Day 1 to Year 1 · A Practical Timeline

Inherited a California Home?
The Complete Timeline
From Day 1 to Year 1

By William B. Plevy, California Attorney & Real Estate Broker · DRE #01956776 · Published July 2026

General guidance only. Every family situation is different. Some tasks apply only if probate is opened. Others only if the property is in a trust. Consult a qualified California attorney regarding your specific circumstances.

The chaos after a parent's death is the worst time to figure out what needs to happen with their California home. Here is the actual sequence, week by week, for the first year.

When a parent dies leaving a California home, most families expect a small amount of paperwork and a straightforward transfer of the property. What they encounter instead is a year of interlocking deadlines, filings, decisions, and coordination between attorneys, agents, insurers, lenders, and county offices. Missing a step early can compound into significant cost later.

This timeline covers the typical sequence for a family inheriting a California home. If your situation involves probate court, add several months. If the property was in a trust, some steps compress. If there are multiple properties or contested heirs, add complexity. But the core framework applies broadly.

Week 1 · Days 1 to 7

The First Week

Focus on immediate safety, security, and legal preservation. Do not sign anything, sell anything, or make major decisions this week.

Secure the property. Change locks if strangers had access. Confirm the property is closed up, alarm activated, no valuables visible from windows.
Locate estate documents. Search for wills, trust documents, life insurance policies, mortgage records, property tax bills, deeds, and utility bills. Keep everything in one folder.
Order 10 to 15 certified death certificates. You will need them for banks, mortgage companies, title companies, insurance, DMV, and county recorder. Cheaper to order all at once than piece by piece.
Notify Social Security and pensions. Report the death to Social Security Administration (usually the funeral home handles this) and to any pension providers. Overpayments must be returned.
Do not cancel utilities yet. A house with no power or water can develop mold, freeze damage, or vandalism problems. Leave utilities on and note the account numbers.

Critical Warning

Do not attempt to move into, rent out, sell, or clear out the home this week. Even if you have a will or trust in hand, title has not yet transferred. Acting as if you own the property before title transfer can create legal complications, especially with siblings or other beneficiaries.

Weeks 2 to 4 · Days 8 to 30

First 30 Days

Establish legal footing and financial visibility. Meet with an attorney, understand what document controls, and inventory what exists.

Meet with a California estate attorney. Bring the will, trust, property tax bills, mortgage statements, and death certificates. The attorney determines whether the property is in a trust (no probate needed), qualifies for a simplified probate procedure (like AB 2016's primary residence petition for homes under $750,000), or requires full probate.
Identify the fiduciary. If the property is in a trust, identify the successor trustee. If it goes through probate, someone will need to petition to be appointed as personal representative or executor. This person controls decisions about the property.
Contact the mortgage servicer. Notify them of the death. Request a payoff quote for informational purposes. Confirm what payment arrangement continues while the estate settles. Under the federal Garn-St. Germain Act, they generally cannot accelerate the loan on a family member's inheritance of the property, but you need to communicate.
Confirm insurance coverage. Homeowner insurance policies often lapse or require notice when the insured dies. Contact the insurer immediately to confirm coverage continues and add any successor as an additional insured. Vacant property may require different coverage.
Get an initial property valuation. A CMA from an experienced agent, or an appraisal, establishes fair market value at date of death. This value drives stepped-up basis calculations for capital gains and the Prop 19 exclusion cap analysis.
Open an estate or trust bank account. Once the executor or trustee is appointed, they open a dedicated account for estate income and expenses. Do not commingle with personal funds.

Prop 19 Clock Starts Now

If any child intends to occupy the home as their principal residence to preserve Prop 19 exclusion, the 12-month clock is already running from the date of death. Do not delay this decision. If occupancy is intended, plan to move in within a few months, not close to the deadline.

Month 2 · Days 31 to 60

Establish Standing

If probate is required, this is when the petition gets filed. If a trust controls the property, the trustee begins formal administration.

File probate petition (if required). The Petition for Probate (Form DE-111) opens the case. This is when the court will appoint a personal representative and issue Letters. Timing depends on court backlog, typically 6 to 12 weeks after filing.
Or begin trust administration (if in trust). Trustee sends the required Probate Code Section 16061.7 notice to beneficiaries and heirs within 60 days of the trust becoming irrevocable (typically at death for a living trust). This starts a 120-day statute of limitations for beneficiaries to contest the trust.
Continue essential expenses. Property tax, insurance, utilities, and mortgage payments continue through the estate or trust bank account. Track every expense with receipts.
Do a security walkthrough. Physically inspect the property. Check for water intrusion, roof issues, HVAC status, and general condition. Take photos and document.
Begin inventory of personal property. Furniture, jewelry, cars, art, and other tangible property need to be identified for the estate inventory. Do not distribute or dispose of items yet.

Month 3 · Days 61 to 90

Property and Family Decisions

Once legal standing is established, the family can start making decisions about the home. What are the options and who decides?

Family meeting on the property. Sit down with all heirs. Discuss options: sell now, sell after occupancy, one heir buys out others, keep as rental. Bring numbers. Bring the Prop 19 analysis. Do not make emotional decisions.
Get a formal appraisal. If there are multiple heirs or a buyout is possible, a formal appraisal is worth the cost. It gives all parties a shared reference for value discussions and supports the stepped-up basis for capital gains purposes.
Assess needed repairs. Even if selling, some repairs are needed to maximize value or pass inspection. Get contractor quotes. Roof, HVAC, water heater, and any obvious deferred maintenance are common issues.
Confirm Prop 19 election. If a child will occupy, they should be planning the move now, not later. If nobody will occupy, the property will reassess. Understanding this changes the sale calculus.
Prepare mortgage strategy. If the property carries a mortgage, decide whether to pay it off from estate assets, refinance in an heir's name, or sell to pay it off. Each has different tax and cash flow implications.

Months 4 to 6 · Days 91 to 180

Execute the Plan

The path chosen in month three now gets executed. Selling? List. Keeping? Move in. Renting? Set up the tenancy. Buying out? Finalize the terms.

If selling: engage an agent experienced with inherited property. An agent who has handled probate, trust, and inherited property sales understands the required disclosures, timing considerations, and coordination with attorneys. Not every California agent has this experience.
If selling in probate: consider IAEA authority. If the personal representative has Independent Administration of Estates Act authority, the sale can proceed without court confirmation using a Notice of Proposed Action. This shortens the timeline significantly.
If selling via trust: coordinate the required disclosures. Trust sales may have different disclosure obligations than typical residential sales. The trustee has fiduciary duties to all beneficiaries. An experienced agent handles this properly.
If a child is moving in: complete the move. The occupying child should physically move in with utilities transferred to their name, mail forwarded, and documentation of the change in principal residence. File Forms BOE-19-P and BOE-19-B with the county assessor.
If buying out siblings: complete the transaction. Deed transfer, refinance closing, disbursement to non-occupying heirs, and Prop 19 filings all happen at this stage.
If renting: prepare the property. Not usually the best financial choice given Prop 19's rental property treatment, but if renting is the plan, engage a property manager and prepare for reassessment.

Months 6 to 12

Close Out the Estate

Whether the property has sold or transferred, the estate or trust administration continues until formally closed. Final tax filings, distributions, and legal closure happen in this window.

File final estate income tax returns. Both federal (Form 1041) and California (Form 541) fiduciary returns are required for any income earned during administration.
Distribute assets to heirs or beneficiaries. After debts, expenses, and taxes are paid, the remaining estate is distributed according to the will, trust, or intestate succession rules.
Close estate bank account. After all distributions are complete and receipts obtained, the estate account is closed.
File final Prop 19 documentation. Any BOE-19-P or BOE-19-B forms not yet filed should be submitted. The county assessor may take additional time to process and confirm the exclusion.
Close probate case (if applicable). Personal representative files Final Report and Petition for Final Distribution. Court closes the case.
Retain records. Keep estate and trust documents, tax returns, and property records for at least seven years. Some records related to real property basis should be retained indefinitely.

Twelve-Month Prop 19 Deadline

The 12-month occupancy window for Prop 19 exclusion closes at this point. If a child intended to occupy but has not established residency by month 12, the exclusion is lost. There is no extension mechanism. Plan for this deadline months in advance.

What This Timeline Assumes

The timeline above represents a relatively clean case: a California family, one primary residence, cooperative heirs, sufficient estate liquidity to pay debts and expenses, and no contested issues. Complications extend the timeline in predictable ways.

Contested wills or trusts. If any beneficiary challenges the will or trust, expect 6 to 24 additional months while the dispute resolves.

Multiple properties. Each property adds inventory, valuation, insurance, and transfer complexity. Two or three properties can add several months.

Out-of-state heirs. Coordinating meetings, documents, and decisions with heirs in different states or countries adds time and communication overhead.

Reverse mortgages. Reverse mortgage payoffs have short deadlines (typically 6 months, sometimes extendable) and require immediate attention. Missing the payoff deadline can lead to foreclosure.

Title issues. Older properties sometimes have unresolved title issues (unpaid taxes, prior liens, name inconsistencies) that need to be cleared before transfer. Add several months.

Estate tax filings. Estates over $13.6 million (2026 federal exemption) require federal estate tax returns due 9 months after death. California does not currently have a state estate tax.

The Common Mistake Families Make

The single biggest mistake I see is families who wait too long to engage professionals. They spend weeks or months trying to figure things out on their own, then discover in month four that they should have engaged an attorney in month one.

Some things that families delay unnecessarily:

Getting a formal valuation. Stepped-up basis for future capital gains depends on date-of-death value. Waiting six months to get an appraisal often means using less reliable retroactive numbers.
Making the occupancy decision. If a child intends to occupy for Prop 19 purposes, delay costs weeks on a 12-month clock. Deciding in month 8 is too late.
Engaging an attorney. A one-hour consultation with an experienced California estate attorney in week 2 typically saves families thousands of dollars in avoidable complications later.
Talking to siblings. Conflict resolution gets exponentially harder the longer you wait. Difficult conversations in month one are shorter than difficult conversations in month six.