Properties/Sell to Wexmoor/Selling an inherited house
Sell an inherited house in California? Read what you got first.
Yes, you can sell. First find out who can sign. No law sets a deadline, but tax, insurance and upkeep keep running.
Who signs
Only the person with the right to sign can sell.
Limits for deaths on or after April 1, 2025. Source: Judicial Council form DE-300, read 10 October 2026. They change April 1, 2028. Ask a probate attorney which route fits.
- A living trustThe trustee signs. No court is needed.
- ProbateThe court names an executor or administrator, who signs. Some sales need court approval.
- A small estateIf the estate is small, the heirs can skip full probate.
- Up to $208,850 in totalProbate Code 13100.
- Up to $750,000 for the homeThe house the person lived in, by a short court petition. Probate Code 13151.
- Up to $69,625 other real estateBy a sworn form. Probate Code 13200.
The clock
No deadline to sell. Three clocks still run.
- Property taxUnder Prop 19 a child who moves in can keep the parent’s tax value, filing within one year. Otherwise the county resets it to market.
- InsuranceMany policies change when a house sits empty. Call the insurer the week you take over.
- UpkeepThe roof, the yard and the bills are now yours.
Prop 19 cap for transfers February 16, 2025 to February 15, 2027: the old tax value plus $1,044,586. Source: California State Board of Equalization, read 10 October 2026.
Sell or rent
Run both sums before you choose.
We buy with our own money, and we read the deed, the lease, the county record and the lot first.
- Rent itYou collect rent, and pay tax, insurance, repairs and empty months. You take the calls.
- List itMaybe the top price. Most often after repairs, cleaning and showings.
- Sell it as it isLess work and a set date. The price is lower, so ask the buyer to show the sum.
- A tenant lives thereOur offer comes from the rent roll, and the tenant stays. The law on selling with a tenant.
- Old or worn outOur offer comes from what can be built on the lot. How we price a lot.
- What we will not doName a closing date before we read the file, buy from an owner living there in foreclosure, or give tax or legal advice.
Heirs and taxes
Everyone on the title signs.
- All heirs agreeThen the sale is simple. A written offer with every line lets each heir see the same number.
- One heir says noA court can order a sale, at a cost in time and legal fees. Ask a probate attorney.
- Taxes: ask a CPAWe do not give tax advice. Bring the date of death and the records. Escrow usually reports the sale to the IRS.
Questions
What heirs ask most.
Can I sell an inherited house?
Yes. The person with the right to sign can sell it. That is the trustee, the executor, or the heirs on the title.
Can I sell before probate ends?
Often, yes. An executor can sell during probate. Some of those sales need a court hearing first. If the house sits in a trust, there may be no probate at all.
How do I sell an inherited house with several heirs?
Agree on the price and the buyer in writing. Then all heirs on the title sign. If one heir says no, ask a probate attorney about a court-ordered sale.
What happens when you sell a house you inherited?
The money goes to the estate or the trust first. Debts, taxes and costs come out. Then the heirs split what is left. A CPA can tell you what you owe.
Do I have to fix the house before I sell?
No. You can sell it as it is. You still have to tell a buyer about problems you know of.
Can you buy it if a tenant lives there?
Yes. That is our main work. The lease comes with the house, and we price it from the rent.
Do you charge a fee?
No. There is no fee to you.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
Send us the address.
A person reads it. You get a number and the sum behind it, or a plain no with the reason.
