California Probate & Estate Real Estate
Probate Real Estate Decisions Start Long Before the Sale.
Whether you're considering selling, keeping, or renting an inherited property, there's a lot to understand before making that decision. Knowing what comes next, planning ahead, and assembling the right professional team can make all the difference.
A cost range for a gross estate value, in seconds.
A short quiz pointing to the California path that may fit.
Five print-ready guides, each opened with your name and email.
Serving the greater Sacramento region, including but not limited to Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties.
Before any decision
Three questions guide every estate
- What is the property worth?
- What condition is it in?
- Does the family sell, keep, or rent it?
The tools below answer these questions at your own pace.
Start with the numbers
Three questions, one useful answer
The fastest way to get grounded is to put numbers on the estate. The two tools below do that in minutes, before any conversation about listing: an estimate of probate costs from a gross estate value, and a short quiz pointing to the California probate paths that may fit your situation. Use them first, and you arrive with the basic facts in hand.
Estimate probate costs
Enter a gross estate value and see an estimated range for California probate costs: the statutory fees, plus common estate expenses. Results update as you type.
Open the calculatorFind your probate path
Answer six questions, one at a time, and see which California probate paths may fit your situation, with a note to confirm the details with an attorney.
Take the quizBeyond the paperwork
There's More at Stake Than the Estate
An inherited home carries memories, relationships, and quiet expectations along with its deed. Sorting through the practical decisions also means sorting through what the property means to the people who loved it. Responsibilities among heirs rarely divide evenly, and treating the people with as much care as the property is part of doing this well.
The Estate Library
Five field guides for the decisions ahead
Each guide covers one part of the probate property territory, from the first months of an executorship to the confirmation hearing. Each of the five guides requires a name and email to open, and nothing else. Open a guide and the full text appears immediately, ready to read or print.
The Executor's 90-Day Checklist
A working checklist for the first three months, organized around the inventory and appraisal filing deadline.
Opens with your name and email Open the guide12 Questions to Ask a Probate Agent
Twelve questions to put to a listing agent before the family signs anything.
Opens with your name and email Open the guidePricing an Estate Home in California
How estate homes are priced, and when the 90 percent court-confirmation rule applies.
Opens with your name and email Open the guideStep-Up in Basis in Plain English
How an inherited property's cost basis resets to its date-of-death value, without the jargon.
Opens with your name and email Open the guideCourt Confirmation, Demystified
What court confirmation of a sale is, when it is required, and why qualified buyers can place higher bids.
Opens with your name and email Open the guideThe Estate Library is general information about California estates. It is not legal or tax advice; confirm your family's situation with a qualified California probate attorney and your tax professional.
About the broker-owner
An office that keeps the focus on the family and the property
Steve Rath has spent 37 years in California real estate. As broker and owner of Rath Real Estate in Roseville, he centers the work on two things: the family and the property. What is the home worth, what condition is it in, and which of the sell, keep, or rent decisions fits this family's situation?
Probate also touches legal and tax questions, and those belong to a California probate attorney and a tax professional. Steve's role is the property itself: its value, its condition, and the sell, keep, or rent decision in front of you. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.
Property value opinion
Get a property value opinion
Send the property address, and the office will reply with a straightforward opinion of the property's current value and condition, for the sell, keep, or rent decision ahead. This is a real estate service; it does not include legal or tax advice.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call 916-834-9792 or book a consult through Calendly.
Property value request
An address is all we need to start. Phone and notes are optional.