Selling a House in Probate in California
When someone passes away owning a home in California, that home usually can't simply be sold — it must move through probate, the court-supervised process for settling the estate. The good news: with the right team, the property can be prepared, marketed, and even placed in escrow while the rest of probate proceeds, so the estate settles sooner and for more.
Losing someone is hard, and dealing with probate on top of it is complicated. Team Plunkett has guided families through the sale of estate property for years — and we built this resource center so that executors, administrators, and heirs can understand the road ahead before making any decisions.
What makes a probate sale different
A probate sale is not a normal home sale. The seller is an estate, not an owner; the person signing is a court-appointed personal representative; and depending on the authority the court grants, the sale itself may need court confirmation. Deadlines, notices, and appraisals are set by the California Probate Code rather than by convention. An agent who doesn't know this terrain can cost the estate months — and real money.
How we help
As a licensed California Real Estate Broker who is also a CPA and an attorney, Michelle Plunkett brings all three of the disciplines a probate sale touches — real estate, tax, and law — to one table. Trevor Plunkett adds two decades of construction and property-preparation experience, which matters because estate homes often need work before they can sell for full value.
We've got you covered from the preparation of the home for sale, through focused marketing, tough negotiating, and the closing:
- Preparation — securing and maintaining the property, coordinating clean-outs, estate sales, storage, and the repairs that actually pay for themselves
- Marketing — pricing against current South Bay data and exposing the home to qualified buyers through the Sotheby's International Realty® network
- Negotiation & escrow — structuring offers around probate's constraints, so the sale can proceed in parallel with the court process instead of after it
- Coordination — working alongside your probate attorney, CPA, and the court's timeline so nothing stalls
Where we work
We serve families throughout the South Bay of Los Angeles — Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Torrance, El Segundo, and the surrounding communities — and we regularly handle probate and trust sales anywhere in Los Angeles County.
Start with the guides below
Each guide answers one part of the process in plain language. If you'd rather just talk it through, contact us — there's no obligation, and we're happy to point you in the right direction even if you're months away from a decision.
Team Plunkett helps executors, administrators, trustees, and families throughout Manhattan Beach and the South Bay. Tell us where you are in the process and we'll help you take the next step.
Schedule a ConsultationThe information provided here is for preliminary consideration and is not legal advice. Please confer with your attorney before making final decisions.