The improvements made PRIOR to death would NOT be part of the cost basis at the time of death. Only improvements (which are defined by the IRS) made after the person's death would contribute to raising the cost basis of the property. Is that correct?
PS I'm not a tax professional, but I've read quite a bit about cost basis after death. There are nuances too, if you are dealing with an Estate, or a Trust that owns the assets from a spillover of assets from a Will to a Revocable Trust.
