PROPERTY GUIDANCE · Updated October 15, 2026

First 30 Days After Inheriting a Home: A Practical Property Checklist

A calm starting point for families, executors, and trustees who need to protect a property and understand their options.

These are planning steps, not a legal deadline calendar. Your authority, required notices, court procedures, and tax treatment depend on the ownership and circumstances. Confirm legal steps with the estate attorney and tax questions with a qualified tax professional.

Start by confirming who can act

Locate the will or trust, deed, available court documents, insurance information, mortgage statements, and contact details for the attorney. Being named in a will does not by itself establish that you have court-appointed authority. Before changing access, hiring vendors, signing a listing, or removing belongings, confirm who is authorized to make those decisions. Respect any occupant's rights.

First week: protect and document

• If you are authorized, arrange lawful access and identify who holds keys.
• Photograph the condition and keep an inventory before a clean-out begins.
• Ask the insurer promptly how a death, vacancy, occupancy change, or proposed work affects coverage.
• Check for leaks, unsafe conditions, and essential maintenance. Keep utilities needed for protection operating where appropriate.
• Secure sensitive records and valuables through the authorized representative; keep a record of any movement.

Second week: organize the property file

Keep statements, invoices, contractor proposals, photographs, and correspondence in one location. Identify mortgage, tax, association, utility, and maintenance obligations. Ask the attorney how bills should be paid and recorded. Arrange permitted mail handling and avoid distributing belongings or promising a sale before authority and the estate plan are understood.

Weeks three and four: compare the choices

Sell in its present condition

This can reduce preparation work. Compare actual written offers, contingencies, deductions, and estimated proceeds; convenience may involve a lower price.

Prepare, then sell

Get written bids and a realistic schedule. Improvements should be weighed against carrying costs and uncertain resale benefits. Any pay-at-closing program has its own eligibility, fees, and repayment terms.

Consider leasing

Compare projected rent with maintenance, insurance, taxes, management, vacancy, and reserves. Confirm the representative's authority and applicable rental obligations before making commitments.

How Executor Concierge can help

Bobby can help organize property tasks, coordinate vendor proposals, and compare real estate options. Your authorized decision-maker approves the work. Attorneys, tax advisers, and other licensed professionals handle their own disciplines. Share the property situation before a consultation.

Questions for the first call

• Where is the property, and is anyone living there?
• Who is authorized to act, and is an attorney involved?
• Are there urgent condition, insurance, or payment concerns?
• Would a comparison of selling, preparing, or leasing help?

Official starting points

• California Courts: estate representative
• California Courts: inventory and estimate property value