we work with owners abroad

The mechanics are the same wherever you live. One person in India gives our engineer access. We inspect and photograph, with the date and location recorded on every image, and the signed report reaches you by email in 48 to 72 hours. You do not travel. The full process, the power of attorney position and the questions every overseas owner asks are set out here.

The step up that exists in America and not in India

United States tax law gives you a step up in basis on inherited property, including foreign real estate. Your American cost basis becomes the fair market value on the date the previous owner died. That is genuinely valuable and it usually reduces what you owe in the US.

India does not do this. For your Indian return the cost stays with the previous owner, or becomes the 1 April 2001 value for older property. So the same inherited house can need a date of death valuation for your US filing and a 1 April 2001 valuation for your Indian one.

There are reporting duties on the American side too. Form 3520 comes into play where a foreign inheritance passes a threshold, and the accounts your Indian rent flows through may be reportable even though the property itself is not. That is your CPA's territory. Ours is making sure the underlying property numbers are defensible.

The two country problem

Your American filing usually wants the value on the date of death, because that becomes your basis there.

Why one property can need two valuations at two different dates, explained in full.

Questions from NRIs in the USA

Do I need two different valuations for the same property?: Often yes, if the property was inherited and is now being sold. Your US return typically uses the date of death value, and your Indian return uses the 1 April 2001 value or the previous owner's cost. One inspection produces both certificates, which is much cheaper than ordering them separately.
My CPA has never dealt with Indian property. Will that be a problem?: It is very common and it is workable. We set out clearly in the report what has been valued, on which date and on what evidence, so an accountant unfamiliar with Indian records can use it with confidence. We are happy to speak to them directly.
I am selling and the buyer says tax will be deducted on the whole sale price.: That is correct by default for NRI sellers, and it is why the lower deduction certificate matters so much. The application rests on a defensible cost figure, which is the valuation. Start it early, because it cannot be fixed after the sale completes.

Checked by Parish Rao, Chartered Engineer and Government Approved Valuer (Registration number CAT-I/443/117/2000-01).

Page last checked on 7 October 2026.

Everything about property valuation in NRI Property Valuation. Without Flying to India

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