A real estate trust is a legal arrangement where a trustee holds title to property on behalf of beneficiaries and is common in estate planning. A trust allows for asset management, protection from creditors and avoiding probate (allowing property to pass directly to heirs without moving through the court process).
A real estate trust department manages, holds and administers real estate assets on behalf of clients, acting as a fiduciary. These are typically found in banks, trust companies and large law firms. The trust department facilitates transfers and sales and hold property in trusts for similar purposes as above.
We often perform trust appraisals for estate tax purposes, asset distribution to beneficiaries, accurate trust funding and legal compliance within the trust department. The values can be as of current date, or retrospective (typically date of death).