The first thing is to make the house look lived in and stay secure. In Sacramento County that can mean a couple of cheap timers on lamps, mail picked up daily, and a neighbor who knows to call you if something looks off. If the house is going to sit empty for a while, tell the neighbors and maybe the local police non-emergency line, depending on the area. Don’t leave a spare key where it has always been. Change the locks if you don’t know who has a copy, and that includes old caregivers, handymen, and distant relatives. Keep the yard from shouting that nobody is home.

Insurance is the next call, and it is more urgent than people expect. A homeowner policy often assumes someone is living there, so an empty house can create coverage problems. Call the insurer and ask, in plain words, what they need to know and what happens while the house is vacant. Some companies want a vacancy endorsement, some want someone checking the property on a schedule, and some handle it differently. Get the answer in writing if you can. Don’t cancel anything until you understand what replaces it, and don’t assume the policy automatically covers a house full of belongings nobody is watching.

Utilities and mail are practical housekeeping. Keep the power and water on, because a dark house in summer heat invites problems and a shut-off can damage things. Put the account in your name if that is what the utility asks for, and keep paying the bills even during probate, since the estate owes them. For mail, a temporary forwarding order to your address is usually the cleanest move, but don’t forward everything forever. You want the bills and the tax notices to reach you, and you want to see what is arriving so nothing important gets lost. The county assessor and the tax collector will send things to the property address, and those notices matter.

Finding the deed and the will is its own small hunt. The deed is often in a file at home, but if it isn’t, the Sacramento County recorder’s office keeps recorded deeds and you can search there or ask the county clerk-recorder what they need from you. The will may be in a safe, a bank box, or with the lawyer who drafted it. If there is no will, that changes everything, and you need a lawyer then, not later. California probate is not a do-it-yourself project for most families, and a local estate lawyer can tell you whether a small estate procedure fits or whether a full probate is required. That answer depends on the size and type of the estate, so don’t guess.

The hardest advice is to not sell anything too early. Grief pushes people to clear things out fast, and that is usually a mistake. You don’t yet know what the will says, what the estate owes, or what the house is really worth. Get a lawyer and, if taxes are involved, a CPA before you list the house or give away furniture. If you are worried about keeping the house, a HUD-approved housing counselor can talk through options, and the county can point you to resources. Wait until you have the facts, then decide.

More notes on this topic are at the first 90 days with a parent’s house.