What we do with the house and its contents
Keeping a house can mean ongoing mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, utilities, and upkeep. You can compare a sale without assuming the house was unwanted. We can buy the Salinas house with belongings still inside; tell us what you or other family members want to keep so the written terms can say what stays and what is removed.
Sell an inherited house without cleanout, repairs, or hauling away a lifetime of belongings — we take it as it is. A mortgage, lien, back taxes, or the seller’s share of current property taxes remains a separate closing item.
What happens next
1. Talk through the property
Share the address, condition, access, contents, timing, and any estate papers you have. You can start the conversation while you are still gathering documents.
2. Review written terms
We give written cash offers in 24 hours. You receive the written offer and terms before you commit, so you can compare them and decide whether to proceed.
3. Close through a title company
If you choose to move forward, the title company reviews the deed, estate authority, payoffs, and closing documents and coordinates the closing. The actual estate file and title requirements determine who signs and what paperwork is needed.
Signing from another location
Sell from anywhere in the country — we can send a notary to you, and you don't have to attend settlement or even visit the property.
Compare what you may keep
Compare a written as-is offer with what a listing might net, using your own assumptions for the sale and costs.
Open the Salinas home-sale net-proceeds calculator →California estate rules and transfer tax
Who can sign and when court supervision applies
A California house in probate can sometimes be sold before the estate is fully settled, but only the court-appointed personal representative—the executor or administrator—can sign for the estate. Being an heir or family member alone does not establish signing authority.
With full authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act, the representative can sell without a court confirmation hearing after giving heirs and beneficiaries a Notice of Proposed Action at least 15 days before acting. If someone objects, the sale goes through court supervision. With limited authority, a real-property sale needs court supervision: the court confirms the sale at a hearing where others may overbid, and a private sale generally must bring at least 90% of a recent appraisal.
Some surviving spouses or heirs may qualify for a simpler court procedure, such as a spousal property petition or—if the person died on or after April 1, 2025—a primary-residence petition for a qualifying home valued up to $750,000. Whether a simplified process applies depends on the property and estate. The way the house is titled can also affect whether it is part of probate.
We help coordinate the sale, but we do not provide legal advice. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm who has authority to sign for the estate.
Read the California rules for limited-authority court supervision, full-authority sales, the 15-day notice, objections, and the court-confirmation sale price. California Courts also explains when formal probate may not be needed.
California documentary transfer tax
California counties charge documentary transfer tax of $0.55 for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500 ($1.10 per $1,000). It applies when consideration is over $100, excluding a lien or loan that remains on the property after the sale. Some cities add a larger tax; ask the title company or escrow whether a city tax applies and what amount is taxable for this property. State law makes a person who signs or benefits from the deed responsible for the tax, while the purchase agreement can allocate the cost between buyer and seller. See California’s county tax rate, who is responsible, and the city-tax credit.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the county documentary transfer tax and any city transfer tax.
This does not pay the seller’s mortgage, liens, back taxes, or share of current property taxes; those remain separate items in the title and closing file.
Local estate and deed help
If you need an estate attorney, we can help you find one.
Monterey County’s Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder provides the local county office information, and the county also has a separate Recorder page. California Courts provides general information about probate and simpler transfers. Use the title company or a qualified attorney to confirm which office and process applies to the actual estate and deed.
- Monterey County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder
- Monterey County Recorder
- California Courts Self-Help: when formal probate may not be needed
Read Salinas probate guidance or visit the Salinas seller resources page.
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Questions about selling an inherited house
Can I sell an inherited California house before probate is finished?
Often, yes. For a house in the probate estate, only the court-appointed personal representative—the executor or administrator—can sign for the estate. With full authority under the Independent Administration of Estates Act, the representative may sell without a court confirmation hearing after giving heirs and beneficiaries a Notice of Proposed Action at least 15 days before acting; an objection sends the sale through court supervision. With limited authority, a real-property sale needs court supervision. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm who may sign for this property.
Do I have to put the house in my own name before selling it?
You can sell in the estate's name once the estate is opened — no need to put the house in your own name first. If you need an estate attorney, we can help you find one. We help coordinate the sale, but we do not provide legal advice. The title company or a qualified attorney can confirm who has authority to sign for the estate.
Who can sign for an inherited Salinas house?
If the house is part of the probate estate, the court-appointed personal representative signs for the estate, subject to the authority granted and any court requirements. A family relationship alone does not establish authority. The title company or a qualified attorney can review the actual deed, court appointment, and estate file.
Does a California probate sale need a court hearing?
It depends on the representative’s authority and whether anyone objects. With full authority, the representative can generally use a Notice of Proposed Action instead of a confirmation hearing if no one objects. Limited authority requires court supervision for a real-property sale; at a confirmation hearing, another buyer may overbid, and a private sale generally must reach at least 90% of a recent appraisal.
Do I need to clear out belongings or repair the house first?
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. You can tell us which belongings you or other family members want to keep; you do not have to haul away everything else before selling to us.
Can I sign if I live outside California?
Sell from anywhere in the country — we can send a notary to you, and you don't have to attend settlement or even visit the property.
What California transfer tax applies to a house sale?
The county documentary transfer tax is $0.55 for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500, when consideration is over $100, excluding a lien or loan that remains on the property. Some cities add a tax; the title company or escrow should confirm the city rule and taxable amount for the property. The purchase agreement can allocate the cost. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the county documentary transfer tax and any city transfer tax.
Does the closing-cost promise pay the estate’s mortgage or back taxes?
No. Closing costs are separate from the seller’s mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes. The title and closing file confirms those property-specific amounts.
Talk with us about the inherited house
Call 888-274-5006 or send the property address through the form.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property address and estate details you have.