Who to Talk to After Inheriting a House in California: Attorney, CPA, and Realtor

After inheriting a house in California, the professionals who help most are a probate attorney, a CPA or tax professional, and a Realtor who works with probate, trust, and distressed properties, brought together by the executor or successor trustee who holds authority. Each one answers a different question: the attorney handles the court and the estate, the CPA handles the numbers and the taxes, and the Realtor handles the property itself. This guide explains who does what, when each professional should be brought in, and how the team works together.

The Estate or Probate Attorney

The attorney is the first call when an estate may need to go through probate or when anyone needs to understand who has authority to act. The attorney's job is to determine how the home was titled, whether a will or trust exists, and whether the estate can be handled informally or requires court supervision.

When probate is required, the attorney prepares the petition, helps the executor get Letters from the court, and guides the court-supervised parts of the process. If the home is sold through probate, the attorney coordinates the court confirmation hearing and the rules that govern it. The attorney also fields the hard questions: What happens with creditor claims? Can the executor act before Letters are issued? What authority does a successor trustee already hold? These are legal questions, and the answer to each shapes every later decision about the home.

The CPA or Tax Professional

The tax professional answers the questions the attorney does not: what the home is worth for tax purposes, what the estate owes, and what the heirs will owe when the property eventually changes hands. The most important tax fact for most families is the step-up in basis, which resets the home's tax cost to its value on the date of death and can sharply reduce or eliminate capital gain when the estate or heirs sell.

The CPA also handles the paperwork of death. The estate is a separate taxpayer: if it earns $600 or more of gross income in a year, which rental income or interest easily reaches, the executor must file a federal estate income tax return on Form 1041. The deceased person's final personal return still has to be filed, and if the estate holds property that is not being sold, the property tax consequences of Proposition 19, including the principal-residence exclusion for transfers to a parent or child, deserve review. California has no state inheritance tax and no state estate tax, and the federal estate tax exemption stands at $15 million per person in 2026, so federal estate tax affects very few family homes, but the state property tax reassessment question affects many.

The Probate and Distressed-Property Realtor

When the decision turns to preparing or selling the home, a Realtor who works regularly with probate and trust properties earns their place on the team. A probate sale is not a typical listing: it has court deadlines, a probate referee's appraisal, a court confirmation hearing, and special rules for overbids and the 90 percent rule. A Realtor who has done this work knows what the court expects and how to keep the sale moving without surprising the executor.

The Realtor also brings the market knowledge that shapes the decision to sell, keep, or rent: what comparable homes in the neighborhood are worth, what condition the home should be in before it is listed, how long sales take in the current market, and what a realistic price looks like. When the home is upside down or already in default, a Realtor experienced with distressed properties can explain the foreclosure alternatives, including short sales and their California protections, and how those paths compare with a traditional sale. Choosing the right professional for this role deserves its own care, and I have written about what to look for and the questions to ask in a separate guide.

The Mortgage Servicer and the Insurance Agent

Two more calls belong on the list, and they should happen early. The mortgage servicer needs to know that the homeowner has died, that the family is taking responsibility for the property, and who now holds authority. The servicer is who a family contacts to confirm payments, explore loss mitigation, or establish successor-in-interest status, and the federal Garn-St. Germain Act protects relatives who inherit a home from the loan being called due. The sooner the servicer is told, the more options remain on the table.

The insurance agent should be contacted around the same time. A homeowners policy does not transfer automatically after a death, and coverage can lapse or change if the home sits vacant under a vacancy clause. Confirming coverage in writing, with the death certificate in hand, protects the home against fire and liability while the estate is open.

Who Leads: The Executor and the Successor Trustee

The team forms around one person: the executor or administrator if the home is in probate, or the successor trustee if it is held in a trust. That person holds the authority to act, and every professional on the team works at their direction. The fiduciary's job is not to master every detail of the law, tax code, or real estate practice, but to ask the right questions, gather the answers, and make decisions that serve the beneficiaries.

Two practical habits keep the team aligned. First, hold one conversation that includes all three professionals before major decisions, so the legal, tax, and market views are heard together. Second, put the decisions in writing: what the family wants for the home, who is responsible for each task, and by what date. Estates move slowly enough without ambiguity about who is doing what.

How the Team Comes Together: A Walkthrough

A typical situation might look like this. A parent passes away and the family home is titled in their name alone. The family calls an estate attorney, who reviews the will, opens probate, and gets Letters for the executor. The attorney and the executor confirm who can act and what the estate's deadlines are. Meanwhile the executor calls the mortgage servicer and the insurance agent, and the home's coverage is confirmed. When the family decides to sell, the executor meets with a probate Realtor, who pulls comparable sales, coordinates the probate referee's appraisal, lists the home, and guides the court confirmation. Before the sale closes, the CPA reviews the step-up in basis and the estate's income tax return, and the executor distributes the proceeds according to the court's orders.

The same sequence runs on a faster track when the home is in a trust: the successor trustee confirms authority through the trust documents, often without a court, the servicer and insurer are notified, and the sale proceeds according to the trust's terms, with the same tax review on the way out. In both cases, each professional stays inside their lane, and the family makes the decisions.

Questions Worth Asking Each Professional

When interviewing any of these professionals, families should ask directly about experience with inherited property. For the attorney: How many probate estates with homes have you handled, and what happens during the court confirmation? For the CPA: Have you prepared Form 1041 returns for estates, and can you walk through the step-up in basis for this home? For the Realtor: How many court-confirmed probate sales have you closed, and what happens if an overbid comes in at the hearing? The answers reveal who has actually done the work, and they also build the confidence a family needs in a season that already carries enough uncertainty.

If you are the executor, successor trustee, or family member figuring out where to start, begin with one conversation. Doug works alongside estate attorneys and CPAs every week and can help you understand where the home fits in the bigger picture, then connect you with the rest of the team.