Serving Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.
Selling an inherited home, calmly.
Probate is a slow, public, paperwork-heavy process. My job is to take the real-estate piece off your plate — with the same calm a probate attorney brings to the legal piece — so the math is clear before you decide.
Before you file. Before you sign anything. Before anyone tells you what your inherited home is "worth." The Probate Property Readiness Review is free, takes 15 minutes, and there is nothing to sign at the end of it.
Start with the step that matches you: 2026 Probate Guide · Probate Appraisal · Privacy before you file · Executor's First-Steps Checklist
Can you sell a house in probate in California?
Yes. A court-appointed personal representative can sell a house during probate in California. With full authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act (IAEA), the sale proceeds after a Notice of Proposed Action with a 15-day objection window. With limited authority, a judge must confirm the sale at a hearing. The house can close before the estate itself closes.
Read the full California probate guide · How court confirmation works · When heirs disagree about selling
"Most people I talk to are dealing with three things at once — grief, paperwork, and family. The real estate question can wait a few weeks. It will not improve by being rushed."
The information on this site is here so you can make a calm, informed decision — whether or not we ever speak. Probate in California changed materially in 2025: thresholds went up, simplified procedures expanded, and the math on whether you need full probate at all is different than it was even two years ago.
One consideration worth naming: the information gathered when a probate is filed becomes public court record. Solicitations — phone calls, texts, mailers from investors offering to buy the home cheaply — arrive within days. Knowing this before you file is half of protecting yourself.
View the full California probate guide How probate filings become publicThree quiet services, all built around the same idea.
Get the data, name the tradeoffs, then decide. No pressure to list. No pressure to sell now.
Court-supervised sale of an inherited home.
Full and limited authority sales, court confirmation hearings, overbid mechanics. Coordinated with the attorney handling the case — you are never left to read the docket alone.
Open the file Exhibit 02 · Trust SalesSelling property held in a living trust.
The successor trustee has the authority to sell. Typically faster than probate — weeks, not months — if the trust paperwork is in order.
Open the file Exhibit 03 · Probate AppraisalDate-of-death valuation, properly done.
A clean, defensible value the probate referee will accept — useful for the inventory, for tax basis, and for setting a realistic price later.
Open the fileThe work is quiet because the file is not.
Every probate property moves through the same five steps — the CLEAR method — before it ever reaches market.
Confirm authority. Read the estate file and confirm who has legal authority to sell before giving any sale advice.
List constraints. Separate court requirements (notices, confirmation hearings, overbid rules) from family preferences.
Evaluate the property. Document condition and prepare it for market without exposing private family details.
Appraise and price. Build a defensible, referee-ready value and a realistic pricing story.
Report and close. Coordinate with the estate attorney through sale, confirmation, and distribution.
Who reads the file matters. About Paul Fernandez — background, licensing, and how the work is run.
Here’s what the timeline actually looks like.
Twelve to eighteen months is typical for a full probate in California. Faster routes exist — some you may already qualify for.
Living trust, joint tenancy, community property, spousal petition, Heggstad petition, RTOD — nine common scenarios avoid probate entirely or shorten it materially. Worth checking first.
Filing fee $435 (LA Superior Court, 2026 schedule; fee waiver available). Court date set ~30 days out. Notice published in a local paper. Heirs and beneficiaries mailed notice.
Order for Probate (DE-140) signed. Letters issued (DE-150). Full or limited authority granted. You are now an officer of the court.
Inventory & Appraisal (DE-160) filed within 120 days. This sets the value the court works from — the better the data going in, the cleaner the appraisal.
Full authority: Notice of Proposed Action, 15-day objection window, close escrow. Limited authority: court confirmation hearing, overbid mechanics, longer timeline.
Once creditor period (4 months) has passed and accounting is complete, the court signs the Order for Final Distribution. Heirs receive their shares. The case closes.
California probate thresholds went up in 2025. Many estates that needed full probate two years ago don’t now.
Assembly Bill 2016 took effect April 1, 2025. The small-estate affidavit threshold rose, and a brand-new $750,000 simplified procedure was created specifically for the decedent’s primary residence. Worth checking whether your situation qualifies before filing anything.
Read what changedCalm. Knowledgeable. Honest. Patient. Responsive.
“During the difficult time of settling my mother’s estate, Paul was calm, kind, and extremely knowledgeable on estate home sales. He made a difficult task bearable and facilitated the highest sale with the least inconvenience.”
“Paul listened to my concerns and gave me honest realistic strategic advice. He’s very responsive, kind, punctual, and most importantly, he’s on your side to protect you at all cost during the entire process.”
“The trust paperwork was a mess and we were three siblings in three states. Paul handled every coordination call, every signature, every walkthrough. He never raised his voice. We sold above asking.”
Reviews paraphrased from past client feedback. Identifying details changed for privacy.
Answers first, then the detail.
General information only. For advice about your own case, talk with your California probate attorney.
Can you avoid probate when selling a house in California?
It depends on ownership. A home in a living trust, joint tenancy, or community property with right of survivorship generally passes outside probate, and a Revocable Transfer on Death deed can do the same. Separately, the small-estate affidavit threshold is $208,850 for deaths on or after April 1, 2025 (Probate Code section 890), while AB 2016 created a $750,000 simplified procedure for a primary residence.
How long does it take to sell a probate house in California?
A full probate sale in California typically takes 12 to 18 months from filing to close. The main steps are the petition and first hearing, inventory and appraisal, marketing and sale, and final distribution. Limited authority adds a court confirmation hearing. A trust-administered sale is typically faster, often 2 to 4 months.
Do I have to sell to a cash buyer because the house is in probate?
No. A probate house can be listed and sold on the open market like other homes. A cash offer is one option, not a requirement, and a court confirmation hearing can even bring higher overbids. Compare the net proceeds of each offer, including fees and timing, before deciding. This is general information, not legal advice. Ask your California probate attorney what fits your case.
How do you sell a house in probate in California?
First, confirm whether probate is needed at all and who has authority to sell. Then the personal representative gets the referee appraisal, markets the home, and sells under full authority with a 15-day notice or limited authority with court confirmation. The sale proceeds stay in the estate until the court approves distribution.