What counsel needs from the report
California Family Code section 2552 has the court value assets as near as practicable to the time of trial, or at a date after separation and before trial on 30 days' notice and good cause. An attorney therefore asks three questions before ordering: what date should the value apply to, who may receive the report, and how will access be arranged. The same questions apply in any city, and the answers are written into the report.
A report that states its date, its users and its comparable sales lets counsel see exactly what the value rests on. That makes it easier to explain to a client and to the other side, and it keeps the negotiation on facts.
About Pasadena
Pasadena is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County. The U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 Gazetteer lists 22.96 square miles of land. The population estimate went from 138,723 at the April 2020 base to 133,560 in July 2023, a change of 3.7 percent down computed from those figures, and the base divided by the land area gives about 6,042 residents per square mile. These facts describe the city, not any one house. For a given home, the comparable sales and the property's features decide the value.
The attorney's order, in practice
State the property address and the valuation date.
Name the recipients: the client, the other party and counsel, as agreed.
Arrange access with the party who controls the home.
Provide any prior appraisal, plans or a list of improvements.
Ask the appraiser for the scope in writing.
What Pasadena owners can gather
For a Pasadena home, collect the exact street address, a dated list of improvements and repairs, and any earlier appraisal or survey. The Los Angeles County Assessor offers a portal that can be searched by assessor identification number or address. Owner information is not provided on that public website. For permit history, ask the City of Pasadena which office holds records for your address.
Where Randy M. Sonns fits
Randy describes his divorce role as a reliable third party who works with your attorney. He follows the five steps on his residential page and delivers the report electronically. For the service itself, see divorce appraisal in Los Angeles, and for the local page see divorce appraiser in Pasadena.
Frequently asked questions
Does the appraisal decide the outcome?
No. It states a value as of a date. The parties, their counsel or the court decide the division.
Who should receive the report?
The recipients agreed at ordering, usually both parties and their attorneys.
Can the valuation date change?
It can be agreed, or the court may set a date after separation and before trial on notice and good cause, as the Family Code provides.
Does the report need a joint order?
A jointly agreed order is easier for both sides to rely on, but the arrangement is a matter for counsel.