Fair Market Value (FMV)

In its simplest sense, fair market value (FMV) is the price that an asset would sell for on the open market. Fair market value has come to represent the price of an asset under the following usual set of conditions: prospective buyers and sellers are reasonably knowledgeable about the asset, behaving in their own best interest, free of undue pressure to trade, and given a reasonable time period for completing the transaction. Given these conditions, an asset’s fair market value should represent an accurate valuation or assessment of its worth. The term is commonly used in tax law and the real estate market.