The first 30 days
Almost nothing about the house needs deciding this month. What does need attention is security and paperwork.
- Order at least ten certified copies of the death certificate
- Secure the property — locks, alarm codes, gates, and who holds keys
- Call the insurance carrier about vacancy coverage
- Locate the trust, will, deed and any mortgage or reverse-mortgage statements
- Redirect mail and pause automatic payments that no longer apply
- Speak with an estate attorney before signing or transferring anything
Documents worth gathering
- Trust document and every amendment, or the will
- Certified death certificates
- Grant deed and title policy, if they can be found
- Most recent property tax bill
- Mortgage, HELOC or reverse-mortgage statements
- Homeowner insurance policy and carrier contact
- Any permits or plans for additions and outbuildings
- Recent utility bills, to transfer or suspend service
If some of these are missing, that is normal and recoverable. Deeds and tax records can be pulled from the applicable county recorder, and permit history from the local city building department.
Caring for a vacant property
A vacant home deteriorates faster than people expect, and the risks are specific: irrigation failures that kill mature landscaping, brush growth that may violate local wildfire clearance requirements, and pools that go green and become a liability. Set a schedule early — someone walking the property weekly, gardening continuing, and pool service maintained — even if a sale is a year away.
Clearing the contents
This is often the hardest part emotionally and the easiest logistically. The usual approach: family members take keepsakes first, an estate sale company handles anything with resale value, and a clean-out crew removes the remainder. Many estate sale companies will absorb the cost of the final clear-out in exchange for the sale rights. I keep a list of companies who do this work across Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, San Marino, La Cañada Flintridge and the Hollywood Hills with genuine care for the family.
Who you may need
- Estate or probate attorney — authority, filings, and any dispute
- CPA or tax advisor — stepped-up basis, capital gains, Proposition 19
- Estate sale company — contents and clean-out
- Appraiser — date-of-death valuation for the estate record
- Real estate agent — value opinion, prep, marketing and sale
I can introduce you to any of these across the areas I serve, with no expectation that you list with me. A good referral list is genuinely useful even to families who decide to keep the property.
Deciding whether to sell
Keeping a family property can be the right answer. Price it honestly first: carrying costs, property tax reassessment risk under Proposition 19, deferred maintenance on the house, and how a buyout of other heirs would be funded. I will put both paths on paper with real numbers so the decision is made on facts.
More detailed guides from Will
- Proposition 19 Parent-Child Exclusion: An LA County Heir's Guide
- What Is a Probate Real Estate Listing Agreement?
- Benefits of Selling Property in a Trust
- Top Five Los Angeles Home Inspection Checklist Items for Sellers
When you are ready for the mechanics, the trust and probate sales guide covers the sequence, and the trust sales guide explains how an inherited property is prepared and marketed.