Inherited a house in Sacramento? We'll buy it as-is — probate and all

Most inherited houses we buy have the same three problems: the house is full of a lifetime of belongings, the heirs live somewhere else, and nobody is sure what the probate court will let them do or when. If that sounds familiar, you're the exact person we built this service for.

You don't have to empty the house

This surprises people every time. Take the photo albums and whatever matters to you, and leave the rest — furniture, clothes, the garage, all of it. We buy the house with everything in it and deal with cleanup after closing. For out-of-state heirs this alone can save two or three trips to Sacramento.

Probate doesn't stop a sale — it just sets the schedule

Whether you can sell now depends on how the estate holds title. If the house was in a living trust, the successor trustee can usually sell right away. If the estate is in probate, the personal representative can sell with full authority under California's Independent Administration of Estates Act, or with court confirmation if the authority is limited. We've closed both ways. We match our timeline to the court's — there's no rush fee and no penalty for waiting on letters of administration.

The Sacramento County probate court publishes its own probate self-help pages, and the state courts have a plain-English overview at selfhelp.courts.ca.gov. Worth reading before anyone signs anything.

What about taxes?

Two things matter for most heirs. First, inherited property generally gets a stepped-up cost basis to its value at the date of death, which is why many heirs owe little or no capital gains tax when they sell soon after inheriting. Second, since Proposition 19, keeping a parent's low property-tax assessment usually requires the child to move in as a primary residence — renting it out or leaving it empty triggers reassessment. The Sacramento County Assessor has the details. For a lot of families that math is what tips the decision toward selling.

How it works with multiple heirs

We're used to it. Three siblings in three states, one who wants to keep the house and two who want out — we've seen every version. One cash offer, one closing date, proceeds split by the title company exactly as the estate directs. Nobody has to fly in; everything signs remotely with a mobile notary.