Altadena home and condo appraisals for estates, trusts, and taxes
Unincorporated foothill town of historic houses, now rebuilding after the Eaton Fire
Altadena is an unincorporated Los Angeles County community at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, directly north of Pasadena. The Eaton Fire, which began January 7, 2025, destroyed thousands of homes here, so many questions now straddle that date, from pre-fire values for 2024 deaths to cleared lots held by estates and heirs divided over rebuilding.
- Location
- Altadena is an unincorporated community of Los Angeles County in the Pasadena & West San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County
- ZIP codes
- 91001
- Properties
- Single-family homes and condominiums
- Fees
- $449 Standard Desktop, $299 Basic Desktop
- Delivery
- 3+ business days
Homes in Altadena
Before the fire, housing ran from 1880s mansions on Mariposa Street's Millionaire's Row to Craftsman bungalows, E. P. Janes's mid-1920s English and Spanish style houses in Janes Village, and postwar ranch homes on the upper slopes. Whole blocks are now cleared lots beside surviving homes, rebuilds, and finished new houses. The Altadena side of the Historic Highlands neighborhood, spared by the fire, became Los Angeles County's first historic district, covering 77 parcels.
What moves value in Altadena
Pre-fire demand rested on foothill views, architectural character, and proximity to Pasadena. Since the fire, vacant lots trade among owner-builders and investors, surviving homes face smoke and insurance questions, and rebuild costs shape land value.
Neighborhoods and tracts
- Janes Village
- Historic Highlands
- Altadena Meadows
- West Altadena
- East Altadena
Local reference points: Christmas Tree Lane on Santa Rosa Avenue, the Lake Avenue corridor, Eaton and Rubio canyons, and the Cobb Estate at the top of Lake Avenue remain familiar reference points.
Appraisal considerations in Altadena
For effective dates before January 7, 2025, we value the property as it stood, using pre-fire sales plus photos, permits, and listing records to document lost improvements. For later dates, burned parcels are analyzed through vacant-lot sales, debris-removal status, and rebuild permits, and surviving homes are compared with other survivors. Insurance proceeds and litigation or utility recoveries are separate assets outside the real estate value.
Our parent died before the Eaton Fire; does the home's later loss change the date-of-death value?
No. A date-of-death appraisal reflects the property and market on that date, so a 2024 effective date rests on pre-fire sales and the home's condition then. If the estate's tax advisor needs a later value, such as for an alternate valuation date, we can prepare a separate post-fire analysis.
Reports we prepare for Altadena properties
Each is a certified desktop appraisal of a single-family home or condominium, as of a current or past date.
- Date-of-Death Appraisals
- Step-Up in Basis Appraisals
- Trust Administration Appraisals
- Estate Settlement & Estate Tax Appraisals
- Gift Tax Appraisals
- Prop 19 Parent-Child Transfer Appraisals
- Divorce & Date-of-Separation Appraisals
- Family Sale & Co-Owner Buyout Appraisals
- Retrospective Appraisals
Reviewed November 2026.
Need a value for a Altadena property?
Send the address and the date the value is needed for. We confirm the property and the fee within one business day; the report is delivered in 3+ business days.