Executor Concierge Certified

Module 1 · 7 minutes

The Executor Concierge standard

Lead with stewardship. The easiest transaction is not always the best estate decision.

Your role

You are the property-side project manager and licensed real estate advisor. You help the authorized client see the whole board: condition, carrying costs, deadlines, occupancy, title or authority questions, vendor needs, market exposure, likely net proceeds, and the family’s stated priorities.

ClarifySeparate facts, assumptions, and unresolved professional questions.

CompareShow credible paths—not one predetermined outcome.

CoordinateBring the right licensed or qualified person into each decision.

DocumentRecord approvals, estimates, disclosures, and next steps.

The client comes first

A California real estate licensee owes fiduciary duties to the client they represent. In estate property work, first identify who has authority to engage the broker and give instructions. Do not treat the loudest beneficiary, closest relative, or person holding a copy of the will as the client by default.

Standard in action

An investor offers a quick purchase and says the family can leave everything behind. You present it as one option, then compare the expected net, certainty, timing, and work required against an as-is open-market sale and a limited-preparation strategy.

Module 2 · 8 minutes

Confirm authority before action

Names and family relationships matter. Legal authority matters more.

Know the roles

Executor: Person named in a will and appointed by the probate court to administer the estate.
Administrator: Personal representative appointed when there is no acting executor.
Personal representative: California court term covering an appointed executor or administrator.
Trustee: Person or institution authorized by the trust instrument to administer trust property.
Beneficiary or heir: Person who may receive property, but does not automatically have authority to list or sell it.

Minimum intake

Who is the authorized decision-maker, and what document supports that authority?
Is this probate, trust administration, another transfer procedure, or not yet known?
Who occupies the property, and who controls access?
Are there court, foreclosure, insurance, loan, tax, tenant, or sale deadlines?
Are decision-makers aligned? Who must approve scopes, contracts, or pricing?

Pause and refer

If authority is unclear, family members disagree, a court restriction may apply, or someone asks you to interpret a will, trust, Letters, or probate order, pause the affected action and bring in the estate attorney, title, escrow, or broker.

Module 3 · 8 minutes

Stabilize and protect the property

The first win may be preventing a loss.

The first 48-hour property scan

Secure: confirm locks, keys, gates, alarm access, vacant-property risk, and who is authorized to enter.
Insure: have the client contact the insurance professional promptly; never promise coverage.
Preserve: look for active water, fire, mold, pests, utilities, pool, roof, landscape, or code risks.
Occupancy: identify tenants, family occupants, pets, vehicles, personal property, and access conflicts.
Carry: identify mortgage, reverse mortgage, HOA, taxes, utilities, maintenance, and known notices without offering legal or tax conclusions.
Document: date-stamped photos, condition notes, vendor scopes, client approvals, and a simple action log.

Standard in action

The home is vacant, the insurance carrier is unknown, and a neighbor reports a leak. Your first response is not a listing presentation. It is a documented escalation to the authorized client, emergency mitigation by an approved provider, and confirmation that the client contacts the appropriate insurer and attorney.

Module 4 · 9 minutes

Compare every reasonable path

Maximize the result the estate actually values—not merely the headline price.

PathCompare

Keep or distributeAuthority, buyout, debt, insurance, carrying costs, management ability

RentPreparation, rent, vacancy, management, repairs, legal and tax advice

Refinance or buyoutQualified lender, ownership, authority, payment, appraisal, tax advice

Cash or investor saleNet, proof of funds, contingencies, certainty, closing date, personal property

As-is open marketExposure, pricing, condition disclosures, buyer pool, net, timeline

Prepare then sellWritten scope, funding, time, risk, estimated lift, projected net

Use a written decision matrix

For each credible path, compare expected price or income, direct cost, carrying cost, time, execution risk, work required from the family, and likely net. State assumptions and never guarantee a renovation return, appraisal, tax outcome, price, or closing date.

No steering

Disclose financial relationships and referral benefits. Never shape the analysis to favor your preferred investor, vendor, lender, title company, or listing outcome.

Module 5 · 8 minutes

Know the boundary—and the handoff

Excellent service includes knowing exactly when another professional owns the answer.

You may

Explain real estate process and market evidence
Prepare a CMA or marketing recommendation within your license
Coordinate estimates and vendors with authorization
Compare written property strategies and projected nets
Document questions for the appropriate professional

Refer out

Interpretation of wills, trusts, Letters, court orders, or authority
Probate notices, confirmation, creditor, beneficiary, or litigation advice
Tax basis, capital gains, estate returns, portability, or entity questions
Legal eviction, occupant, title, lien, or family-dispute conclusions
Formal probate appraisal, insurance coverage, lending, or investment advice

Safe language

“That is an important legal or tax question. I can organize the property facts and help you frame it, but the answer needs to come from your attorney or tax professional before we act.”

The certified agent stays involved after the referral: capture the question, identify the owner, note the needed answer, and follow up—without translating professional advice into a new conclusion.

Module 6 · 7 minutes

Run a clean, dignified project

Families remember how the process felt as much as what the home sold for.

The seven-step service rhythm

Intake: authority, people, property, deadlines, risks, goals.
Triage: secure urgent issues and assign professional questions.
Plan: present options, assumptions, costs, timelines, and approvals.
Scope: obtain written bids; disclose relationships and compensation.
Execute: schedule access, monitor work, communicate, and document changes.
Decide: let the authorized client choose with the right advisers involved.
Close out: reconcile work, keys, invoices, records, next steps, and follow-up.

Communication standard

Use calm, plain language and never manufacture urgency.
Keep private information on a need-to-know basis; do not place sensitive estate documents or account data in Follow Up Boss.
Never make a beneficiary, vendor, or referral partner appear authorized when they are not.
Confirm consequential instructions and approvals in writing.
Treat personal property, grief, conflict, and family history with dignity.

Your final test

Could another professional review the file and understand who authorized each step, what alternatives were considered, what was disclosed, and why the client selected the final path? If yes, you ran a clean project.

Final · about 8 minutes

Knowledge assessment

Choose the best response in each situation. You need 80% to earn the certificate, and you may retake the assessment.

1. A beneficiary asks you to list the property, but no representative or trustee has been confirmed. What comes first? Sign the listing because the beneficiary will inherit Confirm the authorized client and supporting authority before taking instructions Let all beneficiaries vote

2. A vacant estate home may have an active water leak. What is the best first response? Notify the authorized client, document the condition, coordinate approved mitigation, and flag insurance Wait until the listing agreement is signed Repair it personally and seek reimbursement later

3. An investor offers a fast as-is close. What is the certified standard? Recommend acceptance because it reduces the agent’s workload Reject every investor offer Compare net, timing, certainty, risks, and work required against other credible paths

4. The executor asks whether Letters authorize a sale without court confirmation. What should you do? Interpret the Letters based on prior transactions Organize the facts and have the estate attorney or qualified title/escrow professional confirm the authority and process Ask the buyer’s agent

5. A family asks how a sale will affect stepped-up basis and capital gains. Who owns that answer? The listing agent The contractor A qualified CPA or tax attorney using the estate’s facts

6. You may receive a benefit from a vendor. What is required? Disclose the relationship or benefit, follow applicable law and brokerage policy, and keep the client free to choose Say nothing if the vendor is good Require the client to use that vendor

7. Before recommending improvements, what should the client receive? A promise that every dollar will return two dollars Written scope, cost, timing, risks, assumptions, and a comparison with selling without the work Only before-and-after photos

8. Two authorized decision-makers strongly disagree about preparation and sale timing. What is best? Follow whichever person called first Let the vendor decide Pause affected high-impact actions, document the conflict, and obtain direction through counsel and proper authority

9. How should sensitive estate information be handled? Collect only what is needed, restrict access, and keep private documents and account data out of the general CRM Upload every estate document to Follow Up Boss Send it to every vendor so nobody feels left out

10. Which statement best describes an Executor Concierge Certified agent? The agent replaces the executor, attorney, and CPA The agent coordinates the property process, provides licensed real estate advice, compares paths, documents decisions, and refers outside-scope questions The agent’s main duty is to get the fastest listing

Executor Concierge Code of Conduct

By checking the box, I commit to identify the authorized client; act in that client’s best interest within my licensed role; compare reasonable property paths honestly; disclose conflicts and compensation; protect confidential information; document material decisions; treat families with dignity; and refer legal, tax, accounting, appraisal, insurance, lending, and other specialized questions to qualified professionals.

I accept and will follow the Executor Concierge Code of Conduct.

Become Executor Concierge Certified.

A trusted coordinator—not an accidental attorney.

Your certification record.