Choosing a Probate Realtor · Los Angeles

Choosing a probate realtor: the questions that actually matter.

The house is often the biggest thing in the estate. Here is how to tell an agent who has done this many times from one who took a course.

Talk to Us See the Seven Questions

The interview

Skip the trick questions.

Many guides tell you to quiz agents on court deposits and probate rules. If an agent can't answer, walk away. But if they can, it only proves they took a course. Ask about the work instead.

Who did you learn probate from?

Listen forA mentor and real sales they can describe, not just a course.

Which attorneys can I call about you?

Listen forNames, given freely. Attorneys only refer agents who make their job easier.

Who is your escrow officer, and do they handle probate?

Listen forA regular team that knows court sales and estate paperwork.

Which title company do you use, and when do you order the title report?

Listen forBefore listing. Old loans and liens should surface before a buyer does.

Should we fix the house or sell it as-is?

Listen forNumbers, not a guess: what the house sells for as-is versus prepared, and what preparation costs.

Can you help clear and clean the house?

Listen forA plan and trusted vendors, with costs that can often be paid at closing. How that works.

Can you help secure the property?

Listen forLocks, cameras, regular visits and someone watching the mail. First steps.

And one more: price.

The cheapest agent can cost the estate the most. Ask what you get for the fee.

About certificatesA probate certificate shows someone took a course. It doesn't show they've closed these sales. Ask for the sales and the attorneys.

Local mattersLos Angeles has its own probate court, city reports and buyer pool. Ask how many hearings they've attended here.

Watch Matias explain it

The seven questions, in five minutes.

Matias Baker Masucci · 4:50

Why trick questions and certificates prove little, and what to ask instead.

The seven questions, from mentor to escrow.
The mistake most agents make once a court date is set.

Before the sign goes up

What a good probate agent does first.

Most problems in a probate sale can be found before the house is listed. A good agent looks for them.

Checks the authority

Being named in the will isn't enough. In probate, the court's Letters show who can sign, with full or limited authority. In a trust sale, title and the attorney confirm the trustee's authority.

Reads the title report early

Paid-off loans that were never released, liens and easements come up before a buyer finds them.

Builds a disclosure package

Title report, hazard report, city report and any inspections, shared before offers, with a signed receipt from every buyer.

Walks the house and notes what they see

The agent's own visual inspection, done before listing. Facts only, no guessing at causes.

Gives the house real exposure

If 50 people call on day one, a few more days on the market usually means a better price.

Keeps a file

Open houses, visitors, ads, offers. The person in charge can show every beneficiary what was done.

You're nominated in the will to be executor, but have you been appointed by the court yet?

R. Sam Price, probate attorney, on Probate Notes

People do not mind bad news. What they really mind is surprises.

Matias Baker Masucci, on Probate Notes

Hear it from a probate attorney

A probate attorney asks how it's done.

Matias on Probate Notes with attorney R. Sam Price · 40:56

Sam walks Matias through his probate checklist, from the first call to the court hearing.

Letters, and full versus limited authority.
The title report and disclosure package before listing.
Evaluating buyers and responding to requests during escrow.
Court confirmation and overbids.

See the work

How we prepare and present a property.

Ask an agent to show you their marketing. Here are preparation photos and property marketing examples from Matias and his team.

Before, during and ready for market.

Living room before clean-out, with belongings in front of the fireplace. — Before
Initial condition documented

Living room during preparation, cleared of belongings with exposed framing above the fireplace. — In progress
Preparation in progress

Living room prepared and staged for marketing, looking toward the fireplace and windows. — Ready for market
Prepared and staged for marketing

The preparation photos and the marketing examples below are from different properties.

Property video

Explore the marketing.

From one trust sale. Open each to see how buyers explored the home before a showing.

Exterior of the Camarillo trust sale home — Property website
Photography, video and property details in one place.
Visit the property website ↗

Explore the home in 3D

3D walkthrough

Walk through the rooms at your own pace.

Open the 3D walkthrough ↗

3D floor plan from a trust sale marketed by Matias and his team — 3D floor plan
A furnished view that helps buyers picture the space.
View full-size plan ↗

Traditional floor plan from a trust sale marketed by Matias and his team — Traditional floor plan
Room dimensions and layout, all in one view.
View full-size plan ↗

Before you hire

Ask to see the work.

Evidence to request

Recent comparable probate and trust sales, with the agent’s actual role.
A pricing analysis and property-specific marketing proposal.
A redacted seller update and side-by-side offer comparison.
Client or professional references who can discuss the work.

Verify licensing through California DRE ↗

Agree on the responsibilities

Who handles showings, vendors, updates and urgent problems?
What services and expenses are included, and who approves additional costs?
When are preparation costs due, including if the sale does not close?
What are the listing term, compensation and termination provisions?

Red flags

Signs you have the wrong agent.

Wants to represent both sides

The estate deserves an agent loyal only to the seller. Also ask about any ties to the buyer or to recommended vendors.

Pushes the first fast offer

A quick cash offer before the market has seen the house usually leaves money behind.

Doesn't evaluate the buyer carefully

A good agent checks funds, financing and contract terms before recommending an offer. If the buyer later requests a credit or price reduction, the agent evaluates the reasons and advises the seller. A legitimate inspection concern is different from a planned attempt to renegotiate.

Has no plan for court

No answer for the hearing date, the overbid or how they will find more bidders.

The "no commission" offer

Probate filings are public, so families get letters and calls offering cash with no commission. Get a real valuation before you answer one.

To save five or six percent, you are paying 30 percent.

Matias Baker Masucci, on The SCV Law & Life Podcast

"No agent should represent both sides in a probate."

Matias, on Probate Notes with attorney R. Sam Price

How Matias and his team work

✓
Matias represents the seller onlyHe never represents both sides of the deal.
✓
Cleared, cleaned and presentedThen sold as-is. Repairs only when the numbers support them.
✓
DocumentedEvery step on file for the person in charge and the attorney.

How a sale works · Scams to avoid

Hear it from an attorney

Why the first cash offer is rarely the best.

Matias on The SCV Law & Life Podcast with attorney Mason Rashtian · 26:31

Mason and Matias talk about what makes probate and trust sales different, and the offers that target grieving families.

Who has the authority to sign.
Unsolicited cash offers and what they really cost.
Clearing old loans and liens before escrow.

When the sale goes to court

The court date is not the finish line.

A probate real estate sale under limited authority requires court confirmation. A proper written objection to a proposed sale under independent administration can also require court supervision if the representative proceeds. Counsel confirms the requirements. At a confirmation hearing, qualified buyers can submit overbids that meet the applicable requirements. A good agent treats that hearing as a second chance to raise the price.

The first overbidAbout 5% more than the accepted price, plus $500. The court sets the steps after that.

Overbidders need informationThey get the same disclosure package the buyer got, so they can bid with confidence.

Loans are possibleBuyers can finance, but must be ready to close without contingencies and usually put down a 10% deposit.

"Once you have an accepted offer and you get a court date, you should work just as hard as you did to find the buyer to secure an overbidder."

Matias Baker Masucci

Court confirmation and overbids More from The Probate Realtor Show

Hear it from a mortgage broker

Court sales, overbids and financing.

Matias on Mortgage On My Mind with mortgage broker Natalie Salins · 28:10

Natalie and Matias walk through how a court-confirmed sale works, from the buyer's side too.

Full versus limited authority.
How the overbid works in the courtroom.
Yes, buyers can use a loan, with care.
The step-up in basis for heirs.

Frequent questions

What families ask before hiring.

Do I need a probate specialist, or will any agent do?

Any licensed agent can list a probate house, but the rules are different: authority, notices, disclosures and sometimes a court hearing. An agent who has done many of these will spot problems before they cost the estate money.

Who chooses the agent?

The executor, administrator or successor trustee, once they have authority. The court doesn't assign one. Attorneys often suggest agents they trust, but the choice belongs to the person in charge.

How is the commission set in a probate sale?

It's agreed in the listing agreement, along with the services it covers. In a court-confirmed sale, the court approves the commission, and if an overbidder wins, it may be split with the overbidder's agent.

Should the same agent represent the buyer?

No. California allows it with written consent, but it splits the agent's loyalty. Matias represents the seller only, and refers buyers without an agent to another agent.

Can a buyer use a loan to buy a probate house?

Yes. If the sale goes to court, the buyer must be ready to close without contingencies by the hearing and usually puts down a 10% deposit. Without court confirmation, normal contingencies can be negotiated.

What should the agent do before the court hearing?

Keep marketing. Tell interested buyers about the hearing, give them the disclosure package and help them prepare to bid. More bidders in the room can mean a higher price.

Matias Baker Masucci is a licensed real estate broker, DRE 02054763, not an attorney. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Talk to a probate or trust attorney about your situation.

Property review

Interviewing agents? Ask us the seven questions.

Tell us about the property. Matias and his team will walk you through how they would value, prepare and sell it, and which attorneys you can call.

Discuss the Property

Prefer to talk? Call (310) 776-5145