{"id":3597,"date":"2024-11-14T04:47:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T12:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=3597"},"modified":"2025-12-01T01:24:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T09:24:06","slug":"probate-inheritance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/probate-inheritance\/","title":{"rendered":"I Just Inherited Property in Probate, What Happens Now?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Losing a loved one is never easy, especially if you\u2019re the one responsible for the property left behind. Unless the decedent has set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncoa.org\/adviser\/estate-planning\/living-trust-vs-will\/\">living trust<\/a>, you\u2019ll need to go through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-happens-to-a-house-in-probate\/\">probate process<\/a>, even if you\u2019re the sole beneficiary of their estate. When navigating probate inheritance, prepare for various legal proceedings and potential delays before being able to secure property ownership.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/real_property_trust_estate\/resources\/estate-planning\/probate-process\/#\">American Bar Association<\/a> defines probate as a \u201cformal legal process that gives recognition to a will and appoints the executor or personal representative who will administer the estate and distribute assets to the intended beneficiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s review the key players who will help you navigate the probate process, as well as the phases of probate inheritance you\u2019ll need to go through, so you can cope with your loss knowing your loved one\u2019s estate will be taken care of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">Work With a Top Probate Agent<\/h3>\n                        <p>Top-performing agents sell homes faster and for more money than average agents. When selling a house in probate, maximizing the home sale can best serve the estate&#8217;s interests.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/find-agent\/quiz\/seller?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Find Agent<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Disclaimer: This article is purely informational and is not meant to be legal advice. If you have any questions, please consult a probate attorney.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"Key players in probate inheritance\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>The 3 key players in probate inheritance<\/h2>\n<h3><div id=\"section--2\" data-toc-header=\"Player 1: The probate attorney\" data-toc-type=\"sub\"><\/div>Player 1: The probate attorney<\/h3>\n<p>The first person you need to contact when you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/i-inherited-a-house-and-want-to-sell-it\/\">inherit property<\/a> is a good probate attorney.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-a-probate-attorney\/\">probate attorney<\/a> will tell you what documents you need for court, draft and file the probate petitions, and speak on your behalf to the judge presiding over your case. Your lawyer advises you on the steps you\u2019ll need to take throughout the probate process.<\/p>\n<p>When selecting your probate attorney, follow these tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Ask about their probate experience:<\/strong> Navigating probate law is complex, as it involves reviewing various legal documents, complying with state-specific regulations, and managing challenges to the validity of wills and trusts, among other things. That said, ask the attorney you\u2019re looking to hire how many cases they\u2019ve handled and how long they\u2019ve been practicing probate law.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>See if they specialize in unique scenarios:<\/strong> If your probate case has special circumstances, such as farmland that needs harvesting or a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/can-i-sell-my-rental-property-with-tenants-in-it\/\">tenant residing in the probate property<\/a>, you should ask the prospective attorneys if they have handled cases similar to yours. You may even want to check their references by asking to speak to satisfied clients.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Ensure they\u2019re a transactional lawyer: <\/strong>With this, you can have peace of mind knowing that the transactional lawyer you&#8217;re working with specializes in handling the administrative and paperwork aspects of probate. This is typically the majority of the work in most uncontested probate cases. You\u2019d only need a probate litigator if there are contested matters requiring legal action and dispute resolution through the courts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Once you choose your attorney, establish a good rapport with them. You need to feel comfortable communicating with your attorney because the probate process is a lengthy one.<\/p>\n<p>According to Sacramento-based probate attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawofficeinc.com\/attorneys\/john-b-palley\/\">John Palley<\/a>, \u201cMany states, like California, are in a traditional, formal probate process with a timeline that takes six or seven months to a year or more on the long end.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When you\u2019re too overcome with sorrow to handle your probate inheritance, hire a team of probate professionals to help you sell the decedent\u2019s property.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":37724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[326,319],"tags":[491,494,413,415,412,414],"class_list":["post-3597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inheritance","category-selling-advice","tag-basics","tag-estate-planning","tag-probate-attorney","tag-probate-inheritance","tag-probate-real-estate","tag-probate-real-estate-agent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>I Just Inherited Property in Probate. What Happens Now?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When you\u2019re too overcome with sorrow to handle your probate inheritance, hire a team of probate professionals to help you sell the decedent\u2019s property.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/probate-inheritance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I Just Inherited Property in Probate, What Happens Now?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When you\u2019re too overcome with sorrow to handle your probate inheritance, hire a team of probate professionals to help you sell the decedent\u2019s property.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/probate-inheritance\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-14T12:47:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-01T09:24:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/HomeLight-Header-Image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"666\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"375\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Christine Bartsch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CEBartsch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Christine Bartsch\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"I Just Inherited Property in Probate. 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