All of the educational content on this site is free to read, in English and in Spanish, with no form to fill out first. Start with the topic that concerns you most: whether that’s understanding the probate process from the beginning, figuring out whether a house is in a trust, or getting a property ready to sell.
General California probate and trust real-estate education. Not legal, tax, title, appraisal, or court advice. Talk with a qualified professional about your situation.
The Probate Process
Probate is the court-supervised process for handling a person’s property after death, when that property isn’t otherwise set up to transfer automatically. If you’re the executor named in a will, or the administrator the court appointed, this section walks through the stages that can affect a home sale: court authority, property preparation, marketing, and closing. Explore the Probate Process guides
Court Confirmation & Overbid
A court-confirmation hearing is a step where a judge reviews and may approve a proposed probate home sale; an overbid is a higher bid submitted under the court’s own procedure during that hearing. Not every probate sale follows the same path; this section covers the terms and the general sequence.
Explore Court Confirmation guides
Trust Real Estate
A living trust can hold property during a person’s life and direct how it’s managed or transferred afterward. If you’re the successor trustee (the person authorized to act once the original trustee no longer can), your sale may follow a different path than probate entirely. Explore Trust Real Estate guides
Preparing the Property
Getting an inherited house ready for sale doesn’t always mean a full remodel; it means understanding the home’s actual condition and presenting it honestly. This section covers sorting belongings, deferred maintenance, and what to do when someone is still living in the house. Explore Preparing the Property guides
Working With Your Attorney
Your attorney handles legal guidance and court-related decisions; your listing agent handles the real-estate side: property preparation, pricing, marketing, buyer communication, and the transaction itself. Alex Gonzalez works alongside your attorney, never around them.
Read Working With Your Attorney
Free Guides
Prefer something you can save and read at your own pace? Our free downloadable guides explain a common situation step by step, in English and Spanish. Browse the free guides
Not sure where to start?
- Is your house in probate or in a trust?: the most common first question.
- Full glossary: plain-language definitions of every term you’ll run into.
- Start Here: find your path: a short set of questions that points you to the right guide.
We work with your attorney, not around them. Nothing on this site is legal advice. Alex Gonzalez coordinates the real-estate side of a probate or trust property sale; your attorney and other qualified professionals handle the legal, tax, title, and appraisal side.