Get Your No-Obligation Probate Cash Offer in Under 24 Hours
Trusted Probate & Inherited Property Cash Buyers Since 2014
By Steven Williams, Founder & CEO · Updated June 2026
Google ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 Rating · BBB Accredited · Serving the SF Bay Area Since 2014
Watch real Bay Area homeowners share how we helped them sell quickly, avoid repairs, and move forward stress-free — including several probate and inherited-property sales.
Talk to a person today: (925) 483-7327 — Dawson and our acquisitions team answer the phone. We will speak directly with your probate attorney, read your Letters Testamentary, and write a no-obligation cash offer in 24 hours.
You inherited a house in California — and now the lawyers are talking about “Letters Testamentary,” “IAEA authority,” “court confirmation,” and “overbids.” You just want to know: can I sell it, when can I sell it, and how much can I keep?
This page is the longest, most accurate probate-sale guide on the Bay Area internet. We cite the actual California Probate Code sections, the actual Board of Equalization Prop 19 numbers, and the actual timelines we see every week as a licensed cash buyer serving all nine Bay Area counties since 2014.
If you’d rather skip the reading: call (925) 483-7327 or request a 24-hour cash offer.
Yes. A California personal representative (executor if there is a will, administrator if there is not) can sell estate real property once the probate court has issued Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. With full authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act (IAEA, California Probate Code §§10400-10592), the executor can sell the house without a court-confirmation hearing — closing in as little as 7-10 days after Letters issue. With limited IAEA authority or no IAEA, the sale must be confirmed by the probate judge at a public hearing where overbids are allowed (Probate Code §10308).
| Document | Source | Why a cash buyer needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration | Issued by the probate court at the initial hearing | Proves your authority to sign the deed |
| Order for Probate (Form DE-140) confirming IAEA authority (full or limited) | Probate court | Tells the title company whether court confirmation is required |
| Inventory and Appraisal (Form DE-160 / DE-161) signed by a Probate Referee | Court-appointed Probate Referee | Sets the appraised value that the §10309 90% floor is measured against |
| Death certificate (certified) | County recorder where decedent died | Required by the title company and to clear the deed of trust |
| Notice of Proposed Action (Form DE-165) | Mailed by your attorney to interested parties | 15-day waiting window for objections under §10580 (full IAEA only) |
If you do not yet have Letters, an offer can still be accepted contingent on issuance. We routinely sign purchase agreements 2-3 months before Letters issue so the close happens the day the executor’s authority becomes effective.
For most Bay Area estates, expect 9 to 18 months from filing to final distribution. Letters Testamentary themselves issue 4-8 weeks after the initial petition (Probate Code §8006). After Letters, a four-month creditor-claim window runs under Probate Code §9100 — and that window is a hard floor on final distribution, but it is not a floor on selling the house. You can sell the house during the creditor period; the proceeds simply sit in the estate account until distribution.
| Stage | Typical Bay Area duration |
|---|---|
| File Petition for Probate (Form DE-111) | Day 0 |
| First hearing & issuance of Letters | 4-8 weeks |
| Inventory & Appraisal filed (Probate Code §8800) | Within 4 months of Letters |
| Creditor claim window | 4 months from Letters (§9100) |
| Sale of real property | Anytime after Letters (often weeks 6-12) |
| Petition for Final Distribution | 9-12 months for clean estates, 15-24 months if contested |
Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo are the slowest in the Bay Area in 2026 — first-hearing calendars are routinely 8-10 weeks out. Marin, Napa and Solano are the fastest.
It depends on whether the court granted full or limited IAEA authority.
At the confirmation hearing, any qualified buyer can show up with a cashier’s check and outbid the accepted offer. The minimum overbid formula is:
Original accepted bid + 10% of the first $10,000 + 5% of everything above $10,000.
Example: accepted offer is $750,000. Minimum overbid = $750,000 + $1,000 + ($740,000 × 0.05) = $788,000. A 10% cashier’s-check deposit is required on the spot.
Why this matters for you: if your estate has limited IAEA, accepting a low cash offer is risky — a flipper can overbid at the hearing and steal your buyer. Rapid Home Solutions writes offers that anticipate this; for limited-IAEA estates we structure the agreement so the executor keeps both the certainty of our close and the upside if an overbid occurs.
A probate sale is supervised (in full or in part) by the California probate court. A trust sale is not. If the decedent put the property into a revocable living trust before death, the successor trustee sells it under the trust document — no court filing, no Letters, no §10309 floor, no notice of proposed action, no overbid. Most trust sales close in 7-10 days because the trustee has full power immediately and there is no court calendar to wait on.
| Dimension | Probate sale (IAEA) | Trust sale |
|---|---|---|
| Authority document | Letters Testamentary | Certification of Trust + death certificate |
| Court oversight | Some (full IAEA) to substantial (no IAEA) | None |
| Typical close timeline | 15-60 days | 7-10 days |
| §10309 90%-of-appraisal rule | Applies if no full IAEA | Does not apply |
| Notice of Proposed Action | Required (full IAEA) | Not required (unless trust says so) |
| Overbid risk | Yes (no full IAEA) | None |
If you don’t know which one applies, tell us about the will or trust using the form below and we will tell you which path you’re on, free.
California Proposition 19 (effective February 16, 2021) eliminated the old parent-child property tax exclusion for almost every inherited Bay Area home. Under Prop 19, the child can keep the parent’s low Prop 13 assessed value only if all three of these are true (per California Constitution Art. XIIIA §2.1 and BOE Letter to Assessors No. 2022/051):
If any of those three fails, the property is reassessed at full market value the day Mom or Dad died — and in the Bay Area that usually means the property-tax bill jumps from $3,000-$8,000/yr to $15,000-$40,000/yr.
Good news: if you’re selling, Prop 19’s reassessment does not affect you economically. The reassessment hits the new owner’s tax bill, not the sale price. The reason heirs sell instead of move in is usually that the stepped-up basis (see next section) eliminates the federal capital-gains tax — and selling in the same calendar year captures that benefit before any post-death appreciation can be taxed.
The Prop 19 trap to avoid: do not let the estate sit unsold for years. Every year the property is held by the estate after death is a year of new property-tax exposure at reassessed rates, plus a year of post-death appreciation that does generate taxable gain when you finally sell.
Under IRC §1014, you inherited the house at its fair market value on the date of the decedent’s death — not what they paid for it. This is the “stepped-up basis.” If Mom bought the Walnut Creek house in 1978 for $52,000 and it was worth $1.4M on the date she died, your basis is $1.4M — not $52,000.
If you sell within ~12 months of death for roughly the date-of-death value, your taxable capital gain is close to $0. Every dollar the property appreciates after death is taxable when you sell. In California that combined rate, for high-income heirs, reaches 20% federal long-term + 13.3% California + 3.8% NIIT = 37.1% on each dollar of post-death appreciation.
If the property was held as community property or community property with right of survivorship, and one spouse predeceased, the surviving spouse gets a 100% step-up on both halves (IRC §1014(b)(6)). When the surviving spouse later dies and the children inherit, they again get a full step-up. This is the single biggest tax advantage California provides over common-law states — and the reason a same-year sale after a parent’s death is almost always tax-optimal.
Action item for executors: ask the probate referee to appraise the property at full fair market value (Probate Code §8902). A higher appraisal gives you a higher stepped-up basis and a smaller eventual capital gain — at no cost to the estate.
No — but they can sign a binding contract today, contingent on Letters issuing. California title companies will not record a deed signed by a personal representative who has not yet been issued Letters by the probate court. But the executor (or the heirs, if they all agree) can absolutely enter into a purchase agreement that says “closing shall occur within 10 days after issuance of Letters Testamentary, but in any event no later than [date].”
We do this every week. The benefit: you lock in the buyer, the price, and the closing terms while the 4-8 week wait for the first hearing is still running. There is no economic reason to wait until after Letters issue to start the sale process.
No, but it is dramatically easier if they do. Under full IAEA authority, the executor can sell the property without unanimous heir consent — they only need to serve a Notice of Proposed Action (Form DE-165) on each interested party at least 15 days before closing (Probate Code §10580). Any heir who objects must file a written objection (§10587) before closing; if they object, the executor must either get court confirmation or abandon the sale.
In contested estates we strongly recommend the executor obtain written consent from all heirs before signing a purchase agreement. It is cheap insurance against a last-minute §10587 objection that can blow up the close.
Reverse mortgages (HECMs) accelerate to due-and-payable the day the last borrower dies. Heirs have 30 days to notify the servicer of the borrower’s death and up to 6 months (with two 3-month extensions, total 12 months) to sell the property and pay off the balance under HUD ML 2015-11.
The HUD rule that saves heirs: you only owe the lesser of the loan balance or 95% of the property’s appraised value — even if the loan balance exceeds the home’s value. If Mom owed $720,000 on a HECM and the Bay Area house only appraises at $680,000, you pay $646,000 ($680,000 × 95%) and HUD’s MIP fund absorbs the rest. We have closed dozens of these and know the servicer playbook (Champion, Mr. Cooper, Reverse Mortgage Funding).
Honest cash offers on Bay Area inherited property in 2026 run roughly 78-92% of “as-is, lowest-comparable retail value” depending on condition, location, and timeline. A house that needs $80,000 of work and would retail for $1.1M after repairs will see cash offers in the $850K-$925K range. A turnkey Burlingame estate sale that would retail at $2.0M will see cash offers in the $1.78M-$1.85M range.
What drives the spread:
Anyone offering you 65% of retail “because it’s a probate” is gouging. Get a second offer. We will write yours in 24 hours and tell you honestly where it lands in the range above.
| Authority status | Days from offer to close (incl. probate court steps) |
|---|---|
| Trust sale (no probate) | 7-10 days |
| Full IAEA — Letters already issued | 15-25 days (15 of those are the §10580 Notice of Proposed Action window) |
| Limited IAEA — court confirmation required | 45-75 days (governed by the court’s calendar) |
| No Letters yet — contingent contract | Letters timeline + 15-25 days |
Rapid Home Solutions closes with cash — no lender, no appraisal, no loan contingency. The only timeline variables are (a) title clearing and (b) statutory waiting periods we cannot shorten. We pay all standard escrow, title, recording and transfer-tax fees.
A short list. Your probate attorney will already have most of these.
If you don’t have everything, don’t wait to call us. We’ll tell you the minimum needed to start escrow and order the rest in parallel.
This is the exact process we run every week.
If your situation looks like any of these, we have a playbook for it.
Vallejo house. Sister wants to keep, brother wants to sell. We write a contingent-on-Letters offer with a no-deadline structure so the family has time to mediate. HUD's 95%-of-value cap protects you.
Dad's Cupertino house, 40 years of stuff, you live in Texas. We close as-is. Leave whatever you don't want — we donate, recycle, or dispose at our cost.
We submit the §10308 petition with our offer attached as the accepted bid, then stand ready to outbid at the confirmation hearing if a flipper shows up to overbid.
We've handled this. We can close with the occupant in place and provide a post-close possession agreement giving them 30-60 days to relocate.
Cash, as-is, 14-day close. We don't ask for repairs, credits, or inspection contingencies. The condition is our problem.
We work with court-appointed administrators every week. Full court-supervised sale via §10308 with overbid contingency built into the offer.
We’ve closed probate purchases in all nine Bay Area counties. A few county-specific facts:
| County | Notes |
|---|---|
| Alameda | Heavy calendar; 6-10 week first-hearing wait. Berkeley Courthouse handles probate. |
| Contra Costa | Routinely the fastest of the East Bay; 4-6 weeks. Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, Martinez. |
| Marin | Smallest probate calendar in the Bay Area; very fast. San Rafael. |
| Napa | Single-judge probate department; predictable. |
| San Francisco | E-filing mandatory; mandatory settlement conferences common. Dept 204, 400 McAllister. |
| San Mateo | Two probate departments; calendar moves. Redwood City. |
| Santa Clara | Largest Bay Area calendar; 8-10 weeks to first hearing in 2026. Filing fee ~$435-$550. |
| Solano | Fast; full IAEA grants are routine. |
| Sonoma | Standard timelines. |
We work directly with several Bay Area probate attorneys and have closed transactions referred by major firms. We’ll happily recommend an attorney in your county if you don’t yet have representation.
Working with Steven was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Not only did they provide a competitive cash offer and close in just 10 days, but they also honored my full commission as the listing agent — something that truly speaks to their professionalism and integrity. The property was sold completely as-is and required multiple dumpsters worth of clean-out and hauling, yet they never questioned a thing or made the process difficult. The transaction was smooth, straightforward, and one of the easiest deals I’ve ever been a part of. If you’re looking for a reliable buyer for a quick and hassle-free sale opportunity, I highly recommend Steven and his team.
We were about to retire and move out of state, so we needed to sell our home of 16 years. Our home needed some TLC but we just wanted to move on and retire! We looked at all the options and decided to sell off-market with Rapid Home Solutions and we couldn’t have made a better decision. Super fast closing, no real estate agents or commissions, and they took the house as-is, no questions asked. Dawson and his team were super friendly and flexible and we couldn’t recommend them highly enough. Stay away from the lowballing sharks and work with someone who is all about a win-win for both parties!
If you are in need of quick and trouble-free as-is sale for a reasonable offer and no contract loopholes like most as-is buyers, choose Rapid Home Solutions. Dawson is honest and upfront about everything. The offer was fair and quick closing. A big help to my family when we needed it.
Fast and smooth transaction with Steve and his crew. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy team, rapidhomesolutions gets the job done!
I recently used Rapid Solutions to sell my house, and I’m thrilled with the experience. From start to finish, their process was seamless, efficient, and stress-free, making them a standout choice for homeowners looking to sell quickly. Pros: • Speedy Process: True to their name, Rapid Home Solutions lived up to their promise of a fast sale. After reaching out, they provided a fair cash offer within 48 hours, and we closed the deal in just 16 days. This was a lifesaver as we needed to close as soon as possible. • Hassle-Free Experience: No need for repairs, staging, or endless showings. They bought the house as-is, which saved us time and money. The team handled all the paperwork, making it incredibly convenient. • Transparent and Fair: The offer was competitive, and there were no hidden fees or commissions. Their team clearly explained the process, so we felt confident every step of the way. • Professional Team: Dawson was courteous, responsive, and genuinely cared about our needs. He answered all our questions promptly and tailored the timeline to fit our schedule.
Super easy, super fast. 10 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ not to mention really nice people. No hard sell whatsoever. It was a huge relief.
Great experience!! Super fast funding and wonderful people to work with. Highly recommend!!
Rapid Home solutions will help you sell fast and no hassle. They won’t waste your time at all, but will come with a personalized solution for you! If you are lucky enough to work with Dawson, that guy is not playing games. I’ve worked personally with him and he cares about the sellers he talks to and he enjoys helping people. I know no one with better work ethics! If you happen to meet these guys and think they could possibly help, don’t hesitate, just call them!!!
I worked with Dawson for my mother’s condo that was in bad shape. Dawson was incredibly fair on price and very compassionate about her situation and made the process very easy to complete. Everything went smoothly and she received her funds quicker than we expected. I did check with other companies and there was no comparison in my mind.
Thirteen of the most common questions Bay Area executors and heirs ask us, with sourced answers.
Dawson Criddle, Head of Acquisitions, personally takes probate calls. No call center. No pressure. We’ll write a no-obligation offer in 24 hours and work directly with your probate attorney.
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DISCLAIMER: This article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. California probate, real estate, and tax law is complex and your specific situation may require advice from a licensed California probate attorney or CPA. Rapid Home Solutions is a real estate operation, not a law firm. While we cite specific California Probate Code sections, BOE publications, and HUD rules in this article, statutes and regulations change — always verify current law with a qualified professional before making decisions. Dawson Criddle is a Licensed California Real Estate Agent, not an attorney. By using this site you acknowledge that Rapid Home Solutions has no attorney-client or fiduciary relationship with you unless and until you enter into a written purchase agreement.
