Guides

Everything an Orange County executor needs to know about the house, written to be read on a phone at 11pm. Each guide starts with the short answer.

• How long probate really takes in CaliforniaMost Orange County probates run 12 to 18 months. Here is where the time goes, and what you can do with the house before it ends.
• Full authority vs. limited authority: what it means for the houseThe single most important line in your Letters. Full authority lets you sell the house without a court hearing. Limited authority does not.
• Court confirmation sales, explained step by stepIf your Letters grant limited authority, here is exactly how the sale, the hearing, and the overbid work in Orange County.
• Step-up in basis: why the sale date and appraisal matterInherited houses get a new tax basis at the date of death. Handled correctly, that usually means little or no capital gains tax on the sale.
• Selling an inherited house as-is: what buyers actually expectMost probate homes in Orange County sell as-is, and that is fine. What matters is presenting the house honestly and pricing it right.
• The investor letters have started. Here is what the house is actually worth.Probate filings are public, and cash buyers mail every executor in Orange County. How to read those offers and what a fair number looks like.
• Multiple heirs, one decision: keeping everyone on the same pageSiblings disagree about the house more than about anything else in an estate. How executors keep it from turning into a fight.
• Clearing out the home: a lifetime of belongings, one room at a timeThe part nobody warns you about. What to keep, what to sell, what to donate, and who in Orange County can help.