A probate and trust-sale specialist for your clients
When your client must sell real property out of a probate, trust, or conservatorship, refer them to a Southern California REALTOR who knows the court process, the deadlines, and the discretion these matters require.
Start a referralCall Laura — 562-715-3743The real estate handled right — so your matter moves cleanly
Court process fluency
IAEA and court-confirmed probate, notice of proposed action, and the overbid process — coordinated to the court calendar.
Discreet and family-sensitive
These are hard moments. We handle heirs, occupants, and timelines with care and zero drama.
Net to estate maximized
Proper valuation, prep, and marketing so the estate realizes more — which protects you and your client.
Who actually holds authority to sell the property
The question that stalls a file is rarely legal — it is logistical. Who signs the listing, on whose authority, and in what order. Here is how the three paths differ in California.
Probate
The executor or administrator, once Letters have issued.
Full authority under IAEA allows sale with a Notice of Proposed Action. Limited authority requires court confirmation and an open-court overbid.
9 to 18 months, moving on the court's calendar.
Trust administration
The successor trustee, in trustee capacity, after accepting the trusteeship.
None in the ordinary case. The Affidavit of Death of Trustee must be recorded before closing, and beneficiaries must receive the Probate Code section 16061.7 notice within 60 days.
Often a matter of weeks (commonly 30 to 60 days) once title is clear.
Conservatorship
The conservator of the estate, under court authority.
Court confirmation is generally required, and the conservatee's residence carries additional findings.
Set by the hearing calendar; plan the marketing around it, not the reverse.
What has to happen first — and in what order
Most of the value lost in an estate sale is lost before the property is ever marketed. This is the sequence we run, and the one we ask referring counsel to expect.
- Confirm the authority in writingLetters, the trust instrument and acceptance of trusteeship, or the conservatorship order. Nothing is listed until we know who signs and what that signature can do.
- Secure and insure the propertyVacant-property coverage, locks, utilities, and any occupancy question addressed before showings begin. An uninsured vacant estate home is an exposure that lands back on the fiduciary.
- Clear title before marketingRecord the Affidavit of Death of Trustee, or confirm the estate's vesting. If the property was never funded into the trust, a Heggstad petition under Probate Code section 850 is usually faster than full probate — but it has to be started early.
- Order the date-of-death valuationThis establishes stepped-up basis under IRC section 1014 and supports the accounting. We prepare date-of-death valuations and broker price opinions suitable for estate filings.
- File the assessor paperworkBOE-502-D within 150 days of death, and an assessment of whether a Prop 19 parent-child exclusion is available to any heir who will occupy the property.
- Prepare, price, and marketCleanout and prep where it pays, luxury-level marketing where the property warrants it, and a disclosure package built for a fiduciary seller exempt from the TDS but still bound to disclose known material facts.
- Listing before authority is confirmed, then having to cancel and relist — the second listing carries the days-on-market of the first.
- Accepting an offer under limited authority without pricing in the overbid. The confirmation hearing invites competition starting at the accepted offer plus 10% of the first $10,000 and 5% of the balance (Probate Code section 10311).
- Skipping the date-of-death appraisal and discovering the basis problem at tax time, after the proceeds are distributed.
- Missing the section 16061.7 notice window, which can leave the contest clock open and expose the trustee personally.
- Spending on renovation the estate will not recover, when prep and staging would have produced the same net.
- Letting an occupied property go to market without resolving occupancy first — the cheapest version of that conversation is the early one.
Specialized estate and trust real estate
Probate sales
Court-confirmed and independent administration, start to close. See our California probate sale guide.
Trust sales
Trustee sales that can close in weeks, stepped-up-basis aware. See our trust sale guide.
Conservatorship sales
Conservator and guardianship property sales with court coordination.
Estate liquidation
Cleanout, prep, and sale coordination for occupied or vacant estates.
Date-of-death valuations
Broker price opinions and valuations for accountings and Prop 19 or basis filings.
Investor clients and 1031
Income property and 1031 exchanges for clients reinvesting estate proceeds.
Simple, and your client stays your client
1. You refer
A quick introduction by email, phone, or the form below. We take it from there.
2. We handle the real estate
Valuation, prep, marketing, court-timeline coordination, and the sale.
3. Everyone stays informed
You and your client get clear updates. The estate nets more and closes clean.
Common questions from referral partners
Do you have experience with court-confirmed probate sales?
Yes. We handle both IAEA independent administration and court-confirmed probate sales, including the notice-of-proposed-action and court-overbid process, and we coordinate timelines with the attorney and the executor or administrator.
How long does a trust sale take compared to probate?
A trust sale can often close in weeks — commonly 30 to 60 days — because the trustee already holds authority to sell. Probate runs longer, often 9 to 18 months, and we manage the marketing and sale around the court's calendar.
What areas do you serve?
Kevin and Laura Fox are CRMLS members covering Southern California from Bakersfield to the San Diego border, including Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the Coachella Valley.
Is there any cost to refer a client?
No. Referrals are complimentary. Your client simply gets a specialist who handles the real estate correctly and keeps you informed throughout, so the estate nets more and your matter moves forward cleanly.
Can you provide date-of-death valuations or BPOs for estate filings?
Yes. We prepare date-of-death valuations and broker price opinions suitable for estate accountings and Prop 19 or stepped-up-basis filings.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Laws, figures and deadlines change — verify with your attorney or CPA before acting. Figures checked October 2026. LK Fox Real Estate · Laura Fox CA DRE #01750945 · Kevin Fox CA DRE #01330038 · brokered by TNG Real Estate · Equal Housing Opportunity.
Start a referral relationship
Tell us a little about the matter and we will follow up within one business day. No cost to refer — your client gets a specialist, and you stay in the loop.
Kevin Fox CA DRE #01330038 · Laura Fox CA DRE #01750945 · LK Fox Real Estate · TNG Real Estate · 562-715-3743